Deep in the Heart of Texas
| "Deep in the Heart of Texas" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Perry Como with Ted Weems and His Orchestra | |
| B-side | "Ollie Ollie Outs in Free" |
| Released | 1942 |
| Format | 78 rpm record |
| Recorded | December 1941, Los Angeles |
| Genre | Country & western |
| Length | 2:42 |
| Label | Decca |
| Composer(s) | Don Swander |
| Lyricist(s) | June Hershey |
"Deep in the Heart of Texas" is an American popular song about Texas.
The 1941 song features lyrics by June Hershey and music by Don Swander. There were no fewer than five versions in the Billboard charts in 1942. "Deep in the Heart of Texas" spent five weeks at the top of Your Hit Parade in 1942 during its twelve weeks stay.[1]
It is considered to be a de facto state song of Texas.
Notable recordings
1942 chart recordings
- Alvino Rey and his Orchestra (vocal by Bill Schallen and Skeets Herfurt), recorded November 21, 1941, Bluebird 11391)[2] - this topped the Billboard charts in 1942 during a ten-week stay.[3]
- Ted Weems and His Orchestra (vocal by Perry Como - recorded on December 9, 1941 for Decca Records in Los Angeles, California. It was a single release (4138 A) on the flip side of the song "Ollie Ollie Out's in Free."[4] This also charted with a peak position of #23.[3]
- The Merry Macs - recorded December 23, 1941 for Decca Records, catalogue No. 4136.[5] Chart position peak No. 11[3]
- Bing Crosby with Woody Herman and his Woodchoppers (recorded January 18, 1942,[6] Decca 4162)[7] This reached the No. 3 spot in the charts in 1942.[3]
- Horace Heidt's Musical Knights - recorded January 28, 1942, Columbia 36525[8] - this achieved a top position of No.7.[3]
Other notable versions
- Tommy Tucker (February 2, 1942, Okeh 6583)[9]
- Gene Autry recorded February 24, 1942 for Okeh Records 6643.[10]
- Bob Grant and His Orchestra - included in the album Songs Of Our Times 1942 (1959)[11]
- Freddy Cannon on his debut 1960 album The Explosive Freddy Cannon.
- Ray Charles - included in his album The Genius Hits the Road (1960)
- Duane Eddy - his 1962 single reached No. 78 in the Billboard charts.
- Hank Thompson - included in the album The Best Of Hank Thompson. Vol.2 (1967)[12]
- Kidsongs on their "Yankee Doodle Dandy", VHS, DVD, and album
- George Strait included in the album For the Last Time: Live from the Astrodome (2003)
- Nickel Creek - recorded for his album Little Cowpoke (2003)[13]
Film appearances
- 1942 The song's title was borrowed for the name of a 1942 Western film of the same name starring Johnny Mack Brown as a man instrumental in restoring Texas to the United States following the American Civil War. It featured Tex Ritter and the Jimmy Wakely Trio singing the title song.
- 1942 Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, and Joe Strauch Jr. sang the song in Heart of the Rio Grande (1942).
- 1944 Wing and a Prayer - Sung by William Eythe in the cockpit of a fighter plane as a gun test with machine gun blasts for the handclaps.
- 1950 I'll Get By - Performed by June Haver and Gloria DeHaven with the Harry James Orchestra.[14]
- 1952 With a Song in My Heart
- 1985 Part of the chorus is sung by Pee-wee Herman in Pee-wee's Big Adventure (with the claps performed by passerby) to prove he's in Texas
Other usage
The Kidsongs Kids' ancestors sing this song on Sing Out, America!.
The University of Texas Longhorn Band performs the song during each football pregame at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium; The Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band often performs the tune for home football games and the Texas Christian University Horned Frog Marching Band performs an arrangement before each game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Fans sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", followed by "Deep In the Heart of Texas" during the seventh-inning stretch of Houston Astros,[15] San Antonio Missions, Rice Owls, and Houston Cougars baseball games, and in the middle of the fifth inning at Texas Rangers games. It is also played after every victorious San Antonio Spurs game. It is also played in the middle of a water break at Houston Dynamo games.
In 1942, the BBC banned the song during working hours on the grounds that its infectious melody might cause wartime factory-hands to neglect their tools while they clapped in time with the song.[16]
Country music singer and native Texan George Strait has the song played before he gets on stage.
See also
References
- ↑ Smith, Kathleen E.R. God Bless America: Tin Pan Alley Goes to War. The University Press of Kentucky. p. 25. ISBN 0-8131-2256-2.
- ↑ "THE ONLINE DISCOGRAPHICAL PROJECT". 78discography.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 491. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ↑ "Perry Como Discography". kokomo.ca. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ↑ "THE ONLINE DISCOGRAPHICAL PROJECT". 78discography.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ↑ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ↑ Orodenker, M.H. (February 28, 1942). "On the Records". Billboard. p. 25.
- ↑ "THE ONLINE DISCOGRAPHICAL PROJECT". 78discography.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ↑ Orodenker, M.H. (March 7, 1942). "On the Records". Billboard. p. 21.
- ↑ "THE ONLINE DISCOGRAPHICAL PROJECT". 78discography.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ↑ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ↑ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ↑ "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
- ↑ Pentis, Andrew. "Stadium Songs-Houston Astros". ESPN.com. ESPN.com. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- ↑ French, Philip (August 9, 2008). "The golden age of BBC censorship; Ex-radio producer Philip French recalls Auntie's strangest strictures". The Guardian. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
