Sea Cruise

"Sea Cruise" is a song written and sung by Huey "Piano" Smith and His Clowns.

The recording was included on the 1971 Ace Records compilation Huey "Piano" Smith's Rock & Roll Revival!^[1]

Original

The song was initially covered by Frankie Ford in 1959, with a top-20 hit, using Smith's original backing track.^[2] Released on Ace Records, it sold over one million copies, gaining gold disc status.^[3] The single included ship's bell and horn sound-effects, as well as boogie piano, a driving horn section and a beat that anticipated ska music. The song has been included in several motion picture soundtracks, including Ski Patrol in 1990 and Out to Sea in 1997.^[4]

Recorded cover versions

It was later also covered by:

• Jackie Edwards released a ska version in 1964
• Herman's Hermits covered the song in 1965 on the album Introducing Herman's Hermits.^[5]
• The Hondells covered the song in the 1960s, as seen on a Scopitone film.^[6]
• Freddy Cannon covered it in a 1968 single released by "We Make Rock'N Roll Records" #1604^[7]
• Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets covered the song on their album, Good Rockin' Tonight (1971).
• The Houseshakers in Demolition Rock (1972) (available on CD Contours Of Rock 'n' Roll Raucous Records).
• Sha Na Na on The Night Is Still Young^[8] and Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll (both 1972).
• Jerry Lee Lewis in 1973 for his album The Session...Recorded in London with Great Artists.
• Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen covered the song in 1973.
• Johnny Rivers recorded a studio version in 1971 and covered it in 1974 on the album Last Boogie in Paris.^[9]
• John Fogerty covered it on his self-titled 1975 solo album.^[10]
• Nicky Hopkins covered it in 1975 on the album No More Changes.^[11]
• The Beach Boys, recorded c. 1976 for initial inclusion on 15 Big Ones (released on the 1981 compilation album Ten Years of Harmony featuring a vocal by Dennis Wilson)^[12]
• Robert Gordon and Link Wray covered the song on their 1977 album Robert Gordon with Link Wray.
• Rory Gallagher used to performed the song live in 1978-1979. The version from Wiesbaden, Germany, 6 May 1979 was included on his DVD At Rockpalast. Another version from December 1979 was released on Notes from San Francisco.
• Showaddywaddy covered the song on their 1979 album Crepes & Drapes.^[13]
• Billy "Crash" Craddock^[14] covered it in 1980 on the album Changes.
• Rico Rodriguez recorded an instrumental version in 1980 with The Specials.
• Glenn Frey recorded the song on his first solo album, No Fun Aloud in 1982, after having performed it with Eagles on the same year of their breakup, 1980.
• Anne Murray performed the song in her 1983 TV special Anne Murray: Caribbean Cruise.
• The Kidsongs Kids covered the song on their 1986 video "What I Want to Be!".
• Dion covered the song in 1990 on the album Adventures of Ford Fairlane.^[15]
• American R&B and boogie-woogie pianist and singer Little Willie Littlefield recorded a version for his 1997 album The Red One.^[16]
• Jimmy Buffett covered the song on the 1995 album Margaritaville Cafe Late Night Gumbo. It also appeared on M.O.M. - Music for our mother ocean - Vol 3 in 1999, and Jimmy's Live in Mansfield, MA CD released in 2004.
• Status Quo on their 1999 single, "The Way It Goes."^[17][18]
• Cliff Richard and The Shadows covered the song on their 2009 album Reunited. Cliff also covered it on his 1990 live album, From a Distance - The Event.
• Don McLean on his 1981 album, Believers.
• In 1976 actress Jill Clayburgh performed the song on Saturday Night Live (season one, episode 15), backed by the US Coast Guard’s a cappella group The Idlers.
• Yo La Tengo recorded the song for their covers album Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics.
• Johnny Hallyday on his "C'est la vie " album (1977).

References