The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)

"Dance of the Dollars" production number launches the song in Gold Diggers of 1933

"The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)" is a song from the 1933 Warner Bros. film Gold Diggers of 1933, sung in the opening sequence by Ginger Rogers and chorus. The entire song is never performed in the 1933 movie, though it introduces the film in the opening scene (wherein the performance is busted up by the police). Later in the movie, the tune is heard off stage in rehearsal as the director continues a discussion on camera about other matters.

The lyrics were written by Al Dubin and the music by Harry Warren. It became a standard and its melody is well known.

Lyrics

The song's lyrics reflect a positive financial turnaround and a fantasized end to the Great Depression, which in the U.S. began to turn around in early 1933 but wouldn't actually end until the late 1930s:[1]

(Opening verse)
We're in the money!
We're in the money!
We've got a lot of what it takes to get along!
We're in the money!
The skies are sunny!
Ol' Man Depression, you are through, you done us wrong!
We never see a headline 'bout a bread line today,
And when we see the landlord,
We can look that guy right in the eye!
We're in the money!
Come on, my honey!
Let's lend it, spend it, send it rolling along!

Early versions

Early popular recordings of this song were by performed by Ted Lewis & His Band and by Hal Kemp & His Orchestra. Dick Powell, who does not sing a note of "The Golddigger's Song" in the motion picture, recorded a version that also sold well.[2] Other 1933 versions were by The Dorsey Brothers (vocal by The Boswell Sisters),[3] and Leo Reisman and His Orchestra (vocal by Fred Astaire)[4].

Other recordings

  • Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1954[5] for use on his radio show and it was subsequently included in the box set The Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings (1954-56) issued by Mosaic Records (catalog MD7-245) in 2009.[6]
  • Rosemary Clooney included the song in her album Dedicated to Nelson (1996).
  • American swing revivalists the Cherry Poppin' Daddies recorded a version for their 2016 covers album The Boop-A-Doo.
  • Mike Coupe (Sainsbury's CEO) sung and hummed 'We're in the Money' while waiting for an ITV News interview about his supermarket's merger with competitor Asda.

He probably did not know he was than filmed ... and the film turned into a viral clip on TV's around the world and on YouTube. M.Coupe later made a statement, saying: 'This was an unguarded moment trying to compose myself before a TV interview. It was an unfortunate choice of song, from the musical 42nd Street, which I saw last year, and I apologise if I have offended anyone.'

In other Warner Bros. productions

The song was used again in two other Warner Bros. productions: as the theme song of the 1933 Merrie Melodies cartoon We're in the Money; and as the theme and source music two years later in the 1935 film, We're in the Money.

References

  1. ↑ Great Depression, Encyclopædia Britannica
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 503. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  3. ↑ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  4. ↑ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  5. ↑ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  6. ↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.

See also

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