Hernando's Hideaway

"Hernando's Hideaway" is a tango show tune, largely in long metre, from the musical The Pajama Game, written by Jerry Ross and Richard Adler and published in 1954. It was sung in the stage and film versions of the musical by Carol Haney.

"Hernando's Hideaway"
Song by Carol Haney
Published1954
GenreTango
Composer(s)Jerry Ross
Lyricist(s)Richard Adler

The most successful recording of the song was done by Archie Bleyer, the record reaching No. 2 on the Billboard chart in 1954. A version by Johnnie Ray hit #14. A rendition by Enoch Light was featured prominently on Command Records' Provocative Percussion as well as the Command test record.

A live recording (from Carnegie Hall in 1954) by Ella Fitzgerald[1] can be found on the Verve/Polygram release Jazz at the Philharmonic, the Ella Fitzgerald Set, with Ray Brown on bass and Buddy Rich on drums.

There are at least 15 Finnish versions, titled Hernandon salaisuus, by different artists of the song[2], the first and most popular by Olavi Virta, in 1956.

It has also been covered by David Clayton-Thomas, and is often played by breakbeat DJs. The R&B singer Debelah Morgan sampled it (with different lyrics and a new middle section) on her international pop hit "Dance With Me" released in 2000. The instrumental section of The Johnston Brothers' 1955 recording (a No. 1 UK hit that year)[3][4] was used as the theme for Brick Top Polford in the 2000 movie Snatch.

In 2014, the song was featured on the FOX show So You Think You Can Dance during its 11th season. The routine saw Spencer Liff nominated for an Emmy in 2015 for Outstanding Choreography.

Inspiration

The Pajama Game is set in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Hernando's Hideaway was a raunchy dive in East Dubuque, Illinois, perched on a high cliff overlooking the highway between Dubuque and Galena. The movie was based on the stage play of the same name which, in turn, was based on the book (7 1/2 Cents, by Richard Bissell); it is only in the original book that there is information about where the story takes place.

Legacy

A number of places around the world today are named Hernando's Hideaway, evidently based on the popularity of the song.

"Hernando's Hideaway" also became a nickname for the smoking room for British parliamentarians in the House of Commons. The Labour Member of Parliament, Stephen Pound, told the House during a smoking debate on February 14, 2006: "I refer the House to the dystopic hell – 'Hernando's Hideaway' – that is the Smoking Room on the Library Corridor. It is like the Raft of the Medusa most nights, with great groups of people crammed into it."[5]

Recorded versions

See also

References
  1. "Ella Fitzgerald | Hernando's Hideaway in Lyrics House". Lyrics-house.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
  2. "Fono.fi - Äänitetietokanta". Retrieved 2020-06-24.
  3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 52. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 21. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  5. "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 14 Feb 2006 (pt 15)". Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  6. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 451. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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