Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie

"Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" is a 1905 popular song with music written by Harry Von Tilzer and lyrics by Andrew B. Sterling.

This article is about the pop standard song. For the 1952 film, see Wait till the Sun Shines, Nellie (film).
1905 sheet music cover with insert photos of songwriter Harry Von Tilzer and of singer Geo. R. Brown.

History

"Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" was written by Harry Von Tilzer for his cousin Nellie Hyman (Maiden name Litman). The Von Tilzer brothers were Jewish musicians who changed their names to sound more hip. But they stayed in touch with their family, and Harry wrote this song for his cousin Nellie. The Von Tilzer brothers used to sing it to her, and years later it became quite a famous song. Nellie was born in Linton, Indiana. Later her family moved to in Louisville, Kentucky, before they moved out west to Long Beach, California. There, Nellie's daughter, Rena (Renee) Cowan, wrote the lyrics for the 1968 single "Here I Am Again, Alone" under the name Renee Cowan with music and vocals by Bob Gaynor ( a.k.a. Robert P. Hope). I'm not sure how popular this song was, but I know someone cut a 45 record that I have seen copies of. Also I know this song was copyrighted in 1967 and listed in the Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series, 1968. Mrs. Nellie Hyman died on October 6, 1962. She is buried at 'Home of Peace Mausoleum' on Venice Blvd. in Los Angeles, California.[1]

"Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" has been recorded many times and is now considered a pop standard. The first recorded versions were by Byron G. Harlan and Harry Tally.[2]

Bing Crosby and Mary Martin sang it in the 1941 film Birth of the Blues and also recorded it for Decca Records on March 13, 1942.[3] Harry James recorded a version in 1941 on Columbia 36466.

In a long-standing tradition, floor traders at the New York Stock Exchange sing this song on the last trading day of every year and on Christmas Eve.[4] The song has been the stock exchange anthem at least back as far as 1934.[5][6]

It is also a popular song in barbershop music.

It appeared as a country music hit as performed by the Golden Memory Boys in the summer of 1940.

In the months before his death in 1959, Buddy Holly made a recording of "Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" and other songs now called the "Apartment Tapes", which he was making as notes for himself while chilling in his living room at his home in New York City. Nowadays this cover of "Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" by Buddy Holly is at the top of searches on YouTube for this song title. His original recording by himself on guitar can be found. Also the released version which has been remixed with added 'backup singers' and instruments is easy to find and is a longer version.

A sample of the song appears on the Roger Waters album Amused to Death at the end of the track "What God Wants (Part III)".

Film appearances

The song has been featured in many films and found ideal for the purpose of evoking a period flavor.

References
  1. [[Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series, 1968. The information about Nellie has been passed down in my family for generations, and we have diaries and documents from my grandmother Sharon Amov, Nellie's granddaughter, from Rena, and from Nellie attesting to all this, including that "Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" was written by Harry Von Tilzer for his cousin Nellie Litman (Hyman).
  2. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954: The History of American Popular Music. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. pp. 602. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  3. "A Bing Crosby Discography". A Bing Crosby Discography. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  4. "Stocks advance in light, Christmas Eve trading". Deseret News. New York. Associated Press. 24 December 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2019. Floor traders, as they do every year on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, gathered for a moment at the New York Stock Exchange to sing "Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie." The song is about waiting for the rain to end, and the Big Board tradition has roots going back to the Great Depression.
  5. "Along The Highways of Finance". New York Times. June 24, 1934. Retrieved 2008-12-25. The Stock Exchange anthem, by common consent, has been for many years "Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie." In recent years "The Wearing of the Green" has ...
  6. "State of the Market". Time magazine. July 20, 1934. Retrieved 2008-12-25. Floor favorites as "Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" or "The Wearing of the Green."
  7. "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  8. "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  9. "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
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