 | In the Good Old SummertimeJ.W. Myers |
Writer(s): Ren Shields, George Evans (see lyrics here) First Charted: October 25, 1902 Peak: 17 US, 12 GA (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 (sheet music sales) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming |
 | In the Good Old SummertimeHaydn Quartet |
First Charted: February 28, 1903 Peak: 16 US, 12 GA (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 (sheet music sales) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.31 video, 0.01 streaming |
 | In the Good Old SummertimeSousa’s Band with Harry MacDonough and S.H. Dudley |
First Charted: March 28, 1903 Peak: 14 US, 12 GA (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 (sheet music sales) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming |
Awards (J.W. Myers):Click on award for more details. 
Awards (Haydn Quartet):
Awards (John Philip Sousa):
Awards (MacDonough):
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About the Song:Comedian Ren Shields and black-faced minstrel George “Honey Boy” Evans wrote what has been called “the signature song for summer.” PS The song grew out of a Sunday trip to the beach with singer-actress Blanche Ring. While the three dined at the Brighton Beach Hotel in Brooklyn, TY2 Evans remarked that he liked “the good old summertime.” Shields said it would make a great song title. He worked up lyrics and Evans improvised a basic melody. Ring assisted in writing it down and arranging it for piano since Evans couldn’t write a note of music. RA Shields and Evans shopped the song to several music publishers, but none wanted a song doomed to a three-month lifespan. However, it started getting played in vaudeville shows and then Ring offered to perform it in her Broadway musical comedy The Defender. RA As the character Millie Canvass, she sings “the happy bouncy waltz to open the third act.” SM The show opened in the Herald Square Theater on July 3, 1902 PS and closed in less than two months. However, thanks to its “happy, singable melody with easy to remember lyrics” PS “Summertime” proved to have a much longer life than publishers speculated, becoming “a perennial seasonal favorite.” JA Audiences liked the lyrics about “holding hands while strolling through shady lanes…playing hooky from school to go swimming, playing ‘ring-a-rosie,’ and stealing cherries.” TY2 J.W. Myer included the song in his vaudeville act RCG and took it to #1. His was one of five versions to hit the top three of the U.S. pop charts in 1902 and 1903. Redmond charted first (#3), followed by Myers, Harry MacDonough (#2), the Haydn Quartet (#1), and Sousa’s Band (#1). The Haydn Quartet’s version showed the most endurance, ranking as Billboard’s song of the year in 1903. CPM The three chart-topping versions of the song spent a total of 17 weeks at #1 in 1902 and 1903. It should also be noted, however, that MacDonough appears on three of the versions – his solo version, as a member of the Haydn Quartet, and as a guest on Sousa’s rendition. Interestingly, the Haydn Quartet’s version is the only one to use both verses of the song. SM The song was connected to a 1927 film In the Good Old Summertime and revived for the 1948 Judy Garland movie of the same name. PS In 1952, Les Paul and Mary Ford charted with a #15 version of the song. It has also been tapped numerous times for “Broadway shows and Hollywood films whenever a ‘summer song,’ has been needed.” RCG Resources:
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First posted 3/28/2014; last updated 9/6/2023. |
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