100 years ago: “The Glow-Worm” hit #1 for the first of 3 times

The Glow-Worm Victor Orchestra

Writer(s): Paul Lincke (music), Lilla Cayley Robinson and Johnny Mercer (lyrics) (see lyrics here) First Charted: May 16, 1908 Peak: 15 US, 12 GA, 16 SM (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.0 (sheet music) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, -- video, -- streaming

The Glow-Worm The Mills Brothers with Hal McIntyre’s Orchestra

First Charted: September 27, 1952 Peak: 13 US, 12 HP, 11 CB (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 4.0 (sheet music), 1.0 (US physical sales) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 1.15 video, -- streaming

Awards (Victor Orchestra): Click on award for more details. Awards (Mills Brothers):

About the Song: Composer Paul Lincke wrote “The Glow Worm” (original title: “Das Glühwürmchen”) in 1902 for the operatta Lysistratra. The original lyrics were written in German by Heinz Bolten-Backers. TY2 and was originally sung as a trio by Cäcilie Carola, Emma Malkowsky & Kathi Herold. SM It was introduced in the United States in 1907 TY2 by May Naudain in the Broadway musical The Girl Behind the Counter. Lilla Cayley Robinson translated the lyrics into English. In 1908, there were successful chart versions of the song from the Victor Orchestra and Lucy Isabelle Marsh. Each spent five weeks at #1. It was the biggest hit to date for the publisher. DJ In 1925, Nathaniel Shilkret recorded an instrumental version of the song. WK The Victor Orchestra was the in-house band for the Victor Talking Machine Company, usually recording classical or backing opera singers. SM Their version “started as a piece of music played by staccato strings and the recognisable sound of a bell ringing in time. Only after one minute ten seconds, did the recognisable tune of the chorus enter and that lasted for only thirty seconds, after which, a vocal chorus to sing through the chorus once.” SM “Glow worm” was a term used in Europe for “the wingless female larva of the species Lampyris noctilluca, which glows and resembles a worm.” PS In 1952, the song was given new lyrics by Johnny Mercer, “one of the best lyricists in the history of popular song.” PS Since the glow-worm is not readily found stateside, PS he made it a reference to the insect we know as a firefly. PS He also used phrases like “a cute little pocket mazda” which now would suggest a car brand, but was then a brand of General Electric light bulbs. PS This earned the song an astonishing third trip to the pinnacle with a version by the Mills Brothers that gave the song a more upbeat tempo and used lyrics both by Mercer and Robinson. TY2 Their recording “harkened back to a decade earlier, when Glenn Miller ruled the universe. It was a blasting, big band sound” PS with orchestration by Hal McIntyre, a founding member of Miller’s orchestra from 1937 to 1942. PS It also featured “Harry Mills’ ultra-smooth lead…[which is] as close to perfection as a recording can get.” PS Mercer himself also charted with the song, reaching #30. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Victor Orchestra DMDB encyclopedia entry for Lucy Isabelle Marsh DJ David Jasen (2002). A Century of American Popular Music: 2000 Best-Loved and Remembered Songs (1899-1999). Routledge: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Page 65. SM Sharon Mawer Charts (1900-1968) PS PopularSong.org (2008). “Glow Worm/The Mills Brothers” TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Page 40. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 12/8/2022; last updated 12/15/2022.

May 15, 1958: The movie musical Gigi opened

Originally posted November 22, 2008. Last updated September 3, 2018.

Gigi (soundtrack/cast) Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics)/ Frederick Loewe (music)

Movie Opened: May 15, 1958 Soundtrack Charted: June 23, 1958 Cast Album Charted: February 9, 1974 Sales (in millions): US: 0.5 S UK: -- IFPI: -- World (estimated): 0.5 S Peak: US: 110-S UK: 2 S Canada: -- Australia: -- C cast album S soundtrack

Quotable: --

---

Genre: show tunes

---

Album Tracks – Soundtrack:

1. Gigi Overture (MGM STUDIO ORCHESTRA)
2. Thank Heaven for Little Girls (MAURICE CHEVALIER/ MGM STUDIO CHORUS)
3. It’s a Bore (MAURICE CHEVALIER/ LOUIS JOURDAN)
4. The Parisians (LESLIE CARON/ MGM STUDIO ORCHESTRA/ ANDRÉ PREVIN)
5. Waltz at Maxim’s (She’s Not Thinking of Me) (LOUIS JOURDAN/ MGM STUDIO ORCHESTRA)
6. The Night They Invented Champagne (LESLIE CARON/ BETTY WAND/ HERMIONE GINGOLD)
7. I Remember It Well (MAURICE CHEVALIER/ HERMIONE GINGOLD)
8. Say a Prayer for Me Tonight (BETTY WAND)
9. I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore (MAURICE CHEVALIER)
10. Gigi (Gaston’s Soliloquy) (LOUIS JOURDAN)
11. Finale

Review: After the Broadway magic of 1956’s My Fair Lady, Lerner & Loewe turned their talents toward movie making. Alan Jay Lerner wrote a screenplay for Gigi, based on the 1944 novella of the same name by Colette. He also provided the lyrics for the film’s featured songs and Frederick Loewe created the music, which was arranged and conducted by André Previn. WK-S The film, directed by Vincente Minnelli, “is considered the last great Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical and the final great achievement of the Freed Unit, headed by producer Arthur Freed.” WK-S The blockbuster was nominated for and won a then-recording-breaking nine Academy Awards. It was selected to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry and made the American Film Institute’s list of AFI’s 100 Years…100 Passions. WK-S “The story concerns Gigi, a free-spirited teenaged girl living in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. She is being groomed as a courtesan in her family's tradition. Before she is deemed ready for her social debut, she encounters the bon vivant bachelor Gaston Lachaille, whom she captivates as she is transformed into a charmingly poised young lady.” WK-C The film “reminds us why modern Hollywood can at times be dismissed with the wave of a hand. This is a grand musical, with seeds sown for much of the movie music that would follow, with even hints of what John Williams would steal for Star Wars. Frederick Loewe’s music is playful and engaging, but the highlight simply has to be Maurice Chevalier. His turns at Thank Heaven for Little Girls, It’s a Bore (with Louis Jourdan), and the hilarious I Remember It Well are timeless classics. The entire album has successfully incorporated a wonderful Parisian feel that lounge artists like Esquivel would go on to emulate.” SW In 1973, Gigi was made into a stage musical. “The original Broadway production, produced by Edwin Lester in 1973, ran for a disappointing 103 performances but won the Tony Award for Best Score. A West End production played in 1985. A new production of the musical, adapted by Heidi Thomas and directed by Eric D. Schaeffer, premiered at the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) in January 2015, and ran on Broadway[1] from April 8 to June 21, 2015 at the Neil Simon Theatre.” WK-C Review Sources: BE Bruce Eder, All Music Guide (soundtrack) WK-C Wikipedia (cast album) WK-S Wikipedia (soundtrack) SW Scott Wilson, Amazon (soundtrack)

---

Awards:

---

Related DMDB Link(s):

---

Lil Wayne “Lollipop” hit #1

Lollipop Lil Wayne with Static Major

Writer(s): Dwayne Carter, Stephen Garrett, Darius Harrison, Jim Jonsin, Rex Zamor, Marcus Cooper (see lyrics here) Released: March 13, 2008 First Charted: March 29, 2008 Peak: 15 US, 5 RR, 110 BA, 16 RB, 26 UK, 10 CN, 32 AU, 23 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 15.0 US, 0.4 UK, 15.54 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 549.72 video, 428.85 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Rapper Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. (stage name: Lil Wayne) was born in 1982 in New Orleans. He got his start at 12 years old when he was signed by rapper Birdman to Cash Money Records. He released his first studio album, The Block Is Hot, in 1999. It reached #3 on the Billboard album chart and went platinum. His commercial peak came in 2008 with Tha Carter III, his first #1 album and an eight-time platinum seller. Four singles from the album reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Three of those hit the top ten – which he’d never done before as a lead artist (he did guest on Destiny’s Child’s #3 hit “Soldier”). The lead single, “Lollipop,” (an “ode to oral sex” SF) went all the way to #1. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) named it the best-selling digital single worldwide in 2008. WK It was also the top-selling ringtone of the decade. SF The track features vocals from rapper Static Major, who died unexpectedly from a medical procedure at age 32 on February 25, 2008, sixteen days before the song’s release. WK He had previously written songs for Aaliyah, including “Rock the Boat” and “Try Again.” SF Wayne credited Static with the song, saying “It was all his idea. He brought the song to me with his vocals already on there, the beat was already done and I just laid my vocals to it.” SF When “Lollipop” topped the charts, it marked the eighth time a song reached #1 posthumously. He is featured in the video for “Lollipop” and the final frame says “In memory of Stephen “Static Major” Garrett. WK The song prominently uses auto-tune, which has been attacked by some as a pitch correction tool that makes people sound like they can sing who can’t sing. However, producer Jim Jonsin said Lil Wayne used it more as an effect. He’s “not just singing through some thing and it makes his voice sound perfect. The way he used it…he was singing all crazy with weird melodies that no one really does.” SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Lil Wayne SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 6/22/2023.