(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China

Last updated
"On A Slow Boat to China"
Song
Published1948
Genre Traditional pop
Songwriter(s) Frank Loesser

"On A Slow Boat to China" is a popular song by Frank Loesser, published in 1948.

Contents

The song is a well-known pop standard, recorded by many artists, including a duet between Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby (for their album Fancy Meeting You Here (1958)), Ella Fitzgerald, Joni James, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jimmy Buffett, Fats Domino and Liza Minnelli.

In the UK, the biggest hit version was recorded in 1959 by Emile Ford and the Checkmates, which peaked at #3 in the official singles chart.

Ronnie Dove recorded the song for his 1966 album Ronnie Dove Sings the Hits for You.

Bette Midler and Barry Manilow recorded the song for Midler's album Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook (2003).

Miss Piggy performed the song with actor Roger Moore in an episode of The Muppet Show .

Paul McCartney sang this song to honor Frank Loesser.

Hit recordings

Recorded byReleased byCatalog numberDate first reached the
Billboard magazine
Best Seller chart		Weeks on chartPeakNotes
Kay Kyser and His Orchestra (Vocal: Harry Babbitt & Gloria Wood) Columbia Records 38301October 15, 194819#2 [1] [2] This version was a #1 hit in Australia in 1949 as well.
Freddy Martin and His Orchestra (Vocal: Glenn Hughes and The Martin Men) RCA Victor Records 20-3123October 29, 194817#5 [1]
Benny Goodman Capitol Records 15208November 12, 194812#10 [1]
Art Lund MGM Records 10269November 5, 19489#13 [1]
Larry Clinton Decca Records 24482November 26, 19481#27 [1]

Idiom

Frank Loesser's daughter, Susan Loesser, authored a biography of her father, A Most Remarkable Fella (1993), in which she writes:

"I'd like to get you on a slow boat to China" was a well-known phrase among poker players, referring to a person who lost steadily and handsomely. My father turned it into a romantic song, placing the title in the mainstream of catch-phrases in 1947.

The idea is that a slow boat to China was the longest trip one could imagine. Loesser moved the phrase to a more romantic setting, yet it eventually entered general parlance to mean anything that takes an extremely long time. [3]

Media

In film and television

The phrase "a slow boat to China" (or a snowclone thereof) features

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosemary Clooney</span> American singer and actress (1928–2002)

Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me", "Mambo Italiano", "Tenderly", "Half as Much", "Hey There", "This Ole House", and "Sway". She also had success as a jazz vocalist. Clooney's career languished in the 1960s, partly because of problems related to depression and drug addiction, but revived in 1977, when her White Christmas co-star Bing Crosby asked her to appear with him at a show marking his 50th anniversary in show business. She continued recording until her death in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Loesser</span> American songwriter (1910–1969)

Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won a Tony Award for Guys and Dolls and shared the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for How to Succeed. He also wrote songs for over 60 Hollywood films and Tin Pan Alley, many of which have become standards, and was nominated for five Academy Awards for best song, winning once for "Baby, It's Cold Outside".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bette Midler</span> American singer and actress (born 1945)

Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards and a Kennedy Center Honor, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award.

Sisters is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1954, best known from the 1954 film White Christmas.

"Hey There" is a show tune from the musical play The Pajama Game, written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. It was published in 1954. It was introduced by John Raitt in the original production. In the show, Sid sings it to a recording device, telling himself that he's foolish to continue his advances to Babe. He plays the tape back, and after responding to his own comments, sings a duet with himself.

"In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" is a popular song with music by Hoagy Carmichael and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally planned to feature it in a Paramount film written for Betty Hutton that never took off, which was to be called The Mack Sennett Girl. The song was buried in Paramount's files until it was rediscovered and then used in the 1951 film Here Comes the Groom and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)</span> Song

"One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" is a song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the movie musical The Sky's the Limit (1943) and first performed in the film by Fred Astaire.

"I Really Don't Want to Know" is a popular song written by Don Robertson (music) Howard Barnes (lyrics). The song was published in 1953.

"Lullaby of Broadway" is a popular song with music written by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin, published in 1935. The lyrics salute the nightlife of Broadway and its denizens, who "don't sleep tight until the dawn."

"You'll Never Know", sometimes referred to as "You'll Never Know " in later years, is a popular song with music written by Harry Warren and the lyrics by Mack Gordon. The song is based on a poem written by a young Oklahoma war bride named Dorothy Fern Norris.

"A Hundred Years from Today" is a popular song published in 1933 with music by Victor Young and lyrics by Ned Washington and Joe Young. The song was included in the London production of Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beast of Burden (song)</span> 1978 song by The Rolling Stones

"Beast of Burden" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, featured on the 1978 album Some Girls. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song No. 435 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

"For All We Know" is a popular song published in 1934, with music by J. Fred Coots and lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. Popular versions in 1934 were by Hal Kemp and Isham Jones.

"P.S. I Love You" is a popular song with music by Gordon Jenkins and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. published in 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thanks for the Memory</span> 1938 song

"Thanks for the Memory" (1938) is a popular song composed by Ralph Rainger with lyrics by Leo Robin. It was introduced in the 1938 film The Big Broadcast of 1938 by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross, and recorded by Shep Fields and His Orchestra featuring John Serry Sr. on accordion in the film and vocals by Bob Goday on Bluebird Records. Dorothy Lamour's solo recording of the song was also popular, and has led to many mistakenly believing over the years that it was she who sang the tune with Hope in the film.

<i>Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook</i> 2005 studio album by Bette Midler

Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook is a studio album by American singer Bette Midler. Produced by Barry Manilow, it serves as a follow-up to their Grammy Award-nominated Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook (2003). Released in 2005, the Peggy Lee tribute was Midler's first album produced in the DualDisc format, although the DVD features were limited to a few short video clips; the initial release was affected by Extended Copy Protection technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)</span> 1913 song recorded by Al Jolson

"You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)" is a popular song from 1913 composed by James V. Monaco with lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. It was introduced by Al Jolson in the Broadway revue The Honeymoon Express (1913), and used in the 1973 revival of the musical Irene.

<i>Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook</i> 2003 studio album by Bette Midler

Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook is an album by the American singer Bette Midler. It was produced by Barry Manilow and marked the first time that Midler had worked with Manilow in more than twenty years. It was also Midler's first album for Columbia Records after nearly 30 years recording for Warner Music Group. Columbia Records is owned by Sony Music Entertainment.

<i>Jackpot! The Best Bette</i> Compilation album by Bette Midler rekeased in 2008

Jackpot! The Best Bette, released as The Best Bette in Europe, is a compilation album of recordings by American singer Bette Midler released on September 23, 2008. The album release was originally set to coincide with Midler's Las Vegas show, Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On which debuted on February 20, 2008 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, but was postponed to April, then August 26, and later to the actual September release.

"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" is a popular song written in 1947 by Frank Loesser as an independent song.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940–1955. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research.
  2. ↑ Gilliland, John. (197X). "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #22 - All Tracks". UNT Digital Library. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  3. ↑ Loesser, Susan (1993). A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life, A Portrait by His Daughter. Donald I. Fine.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.