Aba Daba Honeymoon

"Aba Daba Honeymoon"
Sheet music cover with Eddie Morton, 1914
Song
Published	1914
Songwriter(s)	Arthur Fields, Walter Donovan

"Aba Daba Honeymoon" is a show tune with lyrics by Arthur Fields and music by Walter Donovan. ^[1] It was published in 1914 by Leo Feist. ^[2] It is known through its chorus, "Aba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the chimpie to the monk; Baba daba daba daba daba daba dab, Said the monkey to the chimp." ^[3] It was first performed by Ruth Roye, and first recorded in 1914 by the comic duo team of Collins & Harlan. ^[4]

Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter version

Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter performing the song in Two Weeks With Love (1950)

A version of the song "Aba Daba Honeymoon" was featured in the 1950 film, Two Weeks with Love . The single released from that film was recorded by Debbie Reynolds and Carleton Carpenter on August 4, 1950, and issued as a single by MGM Records as catalog number 30282. It reached number 3 on the Billboard charts in 1951. ^[5]

M-G-M sent the pair on a multicity personal appearance tour of Loews theaters to capitalize on its success, beginning in Washington, D.C. ^[6] According to Billboard in 1967, the song went on to sell 3 million copies, becoming perhaps "the first really big single come directly from a soundtrack". ^[7]

Other versions

• Richard Hayes and Kitty Kallen recorded the song for Mercury Records in 1951. It peaked at number 9 on the Billboard magazine chart. ^[8]
• A 1951 recording of the song by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra with Merv Griffin for RCA Victor Records peaked at number 12 on the Billboard magazine chart. ^[9]
• Another 1951 recording that sold well was recorded by Hoagy Carmichael and Cass Daley for Decca Records. ^[10]
• "Aba Daba Honeymoon" was featured on the 1959 soundtrack to Have Rocket, Will Travel , the first feature film to star the Three Stooges after their 1959 resurgence in popularity. ^[11]
• The Chenille Sisters released a version spelled Abba Dabba Honeymoon on February 1, 1994, from their 1992 children's album, The Big Picture and Other Songs for Kids. ^[12]

References

1. Green, Stanley (1981). "Aba Daba Honeymoon, The". Encyclopaedia of the Musical Film. Oxford University Press. p. 3. ISBN   978-0195029581.
2. Jasen, David A. (2013). "Aba Daba Honeymoon". A Century of American Popular Music. Taylor & Francis. p. 3. ISBN   9781135352646.
3. Herder, Ronald (October 1998). 500 Best-Loved Song Lyrics. Courier Dover Publications. p. 1. ISBN   0-486-29725-X.
4. "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
5. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 467. ISBN   0-89820-083-0.
6. Reynolds, Debbie (2013). Unsinkable: A Memoir. HarperCollins Publishers. p. 201. ISBN   978-0-06-221365-5.
7. "Soundtracks Are Big Business". Billboard. January 21, 1967. p. 32. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
8. Lonergan, David F. (2005). Hit Records, 1950-1975. Scarecrow Press. p. 1. ISBN   9780810851290.
9. Whitburn, Joel (1994). Joel Whitburn's Pop Hits, 1940-1954: Compiled from Billboard's Pop Singles Charts 1940-1954. Record Research. p. 117. ISBN   9780898201062.
10. Tyler, Don (2007). "The Aba Daba Honeymoon". Hit Songs, 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era. McFarland & Company. ISBN   9780786429462.
11. Maurer, Joan Howard; Jeff Lenburg; Norman Maurer; Greg Lenburg (1985). The Three Stooges Scrapbook. Citadel Press. p. 187. ISBN   0-8065-0946-5.
12. Reid, Rob (2007). Children's Jukebox: The Select Subject Guide to Children's Musical Recordings. American Library Association. p. 50. ISBN   9780838909409.