Happy Feet (song)

"Happy Feet"
Song by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra with the Rhythm Boys
Published	1930 by Ager, Yellen & Bornstein, Inc.
Recorded	February 10, 1930 (1930-2-10) [1]
Genre	Jazz American Dance Music
Length	3:00
Label	Columbia W149810
Composer(s)	Milton Ager
Lyricist(s)	Jack Yellen

"Happy Feet" is a song with music by Milton Ager and lyrics by Jack Yellen, first published in 1930. It was originally introduced in the Universal Pictures revue film King of Jazz (1930), where it was performed by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra with the Rhythm Boys.^{[ citation needed ]}

Background

In film, the song was introduced in one of the musical-dancing sequences. It begins with the verse and chours sung by the Rhythm Boys (featuring future multimedia star Bing Crosby in his onscreen debut) with the Sisters G reprising the chorus in German. The rest of "Happy Feet" sequence contains the latter's dance show along with the Russell Markert Girls.^{[ citation needed ]} A memorable "rubber legs" solo was danced by Al Norman. ^[2]

According to the labels on the shellac records, the target dance for the song was a foxtrot. ^[1]

Notable recordings

Date	Main recording artist	Vocalist(s)	Notes	Ref.
February 10, 1930	Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra	The Rhythm Boys	Featuring Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker.	[1]
April 9, 1930	Leo Reisman and his Orchestra	Lew Conrad
May 8, 1930	Frankie Trumbauer's Orchestra	Smith Ballew
May 9, 1930	Jack Hylton and his Orchestra	Pat O’Malley
May 26, 1930	The Mariners Trio
October 7, 1930	The Revelers
October 14, 1930	Cab Calloway and his Orchestra	Cab Calloway
October 3, 1933	Horace Henderson and his Orchestra	Henry Allen

Kermit the Frog performed the song in Episode 209 of '' The Muppet Show ''. ^[3] Kermit's rendition is preserved on a number of recordings, including 2002's '' The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, And More (The 25th Anniversary Collection) ''. ^[4]

References

1. "Jack Yellen – Discography of American Historical Recordings".
2. "The Happy Feet of Al "Crazy Legs" Norman". Travalanche. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
3. Adams, Erik (April 3, 2012). "The Muppet Show: "Episode 209: Madeline Kahn"/"Episode 210: George Burns"". A.V. Club. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
4. "The Muppets – The Muppet Show: Music, Mayhem, And More (The 25th Anniversary Collection)". Discogs. Retrieved March 28, 2025.