Makin' Whoopee

This article is about the Donaldson and Kahn song. For Susan Stroman's 2004 ballet, see Double Feature (ballet).

"Makin' Whoopee"
Sheet music, 1928
Song
Published	1928 by Donaldson, Douglas & Gumble
Released	1928 (1928)
Genre	Pop
Composer(s)	Walter Donaldson
Lyricist(s)	Gus Kahn

"Makin' Whoopee" is a song first popularized by Eddie Cantor in the 1928 musical Whoopee! . Gus Kahn wrote the lyrics and Walter Donaldson composed the music for the song as well as for the entire musical.

The title refers to celebrating a marriage. Eventually "making whoopee" became a euphemism for intimate sexual relations. ^[1] The song has been called a "dire warning", largely to men, about the "trap" of marriage. ^[2] "Makin' Whoopee" begins with the celebration of a wedding, honeymoon and marital bliss, but moves on to babies and responsibilities, and ultimately on to affairs and possible divorce, ending with a judge's advice.

The original lyrics and music of the song entered the public domain in the United States in 2024. ^[3]

Other versions

• 1928 Bing Crosby recorded the song on December 22, 1928 with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. ^{[4] [5]} It made #8 on the Billboard charts.
• 1980 Yoko Ono under the title "Yes, I'm Your Angel" and with altered lyrics, ^[6] Double Fantasy
• 1989 Dr. John and Rickie Lee Jones performed "Makin' Whoopee" on Dr. John's album In a Sentimental Mood . It was released by Warner Bros. Records, earning a Grammy Award in 1989.
• 1989 Branford Marsalis performed a cover in 1989 for his album Trio Jeepy. It would later be the first song that was ever played on VH1 Smooth on August 1, 1998. ^[7]

In advertising

• Pepsi used the melody of "Makin' Whoopee" with new lyrics, sung by Joanie Sommers, for its advertising campaign "Now It's Pepsi -- For Those Who Think Young" starting in 1961. ^[8]
• Heinz created a 1993 commercial in which a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of salsa "make whoopee" in a refrigerator, resulting in a salsa-style ketchup. ^[9]

References

1. "Whoopee". Merriam-Webster. Webster.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2006-10-08.
2. Holden, Stephen (April 19, 2002). "Crooning About the Woes of Whoopee". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-10-08. A review of a James Naughton cabaret performance. "Mr. Naughton pounces on the dire warning to men lurking beneath the song's playful surface: that once the honeymoon is over, marriage can become a trap from which there is no escape."
3. "Public Domain Day 2024 | Duke University School of Law". web.law.duke.edu.
4. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
5. 10CD-set Bing Crosby, CD 1 Early Bing Vol. 1, Mebran Music Ltd. (2008), ISBN   978-3-86860-027-8
6. Garcia, Gilbert (27 January 2003). "The Ballad of Paul and Yoko". Salon.com . Retrieved November 29, 2023.
7. Hay, Carla (August 22, 1998). "MuchMusic Readies Awards, Spinoff Channel; MTV's Suite Set". Vol. 110, no. 34. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 85. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
8. "Pepsi-Cola Uses Old 'Whoopee' Hit as Jingle Theme". Billboard Music Week . 1961-02-13. p. 36. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
9. Gurwitch, Annabelle. (2015). I see you made an effort : compliments, indignities, and survival stories from the edge of 50. Penguin. ISBN   9780142181874. OCLC   881869606.

External links

• The Newlywed Game