Straighten Up and Fly Right

Last updated
"Straighten Up and Fly Right"
Single by the King Cole Trio
ReleasedApril 14, 1944 (1944-04-14)
RecordedNovember 30, 1943 (1943-11-30) [1]
Studio C.P. MacGregor, Hollywood [2]
Label Capitol 154
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Johnny Mercer
The King Cole Trio singles chronology
"All for You"
(1943)
"Straighten Up and Fly Right"
(1944)
"Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You"
(1944)

"Straighten Up and Fly Right" is a 1943 song written by Nat King Cole and Irving Mills and one of the first vocal hits for the King Cole Trio. [3] It was the trio's most popular single, reaching number one on the Harlem Hit Parade for ten nonconsecutive weeks. The single also peaked at number nine on the pop charts. [4] "Straighten Up and Fly Right" also reached number one for six nonconsecutive weeks on the Most Played Jukebox Hillbilly Records. [5]

Contents

Background

The song was based on a Black folk tale that Cole's father had used as a theme for one of his sermons. In the tale, a buzzard takes different animals for a joy ride. When he gets hungry, he throws them off on a dive and eats them for dinner. A monkey who had observed this trick goes for a ride; he wraps his tail around the buzzard's neck and gives the buzzard a big surprise by nearly choking him to death. [2]

The song's harmonic structure is based on that of the George and Ira Gershwin's song, "I Got Rhythm". [6]

The King Cole Trio recorded the song, along with "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You", "If You Can’t Smile and Say Yes" and "Jumpin' at Capitol", for Capitol Records during a three-hour recording session at C.P. MacGregor Studios in Hollywood on November 30, 1943, with Johnny Mercer producing and John Palladino engineering the session. [2]

Cole sold his share of the publishing rights to the song for $50 in the late 1930s, before it was ever recorded. He later sued to try to regain the rights, but was unsuccessful.

Cover versions

References

  1. Settlemier, Tyrone (2009). "Capitol 100-499, 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78Discography.com. Online Discographical Project. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  2. 1 2 3 Cogan, Jim; Clark, William (2003). Temples of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios. San Francisco, California, USA: Chronicle Books. p. 17. ISBN   0-8118-3394-1.
  3. Gilliland, John (January 15, 1972). "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #11". UNT Digital Library.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 126.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 85.
  6. Watkins, Mark (2010). Rhythm Changes. From Fundamentals of Jazz Improvisation: What Everybody Thinks You Already Know (PDF). Idaho, USA: Brigham Young University. p. 29.
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 228.
  8. "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. January 15, 2021 via NYTimes.com.
  9. Aardman Animations (2000-03-22). "Chicken Run Workprint 2.0" . Retrieved 2023-09-15.