"When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" | |
---|---|
Song | |
Published | 1912 |
Songwriter(s) | Lyricists: Chauncey Olcott, George Graff, Jr. Composer: Ernest Ball |
"When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" is a lighthearted song in tribute to Ireland. Its lyrics were written by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff, Jr., set to music composed by Ernest Ball, for Olcott's production of The Isle O' Dreams, and Olcott sang the song in the show. It was first published in 1912, at a time when songs in tribute to a romanticised Ireland were very numerous and popular both in Britain and the United States. During the First World War the famous tenor John McCormack recorded the song.
The song continued to be a familiar standard for generations. Decades later it was used as the opening song on the American radio show Duffy's Tavern . The song has been recorded on over 200 singles and albums and by many famous singers, including Bing Crosby, Connie Francis, and Roger Whittaker. [1]
Verse 1:
Chorus:
Verse 2:
(Chorus)
The song gained notoriety in Canada after the so-called Shamrock Summit between Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and U.S. President Ronald Reagan held on Saint Patrick's Day, 1985. At the end of the evening, the two leaders and their wives jointly sang "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," intended to celebrate both leaders' Irish heritage. Mulroney was extensively criticized in the Canadian press for a "cloying performance" said to symbolize his government's excessive closeness to Reagan's. [2] [3]
"When Irish Eyes are Smiling" has been used in the following movies and short subjects: [4]
Fred Fisher Music Co. v. M. Witmark & Sons concerned the copyright of this song (which is now in public domain.)
"Molly Malone" is a song set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become its unofficial anthem.
The Shamrock Summit was the colloquial name given to the March 17–18, 1985 meeting between Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and US President Ronald Reagan in Quebec City. It gained this nickname because of the Irish background of the two leaders and because the meeting started on St. Patrick's Day. The summit was capped by a televised gala, which ended with Mulroney, Reagan and their wives singing "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" at the Grand Théâtre de Québec, which publicly exemplified the camaraderie between the two leaders.
Carmen Lombardo was lead saxophonist and featured vocalist for his brother Guy Lombardo's orchestra. He was also a successful composer. In 1927, Carmen Lombardo was the vocalist of the hit record Charmaine, performed by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians.
Gary Evan Crosby was an American actor and singer. His parents were Bing Crosby, of whom he wrote a highly critical memoir, and the singer and actress Dixie Lee.
"Pretty Baby" is a song written by Tony Jackson during the Ragtime era. The song was remembered as being prominent in Jackson's repertory before he left New Orleans in 1912, but was not published until 1916.
Dixie Lee was an American actress, dancer, and singer. She was the first wife of singer Bing Crosby.
"Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" is a parlor song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864), published by Firth, Pond & Co. of New York in 1854. Foster wrote the song with his estranged wife Jane McDowell in mind. The lyrics allude to a permanent separation.
"It's a Great Day for the Irish" is an Irish-American song that was written in 1940 by Roger Edens, one of the many musical directors at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios under the leadership of Arthur Freed for inclusion in the film version of the George M. Cohan 1922 Broadway show Little Nellie Kelly, directed by Norman Taurog. The rights of the show were sold to MGM by Cohan as a starring vehicle for Judy Garland. The song was partly written to capitalize on Garland's identification with her Irish roots.
"Moonlight Bay" is a popular song. It is commonly referred to as "On Moonlight Bay". The lyrics were written by Edward Madden, the music by Percy Wenrich, and was published in 1912. It is often sung in a barbershop quartet style. Early successful recordings in 1912 were by the American Quartet and by Dolly Connolly.
"Galway Bay" is the name of at least two different songs.
Harry Barris was an American popular singer and songwriter. He was one of the earliest singers to use "scat singing" in recordings. Barris, one of Paul Whiteman's Rhythm Boys, along with Bing Crosby and Al Rinker, scatted on several songs, including "Mississippi Mud," which Barris wrote in 1927.
"Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral " is a classic American song that was written in 1913 by composer James Royce Shannon (1881–1946) for the Tin Pan Alley musical Shameen Dhu. The original recording of the song, by Chauncey Olcott, peaked at #1 on the music charts. The song was brought back to prominence by Bing Crosby's performance in 1944's Going My Way. Crosby's single sold over a million copies and peaked at #4 on the Billboard music charts.
"It's the Same Old Shillelagh" is an Irish novelty song written by Pat White. Its subject is a young Irish-American who inherits his father's shillelagh. The composer himself recorded this song on May 25, 1927 for Victor Records, and the record was distributed through the Yorkville Phonograph Shop in New York City. RCA Victor pressed the record, but it carried a custom "Yorkville" label.
"Save Your Sorrow " is a popular song first published in 1925 written by Tin Pan Alley tunesmiths, Al Sherman and B.G.DeSylva. The publisher was Shapiro, Bernstein & Company, based in New York City. Songwriter, Al Sherman's son, Robert was just born and Al did not have the money to pay the hospital bill. Upon arriving home from the hospital, Al discovered the first royalty check from "Save Your Sorrow" in his mailbox and was therefore able to pay the bill.
"The Rose of Tralee" is a nineteenth-century Irish ballad about a woman called Mary, who because of her beauty was called The Rose of Tralee. The Rose of Tralee International Festival had been inspired by the ballad.
Top o' the Morning is a 1949 American romantic comedy film directed by David Miller and starring Bing Crosby, Ann Blyth, and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Edmund Beloin and Richard L. Breen, the film is about a singing insurance investigator who comes to Ireland to recover the stolen Blarney Stone—and romance the local policeman's daughter.
This is a list of Bing Crosby songs he recorded twice or more during his career, excluding all of the 1954 re-recordings for Bing: A Musical Autobiography.
St. Patrick's Day is a compilation album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in 1947 featuring songs with an Irish theme. This includes one of Crosby's most-beloved songs, "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral" which was number four on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks, and topped the Australian charts for an entire month, on shellac disc record. This version, the 1945 re-recording, was released earlier in another Crosby album, Selections from Going My Way.
Bing Crosby's Treasury – The Songs I Love is an LP set by Bing Crosby, issued in both mono and stereo formats by a mail-order firm, The Longines Symphonette Society, which was an educational service from the Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company. A similar LP set had been issued in 1966, and this updated version had a total of 36 Crosby vocals.
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling is a Decca Records album by Bing Crosby of songs with an Irish theme. It was issued as a 10” LP as catalog No.DL 5403. Some of the songs had earlier been issued as a 3-disc 45rpm set (9-89).
Both leaders made much of their mutual Irish heritage, and Brian and Mila Mulroney sang "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" with Ronald and Nancy Reagan, a cloying performance that instantly made the phrase "Shamrock Summit" emblematic in Canadian political discourse for the overly close nature of the Canadian-American relationship during the Conservative era.