Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens
"Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" | |
---|---|
Single by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | |
A-side | "Let the Good Times Roll" |
Released | 1946 (1946) |
Recorded | June 26, 1946[1] |
Genre | Jump blues |
Length | 3:02 |
Label | Decca |
Songwriter(s) | Joan Whitney Kramer, Alex Kramer |
"Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" is a jump blues song, written by Alex Kramer and Joan Whitney.[1] Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five recorded the song on June 26, 1946, and Decca Records released it on a 78 rpm record.[1] It was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2013.[2]
The single debuted on Billboard magazine's Rhythm and Blues Records Chart on December 14, 1946.[3] It reached number one and remained at the top position for seventeen weeks, longer than any other Jordan single.[3] It also reached number six on the broader Billboard Best-Selling Popular Retail Records chart.[3] The flip side, "Let the Good Times Roll", peaked at number two on the R&B chart.[3]
Jordan's hit song popularized the expression "Nobody here but us chickens", but the phrase is older.[4] Its first known appearance was a joke published as a reader-submitted anecdote in Everybody's Magazine in 1908 regarding a chicken thief, formulated as, "'Deed, sah, dey ain't nobody hyah 'ceptin' us chickens."[5] From there, it was picked up by newspapers and reprinted far and wide.
References
- ^ a b c Dexter Jr., Dave (1975). The Best of Louis Jordan (Album notes). Louis Jordan. Universal City, California: MCA Records. p. 5. MCAD-4079 (CD reissue).
- ^ "Grammy Hall of Fame". grammy.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Whitburn, Joel (1988). Top R&B Singles 1942–1988. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research. pp. 229–230. ISBN 0-89820-068-7.
- ^ Quinion, Michael (March 15, 2014). "Wordface". World Wide Words. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
- ^ "Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree". Everybody's Magazine. Vol. 19. July 1908. p. 717.
External links
- Louis Jordan: "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" on YouTube
- v
- t
- e
- "Knock Me a Kiss" (1942)
- "What's the Use of Getting Sober" (1942)
- "Five Guys Named Moe" (1943)
- "Ration Blues" (1943)
- "G.I. Jive" (1944)
- "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" (1944)
- "Caldonia" (1945)
- "Ain't Nobody Here but Us Chickens" (1946)
- "Ain't That Just Like a Woman" (1946)
- "Beware" (1946)
- "Buzz Me" (1946)
- "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" (1946)
- "Don't Worry 'Bout That Mule"
- "Let the Good Times Roll" (1946)
- "Reconversion Blues" (1946)
- "Salt Pork, West Virginia" (1946)
- "Stone Cold Dead in the Market" (1946)
- "That Chick's Too Young to Fry" (1946)
- "Boogie Woogie Blue Plate" (1947)
- "Early in the Mornin'" (1947)
- "Jack, You're Dead" (1947)
- "Open the Door, Richard!" (1947)
- "Texas and Pacific" (1947)
- "Don't Burn the Candle at Both Ends" (1948)
- "Run Joe" (1948)
- "Beans and Corn Bread" (1949)
- "Saturday Night Fish Fry" (1949)
- "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (1949)
- "Blue Light Boogie" (1950)
- "I'll Never Be Free" (1950)
- "School Days" (1950)
- "Tear Drops from My Eyes" (1951)
- Tympany Five
- Jump blues
- Rhythm and blues
- Origins of Rock and Roll
- Five Guys Named Moe
- Let the Good Times Roll
- Caldonia