"Strip Polka" is a 1942 novelty song with music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The music incorporates a polka beat; the lyrics are about Queenie, a burlesque performer who longs to quit her job and retire to life on a farm.
Its use in the film Navy Blues (1941) was prevented as a result of Joseph Breen's memo to Jack Warner regarding the low moral tone of the lyrics.
The first recording of "Strip Polka", which featured the vocals of Mercer, Phil Silvers, and Margaret Whiting, with piano by Jimmy Van Heusen, and an arrangement by Paul Weston, was a significant early hit (charting at #7) for Capitol Records, selling more than a million copies.
The recording by The Andrews Sisters came in at #2 on Variety's list of bestselling songs despite censors only allowing the song to play on the radio for nine or ten weeks. A version by Alvino Rey was popular.
The song was popular with U.S. troops during World War II.
Recordings
- Johnny Mercer with Phil Silvers, Margaret Whiting, and Jimmy Van Heusen (Capitol, 1942)
- Kay Kyser with vocals by Jack Martin (Columbia, 1942)
- The Andrews Sisters (Decca, 1942)
- Alvino Rey with vocals by The Four King Sisters (Bluebird, 1942)
In other media
- Elke Sommer on The Dean Martin Show in 1969.
- In Faces (1968)
- Island at War episode "Unusual Successes"
References
- Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1971). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series.
- Furia, Philip; Patterson, Laurie J. (2022). The Poets of Tin Pan Alley. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-090646-7.
- ^ Shteir, Rachel (2004). Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-530076-5.
- ^ Eskew, Glenn T. (2013-11-15). Johnny Mercer: Southern Songwriter for the World. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 978-0-8203-3330-4.
- Zimmers, Tighe E. (2021-05-07). That's Entertainment: A Biography of Broadway Composer Arthur Schwartz. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-7881-8.
- ^ Mercer, Johnny; Kimball, Robert; Day, Barry; Kreuger, Miles; Davis, Eric (2009-10-20). The Complete Lyrics of Johnny Mercer. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-26519-7.
- Lees, Gene (2009-08-19). Portrait of Johnny: The Life of John Herndon Mercer. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-48969-2.
- Weston, Paul; Stafford, Jo. Song of the Open Road: An Autobiography and Other Writings. BearManor Media.
- Gavin, James (2015-10-06). Is That All There Is?: The Strange Life of Peggy Lee. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4516-4179-0.
- Johnson, Vincent (1942-10-28). "Peel Wheel Not for Turntable in Case of Airing Strip Polka". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 28. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- "Survey Shows Troops Aren't Singing Much". The Daily Tribune. 1943-12-28. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Furia, Philip (2004-12-09). Skylark: The Life and Times of Johnny Mercer. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4668-1923-8.
- Orodenker, M.H. (5 September 1942). "On the Records". The Billboard. p. 20. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- Nimmo, H. Arlo (2007-04-17). The Andrews Sisters: A Biography and Career Record. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-3260-8.
- "National and Regional Best Selling Retail Records". The Billboard. 26 September 1942.
- "David Janssen Dean's Guest". The Shreveport Journal. 1969-09-19. p. 38. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
- Cassavetes, John (1970). Faces. New American Library.