| "Sam's Song (The Happy Tune)" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Published | May 1, 1950 |
| Released | May 1950 (1950-05) |
| Genre | Traditional pop |
| Composer | Lew Quadling |
| Lyricist | Jack Elliott |
"Sam's Song (The Happy Tune)" is an Americanpop song written in 1950 with music byLew Quadling and lyrics byJack Elliott.[1] It was first released as aCapitol single byJoe "Fingers" Carr and the Carr-Hops in May 1950. By June of that year, Carr's single had made it to all three ofBillboard's music popularity charts, and several other artists had released the song, including bandleadersFreddy Martin andVictor Young.[2][3]Gary andBing Crosby's release of the song in July 1950 was a hit, ranked as the 4th best selling record of 1950 according toBillboard.[4]Dean Martin andSammy Davis Jr. also released a recording of the song which hit theBillboard Hot 100 in 1962.[5]
The first recording of the song, released in May 1950 byJoe "Fingers" Carr and the Carr-Hops, stayed on theBillboard charts for 13 weeks, peaking at #7 on the Jukebox chart and #8 on the Best Sellers chart.[6][7][8]
On June 23, 1950,Bing Crosby's sonGary Crosby recorded the song forDecca with his father, along with "Play a Simple Melody" as theA-side, making his record debut at the age of 17.[9][10] After its release in July, the Crosbys' recording stayed on theBillboard Best Sellers chart for 19 weeks, peaking at #3.[11] It was also a hit on the Radio and Jukebox charts, peaking at #3 on both.[12][13] The recording was also ranked #4 onBillboard's list of the top popular records of 1950 according to retail sales.[4]
The next recording to chart was in 1962, whenDean Martin andSammy Davis Jr. released the song as theB-side of a Reprise single, which peaked at #94 on theHot 100.[5] The A-side was Davis' duet withFrank Sinatra, "Me and My Shadow," and both tracks include banter between the singers and comical changes to the lyrics.[14] Their recording of "Sam's Song" stayed on the Hot 100 for three weeks.[5]