| "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" | |
|---|---|
_-_Tex_Williams.jpg) | |
| Single byTex Williams and His Western Caravan | |
| B-side | "Roundup Polka" |
| Published | June 27, 1947 (1947-06-27) by American Music, Inc., Hollywood[1] |
| Released | May 1947 (1947-05) |
| Recorded | March 27, 1947 (1947-03-27)[2] |
| Studio | Radio Recorders, Los Angeles |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:56 |
| Label | Capitol Americana 40001[2] |
| Songwriters | Merle Travis andTex Williams |
| Producer | Lee Gillette |
"Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" is aWestern swingnovelty song written byMerle Travis andTex Williams,[3] for Williams and histalking blues style of singing. Travis wrote the bulk of the song.[4] The original Williams version went to number one for 16 non-consecutive weeks on theHot Country Songs chart and became a#1 hit in August 1947and remained at the top of the "Best Sellers in Stores" chart for six weeks.[5] It was written in 1947[6] and recorded on March 27, 1947, at Radio Recorders in Hollywood.[2]
The song is written in thetalking blues style in the mid 1940s. Its narrator expresses disdain for the inventor of the cigarette, not so much for its health concerns (as he says he is a smoker himself and it hasn't killed him yet) but because of its addictive effect on smokers. He goes on to describe two situations, a tense poker game and a date with a beautiful woman; each situation is interrupted at a crucial point when one of the participants stops to have a cigarette. Williams sarcastically quips that when the smoker eventually dies from the effects of the addiction, they will tellSaint Peter that they need one more smoke before going through the golden gate.[6]
"Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" was produced byLee Gillette, and featured Johnny Weis, electric lead guitar;Eugene "Smokey" Rogers, acoustic rhythm guitar, harmony vocal;Earl "Joaquin" Murphey, steel guitar; Manny Klein, trumpet; Paul "Spike" Featherstone, harp; Andrew "Cactus" Soldi, Harry Sims, Rex Call, fiddles; Ossie Godson, piano; Deuce Spriggens, bass fiddle, harmony vocal; Milton "Muddy" Berry, drums; and Larry "Pedro" DePaul, accordion.
Acover version performed byPhil Harris stayed on the charts for 4 weeks, reaching #8 on the "Best Sellers in Stores" chart. Williams made a stereophonic re-recording of the song forCapitol in 1960 on thealbum,Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!.[7] It has also been covered byJohnny Bond & His Red River Valley Boys in 1947, and bySammy Davis Jr., who hit # 89 on the Country Charts in 1982,[8]Willie Nelson,Dennis Weaver,Michael Nesmith,Hank Thompson,Jimmy Dean,Commander Cody (Billboard #94 in 1973),Asleep at the Wheel,Doc Watson and others.[9]Thom Bresh, the son of the song's writer Merle Travis, hit #78 on the Country Charts with the song in 1978.[10]In France,Eddy Mitchell also recorded a French version of the song, on his albumRocking in Nashville (1974) :Fume cette cigarette.Finnish band Hullujussi covered the song in 1975, "Polta tupakkaa!"
This song is used as the title song of the 2005 movieThank You for Smoking.[11]
This song is featured in the second episode of the first season ofMy Name is Earl, "Quitting Smoking."[12]
This song makes an appearance in the videogameL.A. Noire as one of the songs played by the in-game radio KTI.
