| "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" | |
|---|---|
| Song byJames Baskett | |
| Recorded | 1946 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:19 |
| Composer | Allie Wrubel |
| Lyricist | Ray Gilbert |
"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a song composed byAllie Wrubel with lyrics byRay Gilbert forDisney's1946live action andanimatedmovieSong of the South, sung byJames Baskett.[1] For "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", the film won theAcademy Award for Best Original Song[1] and was the second Disney song to win this award, after "When You Wish upon a Star" fromPinocchio (1940).[1] In 2004, it finished at number 47 inAFI's 100 Years...100 Songs, a survey of top tunes in American cinema.
According to Disney historian Jim Korkis, the word "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" was reportedly invented byWalt Disney, who was fond of nonsense words used in songs such as "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" fromCinderella (1950) and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" fromMary Poppins (1964).[2] Ken Emerson, author of the 1997 bookDoo-dah!: Stephen Foster And The Rise Of American Popular Culture, believes that the song is influenced by the chorus of the pre-Civil War folk song "Zip Coon", a "Turkey in the Straw" variation: "O Zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day".[3]
Since 2020, Disney has disassociated itself from the song due to the longstanding controversy over racial connotations associated withSong of the South, with the song being removed from soundtracks in the company's theme parks and associated resorts in the United States.[4]
The Walt Disney Company never released a single from the soundtrack.
| "Zip-a-Dee Doo-Dah" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byBob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans | ||||
| from the album Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah | ||||
| B-side | "Flip and Nitty" | |||
| Released | 1962 | |||
| Studio | Gold Star, Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:40 | |||
| Label | Philles | |||
| Songwriters | Allie Wrubel,Ray Gilbert | |||
| Producer | Phil Spector | |||
| Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bypassing his usual publishing sources,[9] producerPhil Spector reconfigured "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" in a style akin toBo Diddley.[9] According to former girlfriend Annette Merar, the song had come to Spector spontaneously while he was playing guitar; he immediately resolved to record it.[9] He produced the recording forBob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans withthe Wrecking Crew in late 1962.[10] Yielding puzzled reactions from those present at the session,[11] saxophonistSteve Douglas later recalled that Spector's request for two bass players had been "ridiculous",[9] while engineerLarry Levine, accustomed to conventionally smaller rock set-ups, was similarly perplexed by the number of musicians gathered.[12][10]
To obtain the guitar tone heard on the recording,Billy Strange suggested removing one of the power tubes from hisFender Twin Reverb amplifier, an effect Spector approved.[10] The resulting distortion produced a "fuzzy" coloration of his guitar tone,[9] later identified by Howard as "arguably, rock's first intentionallyfuzz-toned guitar solo."[11]
Strange's guitar solo, performed during the bridge,[12][9] was captured through bleed from his amplifier into the room microphones rather than a direct microphone.[13] As the session progressed, Spector had repeatedly instructed Levine to increase the recording levels, resulting in the audio meters remaining in the red zone. This prompted Levine, concerned about the distortion risk, to turn off all the microphones to reset the levels.[12][9][11] Levine then rebuilt the mix, but before activating Strange's microphone, Spector halted the process, declaring that the sound was acceptable and directed Levine to record as-is.[12][9]
Levine later considered the recording the first true example of Spector'sWall of Sound production style.[14] According tothe Beatles'George Harrison: "Some years later everyone started to try to copy that sound and so they invented thefuzz box."[15]
In 1963, Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans took their version of the song to number 8 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart and number 7 on theHot R&B Singles chart.[16] Their song also peaked at number 45 in theUK Singles Chart the same year.[1] The song was included on the only album the group ever recorded,Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, issued on thePhilles Records label.
This version was sung by the following people:[17][18]
