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| "Mule Train" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byTennessee Ernie Ford | ||||
| from the album Sixteen Tons | ||||
| B-side | "Anticipation Blues" | |||
| Released | November 1949 | |||
| Recorded | October 18, 1949 | |||
| Genre | Country,folk | |||
| Length | 3:04 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Johnny Lange,Hy Heath,Ramblin' Tommy Scott and Fred Glickman | |||
| Tennessee Ernie Ford singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Mule Train" is apopularsong written byJohnny Lange,Hy Heath,Ramblin' Tommy Scott and Fred Glickman. It is a cowboy song, with the singer filling the role of an Old West wagon driver, spurring on his team of mules pulling adelivery wagon. As he goes about his work, the driver mentions the various mail-order goods he is delivering to far-flung customers. "Mule Train" was originally recorded by Ellis "Buz" Butler Jr. in 1947. Butler was the original writer of the song along with Fred Glickman. The original recording was released by Buz Butler onDecca Records.[citation needed]
The song was featured in the 1950 Republic WesternSinging Guns (where it was sung byVaughn Monroe) and nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song in 1950, but lost out to "Mona Lisa".
Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[1]
Charting versions were recorded byFrankie Laine,Bing Crosby,Tennessee Ernie Ford, andVaughn Monroe.
Frankie Laine and the Muleskinners' version was recorded on October 2, 1949, and released byMercury Records as catalog number 5345. This version first reached theBillboard chart on November 4, 1949 and lasted 13 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 1.[2] Laine's recording of the song wasproduced byMitch Miller. It featured a bellowed vocal delivery (like that of a real driver shouting to be heard) andstudio-createdgimmicks such aswhipcrackingsound effects. CriticRalph J. Gleason called it "an early rock and roll hit for adults".[3] It is often cited as an outstanding early example of studio production techniques.
TheBing Crosby version was recorded on October 26, 1949,[4] and released byDecca Records as catalog number 24798. The flip side was "Dear Hearts and Gentle People" which peaked at number 2. The record first reached theBillboard chart on November 25, 1949 and lasted 16 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 4. This recording was featured in an episode of theNBC radio network radio programLassie Show entitled "Mule Train", which aired on December 17, 1949.
TheTennessee Ernie Ford version was recorded on October 18, 1949, and released byCapitol Records as catalog number 40258. The record first reached theBillboard chart on November 25, 1949 and lasted nine weeks on the chart, peaking at number 10. Ford's version also charted on theBillboard country chart, reaching number 1 in December, becoming the first song to top the component "Country & Western Records Most Played By Folk Disk Jockeys" chart (on December 10, 1949). Like Laine's version, Ford's version contained whipcracking sound effects and shouting by the driver as he spurs on the mules.
Vaughn Monroe's version was released byRCA Victor Records as a 78rpm single (catalog number 20-3600A) and a 45rpm single (catalog number 47-3106) (in the United States). It was released byEMI on theHis Master's Voice label as catalog number B 9836. The record first reached theBillboard chart on November 18, 1949 and lasted nine weeks on the listing, peaking at number 10. Monroe also sang the song in the 1950 Republic WesternSinging Guns. He played an outlaw who became town marshal with the intent of stealing a shipment of gold, and sang the song while at the reins of what appeared to be a stagecoach.
Woody Herman andThe King Cole Trio, withIrving Ashby, Joe Comfort and Gene Orloff, made a recording of "Mule Train" on November 7, 1949 in New York City, as well as the track "My Baby Just Cares For Me", which were both released byCapitol Records as a single, catalog number 787, which gave label credit to Herman for "Mule Train" and to the trio for "My Baby Just Cares For Me".
Burl Ives recorded a version of the song in the 1950s, featuring the snapping of the whips, and yells.
Gordon MacRae made a recording on October 21, 1949, which was released byCapitol Records in the United States as the flip side of the single "Dear Hearts and Gentle People" (which he also recorded on October 21, 1949).
Les Welch and his Orchestra made a recording in Australia in February, 1950, which was released by Pacific Records (in Australia).
The song was subsequently recorded in England byFrank Ifield in the 1960s.
In 1950,Gene Autry sang the tune in a film of the same title.
In 1950, asatirical version of the song, "Chinese Mule Train," was recorded bySpike Jones and his City Slickers, with banjoist Freddy Morgan (misspelled on the record like "Fleddy Morgan" as a joke) providing the Chinese-like vocals. It was issued on RCA Victor.
The song appeared onRod McKuen's 1958 albumAnywhere I Wander.
In 1960,Bo Diddley recorded a version of the song, but it was not released until 2009. The instrumental backing track for this song, however, was released in 1960 as "Travelin' West".
Areggae version was recorded byCount Prince Miller in 1971 and then again withSly and Robbie in the 1980s.
Bob Blackman appeared on numerous Britishlight entertainment programmes in the 1970s, singing "Mule Train" whilst hitting his head with a tin tray.[5]
Comedy duoBob and Ray released a version locally inBoston in 1949, withRay Goulding singing in the character of Mary McGoon.
WhenAl Jolson appeared on Bing Crosby's radio show, he attributed his receiving the award to his being the only singer of any importance not to make a record of "Mule Train", which had been a widely covered hit of that year (four different versions, one of them by Crosby, had made the top ten on the charts). Jolson joked about how his voice had deepened with age, saying "I got the clippetys all right, but I can't clop like I used to."[citation needed][6][circular reference]
