A Guy Is a Guy
Encyclopedia
"A Guy Is a Guy" is a popular
song
written by Oscar Brand
. It was published in 1952
.
The song originated in a British
song, "I Went to the Alehouse (A Knave Is a Knave)," dating from 1719. During World War II
, soldiers sang a bawdy song based on "A Knave Is a Knave," entitled "A Gob Is a Slob." Oscar Brand cleaned up the lyrics, and wrote this song based on it.
The best-known version of the song, recorded by Doris Day
, charted in 1952
. The recording was recorded on February 7, 1952 and released by Columbia Records
as catalog number
39673. The flip side was "Who Who Who". The song first entered the Billboard Best-Selling Records chart on March 7, 1952 and lasted 19 weeks, peaking at #4 on the chart. (According to some sources, the song reached #1 on the chart.)
The song was also recorded by Ella Fitzgerald
in 1951
, and by Australia
n singer June Miller, with Les Welch and his orchestra, in May, 1952
, although Doris Day's version was actually #1 on the Australian charts.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by Oscar Brand
Oscar Brand
Oscar Brand is a folk singer, songwriter, and author. In his career, spanning over 60 years, he has composed at least 300 songs and released nearly 100 albums, among them Canadian and American patriotic songs...
. It was published in 1952
1952 in music
-Events:*February 26 - Jo Stafford marries bandleader/arranger Paul Weston.*March 21 - First reported Rock and roll riot breaks out at Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland, Ohio...
.
The song originated in a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
song, "I Went to the Alehouse (A Knave Is a Knave)," dating from 1719. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, soldiers sang a bawdy song based on "A Knave Is a Knave," entitled "A Gob Is a Slob." Oscar Brand cleaned up the lyrics, and wrote this song based on it.
The best-known version of the song, recorded by Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
, charted in 1952
1952 in music
-Events:*February 26 - Jo Stafford marries bandleader/arranger Paul Weston.*March 21 - First reported Rock and roll riot breaks out at Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland, Ohio...
. The recording was recorded on February 7, 1952 and released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
as catalog number
Catalog numbering systems for single records
This article presents the numbering systems used by various record companies for single records.- Capitol :...
39673. The flip side was "Who Who Who". The song first entered the Billboard Best-Selling Records chart on March 7, 1952 and lasted 19 weeks, peaking at #4 on the chart. (According to some sources, the song reached #1 on the chart.)
The song was also recorded by Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
in 1951
1951 in music
-Events:*January 29 – Nilla Pizzi wins the first annual Sanremo Music Festival with "Grazie dei fiori".*February – The first complete performance of Charles Ives's Second Symphony is given in Carnegie Hall by the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Bernstein.*March – Alan...
, and by Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n singer June Miller, with Les Welch and his orchestra, in May, 1952
1952 in music
-Events:*February 26 - Jo Stafford marries bandleader/arranger Paul Weston.*March 21 - First reported Rock and roll riot breaks out at Alan Freed's Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland, Ohio...
, although Doris Day's version was actually #1 on the Australian charts.