Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)
Encyclopedia
"Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)" is a popular song that was made famous by Glenn Miller
and by the Andrews Sisters
during World War II. Its lyrics are the words of two young lovers who pledge their fidelity while one of them is away serving in the war.
Originally titled "Anywhere the Bluebird Goes", the melody was written by Sam H. Stept
as an updated version of the nineteenth-century English folk song "Long, Long Ago
". Lew Brown
and Charles Tobias
wrote the lyrics and the song debuted in the 1939 Broadway musical Yokel Boy. After the United States entered the war in December 1941, Brown and Tobias modified the lyrics to their current form, with the chorus ending with "...'till I come marching home".
In February 1942, the Glenn Miller Orchestra recorded the song with vocals by Tex Beneke
, Marion Hutton
, and The Modernaires
. This record spent thirteen weeks on the Billboard
charts and was ranked as the nation's twelfth best-selling recording of the year. In May the song was featured in the film Private Buckaroo
as a performance by the Andrews Sisters with the Harry James
orchestra and featuring a tap dancing routine by The Jivin' Jacks and Jills. This scene is often considered one of the most memorable of the film. The Andrews Sisters then released the song on Decca Records
. Many other artists released records of the song that year, including Kay Kyser
. With the Miller, Andrews, and Kyser records all being popular on the radio, "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" became one of the few songs in history to have three different versions on the radio hit parade
at the same time.
The following year, Harold Adamson
and Jimmy McHugh
wrote "They Just Chopped Down the Old Apple Tree" for the film Around the World as a humorous parody of this song. Frank Loesser
's and Arthur Schwartz
's "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" from Thank Your Lucky Stars
, also references the song when a woman tells her lover that she "can't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me" because all of the other men her age are also fighting in the war. More recently, "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" was featured in the films Twelve O'Clock High
(1949), With a Song in My Heart
(1952) and Kiss Them for Me
(1957). It also featured in the mini-series The Pacific, and an instrumental muzak version was featured in the film Devil
(2010).
The title of the song was the inspiration for columnist Lewis Grizzard
's 1981 book, Don't Sit Under The Grits Tree With Anyone Else But Me.
Glenn Miller
Alton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
and by the Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters
The Andrews Sisters were a highly successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews , soprano Maxene Angelyn Andrews , and mezzo-soprano Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews...
during World War II. Its lyrics are the words of two young lovers who pledge their fidelity while one of them is away serving in the war.
Originally titled "Anywhere the Bluebird Goes", the melody was written by Sam H. Stept
Sam H. Stept
Samuel Howard Stept was an American songwriter who wrote for Broadway, Hollywood and the big bands. He became known simply as Sam Stept or Sam H. Stept — he almost never used his full middle name.-Family:Born in Odessa, Russia, Stept came to the U.S. at the age of three and grew up in...
as an updated version of the nineteenth-century English folk song "Long, Long Ago
Long, Long Ago
Long, Long Ago is a song dealing with nostalgia, written in 1833 by English composer Thomas Haynes Bayly. Originally named The Long Ago, its name was apparently changed by the editor Rufus Wilmot Griswold when it was first published, posthumously, in a Philadelphia magazine, along with a...
". Lew Brown
Lew Brown
Lew Brown was a lyricist for popular songs in the United States.Brown was born as Louis Brownstein in Odessa, Russian Empire...
and Charles Tobias
Charles Tobias
-Biography:Born in New York City, Tobias grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts with brothers Harry Tobias and Henry Tobias, also songwriters.He started his musical career in vaudeville. In 1923, he founded his own music publishing firm and worked on Tin Pan Alley...
wrote the lyrics and the song debuted in the 1939 Broadway musical Yokel Boy. After the United States entered the war in December 1941, Brown and Tobias modified the lyrics to their current form, with the chorus ending with "...'till I come marching home".
In February 1942, the Glenn Miller Orchestra recorded the song with vocals by Tex Beneke
Tex Beneke
Gordon Lee Beneke , professionally known as Tex Beneke, was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. His band is also associated with the careers of Eydie Gorme...
, Marion Hutton
Marion Hutton
Marion Hutton was a United States singer and actress.-Biography:Born as Marion Thornburg, the elder sister of actress Betty Hutton, their father abandoned their family when they were both young: he later committed suicide. Their mother worked a variety of jobs to support the family until she...
, and The Modernaires
The Modernaires
The Modernaires are an American vocal group, best known for performing in the 1940s alongside Glenn Miller- Career :The Modernaires began in 1935 as a trio of schoolmates from Lafayette High School in Buffalo, New York...
. This record spent thirteen weeks on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts and was ranked as the nation's twelfth best-selling recording of the year. In May the song was featured in the film Private Buckaroo
Private Buckaroo
Private Buckaroo is a 1942 American Musical film directed by Edward F. Cline and starring The Andrews Sisters, Dick Foran, Harry James, Shemp Howard, Joe E...
as a performance by the Andrews Sisters with the Harry James
Harry James
Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
orchestra and featuring a tap dancing routine by The Jivin' Jacks and Jills. This scene is often considered one of the most memorable of the film. The Andrews Sisters then released the song on Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. Many other artists released records of the song that year, including Kay Kyser
Kay Kyser
James Kern Kyser was a popular bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s.-Early years:He was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Paul Bynum Kyser and Emily Royster Kyser. Editor Vermont C. Royster was his cousin...
. With the Miller, Andrews, and Kyser records all being popular on the radio, "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" became one of the few songs in history to have three different versions on the radio hit parade
Hit parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936...
at the same time.
The following year, Harold Adamson
Harold Adamson
For the Toronto Police Chief see Harold Adamson Harold Adamson was an American lyricist during the 1930s and 1940s.- Biography :...
and Jimmy McHugh
Jimmy McHugh
James Francis McHugh was a U.S. composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he composed over 270 songs...
wrote "They Just Chopped Down the Old Apple Tree" for the film Around the World as a humorous parody of this song. Frank Loesser
Frank Loesser
Frank Henry Loesser was an American songwriter who wrote the lyrics and scores to the Broadway hits Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, among others. He won separate Tony Awards for the music and lyrics in both shows, as well as sharing the Pulitzer Prize for...
's and Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz was an American composer and film producer.Schwartz supported his legal studies at New York University and postgraduate studies at Columbia University by playing piano before concentrating his talents on vaudeville, Broadway theatre and Hollywood.Among his Broadway musicals are The...
's "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" from Thank Your Lucky Stars
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943 film)
Thank Your Lucky Stars is a film made by Warner Brothers as a World War II fundraiser. It was directed by David Butler and starred Eddie Cantor, Dennis Morgan, Joan Leslie, Edward Everett Horton and S. Z...
, also references the song when a woman tells her lover that she "can't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me" because all of the other men her age are also fighting in the war. More recently, "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" was featured in the films Twelve O'Clock High
Twelve O'Clock High
Twelve O'Clock High is a 1949 American war film about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force who flew daylight bombing missions against Nazi Germany and occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II. The film was adapted by Sy Bartlett, Henry King ...
(1949), With a Song in My Heart
With a Song in My Heart (film)
With a Song in My Heart is a 1952 biographical film which tells the story of actress and singer Jane Froman, who was crippled by an airplane crash on February 22, 1943, when the Boeing 314 Pan American Clipper flying boat she was on suffered a crash landing in the Tagus River near Lisbon, Portugal....
(1952) and Kiss Them for Me
Kiss Them for Me (film)
Kiss Them for Me is a 1957 comedy film starring Cary Grant and Jayne Mansfield, directed by Stanley Donen. Co-stars included Suzy Parker, Leif Erickson, Ray Walston, and Werner Klemperer....
(1957). It also featured in the mini-series The Pacific, and an instrumental muzak version was featured in the film Devil
Devil (film)
Devil is a 2010 American supernatural horror film directed by John Erick Dowdle and written by Brian Nelson based on a story by M. Night Shyamalan. The film stars Chris Messina, Bojana Novakovic, Bokeem Woodbine, Logan Marshall-Green, Jenny O'Hara and Geoffrey Arend...
(2010).
The title of the song was the inspiration for columnist Lewis Grizzard
Lewis Grizzard
Lewis McDonald Grizzard, Jr. was an American writer and humorist, known for his Southern demeanor and commentary on the American South...
's 1981 book, Don't Sit Under The Grits Tree With Anyone Else But Me.