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Harrigan (song)

 

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Harrigan (song)



 
 
"Harrigan" is a song written by George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan

George Michael Cohan , known publicly as George M. Cohan, was an United States entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, Film director, and Theatrical producer....
 for the 1907 Broadway
Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City....
 musical, Fifty Miles From Boston. It celebrates, and to some extent mocks, his own Irish
Irish people

The Irish people are a Western European ethnic group who originate in Ireland, in north western Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolgs, Tuatha D? Danann and the Milesians ?the last group supposedly representing the "pure" Gaelic a...
 heritage. The song was performed by James Cagney
James Cagney

James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American film star. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of roles, he is best remembered for playing "tough guy"s....
 and Joan Leslie
Joan Leslie

Joan Leslie is a former United States actor....
 in the 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy

Yankee Doodle Dandy is a biopic about George M. Cohan, the actor-singer-dancer-playwright-songwriter-producer-theatre owner-director-choreographer known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway", starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston and Richard Whorf, and featuring Irene Manning, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney....
, a biopic of Cohan's life. Contemporary Irish-American singer Billy Murray
Billy Murray (singer)

William Thomas "Billy" Murray was one of the most popular singers in the United States in the early decades of the 20th century. While he received star billings on Vaudeville, he was best known for his prolific work in the recording studio, making records for almost every record label of the era....
 made a popular recording of the song.

>

H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N spells Harrigan
Proud of all the Irish blood that's in me
Divil' a man can say a word agin' me
H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N you see
Is a name that a shame never has been connected with
Harrigan, that's me!


Who is the man never stood for a gadabout?
Harrigan, that's me!
Who is the man that the town's simply mad about?
Harrigan that's me!
They ladies and babies are fond of me
I'm fond of them, too, in return, you see
Who is the gent that's deserving a monument?
Harrigan, that's me!


H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N spells "Harrigan"
Proud of all the Irish blood that's in me
Di-vil' a man can say a word agin' me
H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N you see
Is a name that a shame never has been connected with
Harrigan, that's me!


The song was used decades later for a 1960-61 TV series, called Harrigan and Son, about a father-and-son law firm.






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Encyclopedia


"Harrigan" is a song written by George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan

George Michael Cohan , known publicly as George M. Cohan, was an United States entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, Film director, and Theatrical producer....
 for the 1907 Broadway
Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City....
 musical, Fifty Miles From Boston. It celebrates, and to some extent mocks, his own Irish
Irish people

The Irish people are a Western European ethnic group who originate in Ireland, in north western Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolgs, Tuatha D? Danann and the Milesians ?the last group supposedly representing the "pure" Gaelic a...
 heritage. The song was performed by James Cagney
James Cagney

James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American film star. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of roles, he is best remembered for playing "tough guy"s....
 and Joan Leslie
Joan Leslie

Joan Leslie is a former United States actor....
 in the 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy

Yankee Doodle Dandy is a biopic about George M. Cohan, the actor-singer-dancer-playwright-songwriter-producer-theatre owner-director-choreographer known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway", starring James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston and Richard Whorf, and featuring Irene Manning, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney....
, a biopic of Cohan's life. Contemporary Irish-American singer Billy Murray
Billy Murray (singer)

William Thomas "Billy" Murray was one of the most popular singers in the United States in the early decades of the 20th century. While he received star billings on Vaudeville, he was best known for his prolific work in the recording studio, making records for almost every record label of the era....
 made a popular recording of the song.

Lyrics


Who is the man who will spend or will even lend?
Harrigan, that's me!
Who is your friend when you find that you need a friend?
Harrigan, that's me!
For I'm just as proud of my name, you see
As an Emperor, Czar or a King could be
Who is the man helps a man ev'ry time he can?
Harrigan, that's me!


H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N spells Harrigan
Proud of all the Irish blood that's in me
Divil' a man can say a word agin' me
H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N you see
Is a name that a shame never has been connected with
Harrigan, that's me!


Who is the man never stood for a gadabout?
Harrigan, that's me!
Who is the man that the town's simply mad about?
Harrigan that's me!
They ladies and babies are fond of me
I'm fond of them, too, in return, you see
Who is the gent that's deserving a monument?
Harrigan, that's me!


H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N spells "Harrigan"
Proud of all the Irish blood that's in me
Di-vil' a man can say a word agin' me
H, A, double-R, I, G, A, N you see
Is a name that a shame never has been connected with
Harrigan, that's me!


The song was used decades later for a 1960-61 TV series, called Harrigan and Son, about a father-and-son law firm. Its lead players, Pat O'Brien
Pat O'Brien (actor)

Pat O'Brien was an American movie actor with over 100 screen credits....
 and Roger Perry, would sing the song, silhouetted behind the closing credits of the show.

The term "divil" is an Irish expression that often found its way into Irish songs of that era. It essentially means "nary" or "hardly".

Allan Sherman
Allan Sherman

Allan Sherman was a Jewish United States musician, parody, satire and television producer....
's short medley of Cohan song parodies included this tune, reworked to sing about pianist Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz

Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz ; )   was a Russian American pianist. His technique, use of Timbre and the excitement of his playing are legendary....
.