The Trolley Song
Encyclopedia
"The Trolley Song" is a song written by Hugh Martin
and Ralph Blane
and made famous by Judy Garland
in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis
. In a 1989 NPR interview, Blane said the song was inspired by a picture of a trolleycar in a turn of the century newspaper.
Blane and Martin were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song
at the 1945 Academy Awards, for "The Trolley Song" but lost to "Swinging on a Star
" from Going My Way
. "The Trolley Song" was ranked #26 by the American Film Institute
in 2004 on the 100 Years... 100 Songs
list. The song as conducted by Georgie Stoll
for Meet Me in St. Louis has a very complex, evocative arrangement by Conrad Salinger
featuring harmonized choruses, wordless vocals, and short highlights or flourishes from a wide range of orchestral instruments. When the song was recorded on the set of Meet Me in St Louis, it was done in a single shot which was unusual then and is still rare today.
Hugh Martin
Hugh Martin was an American musical theater and film composer, arranger, vocal coach, and playwright. He is best known for his score for the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me In St...
and Ralph Blane
Ralph Blane
Ralph Blane was an American composer, lyricist, and performer.-Life and career:Born Ralph Uriah Hunsecker in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Blane was the son of grocery store owners. He attended Tulsa Central High School...
and made famous by Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis
Meet Me in St. Louis
Meet Me in St. Louis is a 1944 musical film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer which tells the story of an American family living in St. Louis at the time of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair in 1904...
. In a 1989 NPR interview, Blane said the song was inspired by a picture of a trolleycar in a turn of the century newspaper.
Blane and Martin were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
at the 1945 Academy Awards, for "The Trolley Song" but lost to "Swinging on a Star
Swinging on a Star
"Swinging on a Star" is an American pop standard with music composed by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was sung by Bing Crosby in the 1944 film Going My Way, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song that year, and has been recorded by numerous artists since...
" from Going My Way
Going My Way
Going My Way is a 1944 film directed by Leo McCarey. It is a light-hearted musical comedy-drama about a new young priest taking over a parish from an established old veteran . Crosby sings five songs in the film. It was followed the next year by a sequel, The Bells of St. Mary's. This picture was...
. "The Trolley Song" was ranked #26 by the American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
in 2004 on the 100 Years... 100 Songs
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs
Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs is a list of the top 100 songs in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute June 22, 2004 in a CBS special hosted by John Travolta, who appeared in two films honored by the list, Saturday Night Fever and...
list. The song as conducted by Georgie Stoll
Georgie Stoll
Georgie Stoll was a musical director, conductor, composer and jazz violinist, associated with the Golden Age of MGM musicals and performers from the 1940s to 1960s. Born George Martin Stoll, he was also later credited as George E...
for Meet Me in St. Louis has a very complex, evocative arrangement by Conrad Salinger
Conrad Salinger
Conrad Salinger was an American arranger, orchestrator and composer, who studied classical composition at the Paris Conservatoire. He is credited with orchestrating nine productions on Broadway from 1931 to 1938, and over seventy-five motion pictures from 1931 to 1962...
featuring harmonized choruses, wordless vocals, and short highlights or flourishes from a wide range of orchestral instruments. When the song was recorded on the set of Meet Me in St Louis, it was done in a single shot which was unusual then and is still rare today.
Covers
- Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Sarah VaughanSarah VaughanSarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
each later recorded the song. - Herb AlpertHerb AlpertHerbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
featured the song on Herb Alpert's NinthHerb Alpert's NinthHerb Alpert's Ninth is a 1967 album by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. It reached number 4 on the Billboard charts and spent 18 weeks on the Top 40. It was the last album by the Tijuana Brass to be released in both mono and stereo versions; all albums afterward would be released in stereo...
of 1967. - Rufus Wainright sang the song in his 2007 re-creation of Garland's 1961 Carnegie Hall concertJudy at Carnegie HallJudy at Carnegie Hall is a two-record live recording of a concert by Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall in New York.This concert appearance, on the night of April 23, 1961, has been called "the greatest night in show business history". Garland's live performances were big successes at the time and her...
. The performance is featured on the DVD Rufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!: Live From the London PalladiumRufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!: Live From the London PalladiumRufus! Rufus! Rufus! Does Judy! Judy! Judy!: Live from the London Palladium is a DVD by the Canadian-American singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, released under Geffen Records in December 2007. The film consists of live recordings from his sold-out February 25, 2007 tribute concert at the London...
. - A Portuguese version of the song appears on João GilbertoJoão GilbertoJoão Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira, known as João Gilberto , is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. His seminal recordings, including many songs by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, established the new musical genre of Bossa nova in the late 1950s.-Biography:From an early age, music...
's album João Gilberto en MexicoJoão Gilberto en MexicoJoão Gilberto en Mexico, is a 1970 album by João Gilberto. Purportedly, after living in the United States, where he recorded the landmark Getz/Gilberto, among other works, João stayed in Mexico for what ended up being two years, instead of an initially planned short visit...
(1970). - Five versions of the song charted in 1944-45. Garland's single and a version by Vaughn MonroeVaughn MonroeVaughn Wilton Monroe was an American baritone singer, trumpeter and big band leader and actor, most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for recording and radio.-Biography:...
both peaked at number four, but the biggest hit version was by The Pied PipersThe Pied PipersThe Pied Pipers were a popular singing group in the late 1930s and 1940s. Originally they consisted of eight members who had belonged to three separate groups: Jo Stafford from The Stafford Sisters, and seven male singers: John Huddleston, Hal Hopper, Chuck Lowry, Bud Hervey, George Tait, Woody...
, which hit number two on BillboardBillboard (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...
magazine's "Best Sellers in Stores" chart the week of December 16, 1944.