# What's your favorite REALLY oldie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854 "2012-09-06T15:11:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/21 "2012-09-06T17:16:13Z")
How about Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White by Perez Parado? Anyone else remember that one from Your Hit Parade? (Although, of course, Your Hit Parade did not include the original by Perez Parado. They had their own in-house orchestra. Bonus points if you can name the bandleader.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/22 "2012-09-06T17:17:38Z")
Another vote for [“Minnie the Moocher”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mq4UT4VnbE) by Cab Calloway. Also, [“Old Man River”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh9WayN7R-s) by Paul Robeson and [“Ghost Riders in the Sky”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahUg8hSBy3U) by Vaughn Monroe. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/23 "2012-09-06T17:27:56Z")
I immediately thought of [Ja-da ja-da jing jing jing](http://archive.org/details/ArthurFieldswithBillyMurray), though maybe it’s too old for this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/24 "2012-09-06T19:24:30Z")
[Fever](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGb5IweiYG8) by Peggy Lee ---
**Author:** ![LynnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/25 "2012-09-06T19:25:10Z")
Any version of Cole Porter’s **Night and Day**. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/26 "2012-09-06T19:35:53Z")
I love [Why Don’t You Do Right](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdqvX-n25gs) with Benny Goodman and Peggy Lee. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/27 "2012-09-06T19:43:51Z")
> [@LynnM](#): > > Any version of Cole Porter’s **Night and Day**. Me, I’m partial to Artie Shaw’s take on “Begin the Beguine!” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/28 "2012-09-06T19:52:12Z")
**Skin Deep** , Louie Bellson on drums. [Here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBQWaCLlK9Y) the drum solo. The man was ahead of his time. Almost anything by Bennie Goodman and The Duke. I have to admit to enjoying Glenn Miller’s music and never understood all the post mortem hate for his work. It evokes an era and is worth a listen. For sheer performance art, there’s nothing like Cab Calloway. Man, that zoot suit rocked. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/29 "2012-09-06T19:58:49Z")
I’ll tap the 16th century for _John Barleycorn_. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/30 "2012-09-06T20:26:34Z")
I love so many of the choices, and there are so many more that come to mind. But I will offer my current favorite: [Pickin’ My Way by Eddie Lang and Carl Kress](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhcrRuTsPFI). An instrumental by two guitar innovators - Eddie Lang is often called the Father of Jazz Guitar and Kress is a chord-playing monster. Listen to their two guitars weave together is dizzying and the song is great. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/31 "2012-09-06T20:27:02Z")
My favorite Jazz-era singer is Annette Hanshaw – I can’t pick a favorite song of hers, so have a few! [What Wouldn’t I Do For That Man](http://youtu.be/j6-tTMQCPVQ) [Lovable and Sweet](http://youtu.be/rgOWbSkZQMo) [Lover, Come Back to Me](http://youtu.be/lb9qQM50ekY) [The Way I Feel Today](http://youtu.be/WdYpsDn_uWo) [Cooking Breakfast For the One I Love](http://youtu.be/DJufqP6sHDQ) Plus so many more. All great songs to sing in the shower! And speaking of which… The High Hatters’ [Singing in the Bathtub](http://youtu.be/1rj5OQirHfY) Edit: Found an adorable proto-[music video](http://youtu.be/5kPhP3ZNw6A) for this song from 1930. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/32 "2012-09-06T20:33:17Z")
A number of people probably don’t even realize that their favorite song from that era is “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” - it’s the music “Gene Gene the Dancing Machine” danced to on The Gong Show. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/33 "2012-09-06T20:37:42Z")
> [@zoog](#): > > [Take the “A” Train](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRGFqSkNjHk) My choice too. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/34 "2012-09-06T20:38:22Z")
I’ve always been a fan of _Your Feets Too Big_ - Fats Waller version. ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/35 "2012-09-06T22:06:21Z")
My absolute favorite is [Serenade in Blue](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoraC2BeuiQ). The Sinatra version is from the early sixties, but it was written about twenty years earlier. I also have a soft spot for Les Brown’s [Sentimental Journey](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUw125JMVFI) with Doris Day on vocals. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/36 "2012-09-06T22:08:56Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I’m also a fan of Vera Lynn’s [We’ll Meet Again](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHcunREYzNY). You took my song!! It always makes me cry. It’s not “big band” but my other favorite is Edith Piaf and [La Vie En Rose](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxByDgpLmss). ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/37 "2012-09-06T22:22:32Z")
I agree it’s hard to beat “Sing Sing Sing.” But for personal impact on me, it’s “[Nancy With the Laughing Face](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTHNRPtSxeo).” When I was a teenager in the 70’s, “Sinatra” was a synonym for “great singer,” but I sure couldn’t see why, from songs like “Strangers in the Night,” or his appearances on TV variety shows when he was in his 50’s and 60’s. He seemed like more of a showman than a great singer, using a big band to hide the fact that his voice wasn’t great (I have the same opinion of Janet Jackson). Then I heard accidentally heard “Nancy” on the radio one day. It was from his prime, and practically a capella (at least, compared to his big band songs), and I suddenly understood why he filled arenas. It made me more interested in songs from the 40’s, and that interest has enriched my life. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/38 "2012-09-06T22:35:02Z")
I came in to say “Christopher Columbus/Sing Sing Sing” — the drum solo opening can’t be beat. But since it’s been called so many times already, I’ll switch to “Kalamazoo,” the long version by Glenn Miller. And **Labdad** is right, “Marie” is way up there, too. I’m also a Leon Redbone fan, and have seen him play live. Plus, I was lucky enough to see Cab Calloway in concert twice. Just amazing. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/39 "2012-09-06T22:50:32Z")
So many… “Embraceable You” is prolly #1. “Stella by Starlight” is another. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854/40 "2012-09-06T23:05:55Z")
I don’t know if I can narrow it down to one, and my favorite would change from day to day, but here are a few: [Feeling the Spirit](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wna3FdQ1j4Y) by the Luis Russell Orchestra [Blue Rhythm](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU5yKp_iDEo&playnext=1&list=PL12B60C66F4974C6B&feature=results_video) by the Mills Blue Rhythm Band [Bucktown Stomp](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY2CVhYSsE0) by Johnny Dodds’ Washboard Six [Potato Head Blues](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJkviuOEySs) by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven [Johnny Come Lately](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut7fHzHc0QY) by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-really-oldie/633854.md?page=3)