"Allons à Lafayette" is the B-side of a 78rpm single recorded by Joe Falcon and Cléoma Breaux in 1928. The song is based on an older traditional tune called "Jeunes gens campagnard". While there is some mystery on the reason

Okeh Records Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...

didn't release Dr. James F. Roach's songs in 1925, "Allons à Lafayette" is officially known as the first commercial Cajun song to be recorded. It was included in the reference book "1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die."

Content

The song deals with a man asking his partner to go to

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234th- ...

and change her name to something more scandalous, Mrs. Mischievous Comeaux. The singer is upset they are both far apart and thinks her beauty is far better than her character.

Lyrics

Versions

Several musicians recorded the song. After 1957, Randy and The Rockets released the swamp pop song "Lets Do the Cajun Twist" using the same theme and melody. In 1990, a version by Dutch band

Captain Gumbo Captain Gumbo is a Dutch band formed in 1987, which plays mostly zydeco and Cajun music; that is, music in the French traditions of the U.S. state of Louisiana, based around the diatonic accordion. In 1990, their version of "Allons à Lafayette ...

reached No. 30 in the official Dutch music singles chart.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allons a Lafayette 1928 songs Cajun folk songs Columbia Records singles Songwriter unknown Okeh Records singles Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients United States National Recording Registry recordings