"Filipino Baby" is a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

song written by Bill Cox and Clarke Van Ness. First recorded in 1937, it was based on an earlier song from 1899. The song became a hit in 1946 for three different country artists:

Cowboy Copas Lloyd Estel Copas (July 15, 1913 – March 5, 1963), known by his stage name Cowboy Copas, was an American country music singer. He was popular from the 1940s until his death in the 1963 plane crash that also killed country stars Patsy Cline a ...

, T. Texas Tyler, and

Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, " Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), ...

Lyrics

The song tells of warships leaving

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

as sailors recall the islands where they spent happy hours "making love to every pretty girl they met." One bright-eyed sailor displays a photo of his Filipino maiden, described as "my treasure and my pet", who has pearly teeth, hair as black as jet, and lips as sweet as honey. The sailor returns from South Carolina to marry his Filipino baby. While the song's original lyrics refer to a "colored sailor" and a "black-faced" Filipino girl, this element was modified in later versions. In

' 1946 version, there is no indication that the sailor is colored, and the girl is described as his "dark-faced Filipino baby." In other versions, reference to the darkness of the girl's face is omitted.

Origin

Cox claimed he wrote the song about an uncle who married a Filipino woman during the Philippine–American War. However, the lyrics largely mirror an earlier song, "Mah Filippino Baby", copyrighted in 1899 by Charles K. Harris.

Recording history

The song was first recorded in 1937 by Bill Cox and Cliff Hobbs and released on the

Vocalion Vocalion Records is an American record company and label. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pianos and organs, as Aeolian-Vocalion; the company also sold phonographs under the Vocalion name. "Aeolian" was ...

label in 1938. The song became a hit in 1946 for three different country artists:

, T. Texas Tyler, and

. The Copas version was released on the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

label and reached No. 4 on the country chart in August 1946. The Tyler version was released on the 4 Star label and reached No. 5 in August 1946. The Tubb version was released on the

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

label and reached No. 2 in November 1946 and ranked No. 17 on the year-end country charts. The song was later covered by

Hank Locklin Hank Locklin (born Lawrence Hankins Locklin; February 15, 1918 – March 8, 2009) was an American country music singer-songwriter. He had 70 chart singles, including two number one hits on ''Billboard''s country chart. His biggest hits included ...

on his 1958 album, ''

Foreign Love ''Foreign Love'' is a studio album by American country singer-songwriter Hank Locklin. It was released in January 1958 via RCA Victor Records and was produced by Chet Atkins. It was the Locklin's debut studio album in his recording career. It was ...

''. Locklin's release was a concept album containing 12 songs about foreign love affairs with other songs including " Fraulein", "Geisha Girl", and " Mexicali Rose". Additional covers include versions by

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Rec ...

, Roy Acuff, Dave Dudley,

Mitchell Torok Mitchell Joseph Torok (born October 28, 1929) is an American country music singer-songwriter, guitarist, artist and author, best known for his 1953 hit record "Caribbean". He also wrote "Mexican Joe", which catapulted Jim Reeves to stardom. They b ...

Bob Luman Robert Glynn Luman (April 15, 1937 – December 27, 1978) was an American country and rockabilly singer-songwriter. Early life and career Luman was born in Blackjack, Texas, United States, though was raised in Nacogdoches, Texas. His early ...

, and

Mac Wiseman Malcolm Bell Wiseman (May 23, 1925 – February 24, 2019) was an American bluegrass and country singer. Early life He was born on May 23, 1925, in Crimora, Virginia. He attended school in New Hope, Virginia, and graduated from high school the ...

Follow-up songs

The song's popularity also led to at least three follow-up songs. Tubb released "My Filipino Rose" in 1949. Copas released "New Filipino Baby" in 1961 on the Starday label. In 1963, Robert E. Lee and His Travelers released "Son of the Filipino Baby" on the Sage & Sand label. It tells of the 17-year-old son of the original Filipino Baby who is then serving in the Navy. He is stationed in the Philippines, and he has met his own Filipino maiden.

References

{{authority control 1937 songs 1938 singles 1946 singles Cowboy Copas songs Ernest Tubb songs Vocalion Records singles Decca Records singles King Records (United States) singles Songs about the Philippines Songs about East Asian people

Lyrics

Origin

Recording history

Follow-up songs

See also

References