"Hello! Ma Baby" is a

Tin Pan Alley Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It originally referred to a specific place: West 28th Street ...

song written in 1899 by the songwriting team of

Joseph E. Howard Joseph Edgar Howard (February 12, 1870May 19, 1961) was an American Broadway composer, lyricist, librettist, and performer. A famed member of Tin Pan Alley along with wife and composer Ida Emerson as part of the song-writing team of Howard and Eme ...

and

Ida Emerson Ida Emerson (17 April 1873 – 25 September 1945) was a Broadway composer and lyricist. She was one of the few women admitted to the famed group of songwriters of Tin Pan Alley, where she worked with her husband, composer, lyricist, arranger and ...

, known as "Howard and Emerson". Its subject is a man who has a girlfriend he knows only through the

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

. At the time, telephones were relatively novel, present in fewer than 10% of U.S. households, and this was the first well-known song to refer to the device. Additionally, the word "Hello" itself was primarily associated with telephone use—" Hello Girl" was slang for a telephone operator even through the First World War—though it later became a general greeting for all situations. The song was first recorded by Arthur Collins on an Edison 5470 phonograph cylinder. It was originally a " coon song", with

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

s on the sheet music and "coon" references in the lyrics. The song may be best known today as the introductory song in the famous

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...

cartoon ''

One Froggy Evening ''One Froggy Evening'' is a 1955 American Technicolor animated musical short film written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones, with musical direction by Milt Franklyn. The short, partly inspired by a 1944 Cary Grant film entitled '' On ...

'' (1955), sung by the character later dubbed

Michigan J. Frog Michigan J. Frog is an animated cartoon character from the Warner Bros.' ''Merrie Melodies'' film series. Originally a one-shot character, his only appearance during the original run of the ''Merrie Melodies'' series was as the star of ''One Fro ...

and high-stepping in the style of a cakewalk.

Influence

Charles Ives Charles Edward Ives (; October 20, 1874May 19, 1954) was an American modernist composer, one of the first American composers of international renown. His music was largely ignored during his early career, and many of his works went unperformed f ...

's 1906 composition ''

Central Park in the Dark ''Central Park in the Dark'' is a musical composition by Charles Ives for chamber orchestra. It was composed in 1906 and has been paired with '' The Unanswered Question'' as part of "Two Contemplations" and with ''Hallowe'en'' and ''The Pond'' i ...

'', it is quoted frequently. The short piano piece ''

The Little Nigar ''The Little Nigar'' (CD 122, L. 114) is the original title by composer Claude Debussy for a short piece for piano, composed in 1909 for a piano method and published the same year. It was later also published as a single piece, entitled ''The ...

'' (''Le petit nègre'') by

Claude Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

from 1909 features a melody very similar to "Hello! Ma Baby", and may have been inspired by the song.

Sheet music and the Warner Bros. acquisition of the song

The

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

was published by T. B. Harms & Co., which was acquired by

before the Stock Market Crash of 1929 (during the advent of the " Talkies" era of cinema).

In popular culture

* In the 1941 black-and-white film adaptation of

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

's novel ''

The Sea-Wolf Seawolf, Sea wolf or Sea Wolves may refer to: Animals * Sea wolf, a wolf subspecies found in the Vancouver coastal islands * Seawolf (fish), a marine fish also known as wolffish or sea wolf * A nickname of the killer whale * South American sea ...

'', the song is being sung in the opening scene in a bar. * In the classic

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, director, and painter, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He wrote, produ ...

directed

Merrie Melodies ''Merrie Melodies'' is an American animation, animated series of comedy short films produced by Warner Bros. starting in 1931, during the golden age of American animation, and ending in 1969. Then some new cartoons were produced from the late 197 ...

cartoon ''

'', a singing,

sings a number of songs from before the era the 1955 cartoon was made, with this song being the most remembered by viewers. *

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

included the song in a medley on his album ''

101 Gang Songs ''101 Gang Songs'' is an LP recorded in December 1960 by Bing Crosby for his own company, Project Records and distributed by Warner Bros. (W 2R-1401) and the RCA Victor Record Club in 1961 with lyric sheets to help the listener join in with the si ...

'' (1961) * In '' The Virginian'' season one episode "The Exiles", the song is performed by actress Tammy Grimes. * In the 1966 film ''

A Big Hand for the Little Lady ''A Big Hand for the Little Lady'' (released in the UK under the misleading title ''Big Deal at Dodge City'', as the film is set in Laredo, Texas) is a 1966 American Western film made by Eden Productions Inc. and released by Warner Bros. The f ...

'', the song is heard being sung in the background near the end of the film. * In the 1973 Disney film ''

Charley and the Angel ''Charley and the Angel'' is a 1973 American Disney family/comedy film set in an unidentified small city in the 1930s Depression-era Midwestern United States and starring Fred MacMurray in one of his final film appearances and his last movie fo ...

'', when asked about his life as a mortal, the angel Roy sings the song. * In the 1983

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

made-for-television movie, Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues, the character Kate Muldoon, played by

Linda Evans Linda Evans (born Linda Evenstad; November 18, 1942) is an American actress known primarily for her roles on television. In the 1960s she played Audra Barkley, the daughter of Victoria Barkley (played by Barbara Stanwyck) in the Western tel ...

, sings the song on-stage in a town saloon. * In

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began h ...

' 1987 film ''

Spaceballs ''Spaceballs'' is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It is primarily a parody of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, but also parodies other sci-fi films and popular franchises including ...

'', parodying ''

Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

'', a chest-bursting alien escapes

John Hurt Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in ...

's chest, homaging the

cartoon by dancing down a space-

diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

's counter while singing the song, prompting Barf to ask for the check. * In ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' third-season episode "

Treehouse of Horror II "Treehouse of Horror II" is the seventh episode of the The Simpsons (season 3), third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network in the United States on October 31 ...

" from 1991, Principal Skinner sings the song over the elementary school public-address system during the segment "The Bart Zone". In the fifth-season episode "

Homer's Barbershop Quartet "Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is the first episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 30, 1993. It features the Be Sharps, a b ...

" from 1993 (which takes place in

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

in 1985),

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

, Skinner, Wiggum and

Apu APU or Apu may refer to: Film and television * ''The Apu Trilogy'', a series of three Bengali films, directed by Satyajit Ray, with the fictional character Apu Roy, comprising: ** ''Pather Panchali'' (''Song of the Little Road'') (1955), the first ...

sing a

barbershop quartet A barbershop quartet is a group of four singers who sing music in the barbershop style, characterized by four-part harmony without instrumental accompaniment, or a cappella. The four voices are: the lead, the vocal part which typically carries t ...

rendition of the song. * In the 2004 TV series '' Wonderfalls'', episode 1, the wax lion sings the song to irritate Jaye into doing what she is told. * In episode 7 of the

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

television program

Ninjago Lego Ninjago is a Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. It is the first theme to be based on ninja since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. Whilst it retains some elements of the previous ...

, the character Zane (a robot) begins singing the song once his "funny switch" is enabled. Does this again in episode 41. * The Jam Band

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

was known to perform the song fairly often in the 90's barbershop style huddle around a singular microphone. Prompting many people in the large arenas and stadiums to shush people to be quiet in order to hear the song in full. * In ''The Office'' (American TV series), episode 18 of Season 8, ''

Last Day in Florida "Last Day in Florida" is the eighteenth episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series ''The Office'' and the show's 170th episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 8, 2012. "Last Da ...

'', Toby and Darryl compete in singing the song for Kevin Malone to win the right to sell him Girl Scout cookies. * In the '' Mad Men'' season three episode "My Old Kentucky Home", Paul Kinsey performs the song after being confronted about his singing skills. * In '' Red Dead Redemption 2'', Polish singer Robin Koninsky (voiced by

Robyn Adele Anderson Robyn Adele Anderson (born February 19, 1989) is an American singer and stage actress based in New York City. She is a cast member and featured artist for Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox with over 250 million YouTube views on her music videos. ...

Postmodern Jukebox Postmodern Jukebox, also widely known by the initialism PMJ, is a rotating musical collective founded by arranger and pianist Scott Bradlee in 2011. PMJ is known for reworking popular modern music into different vintage genres, especially early ...

fame) performs the song in Saint Denis during a vaudeville show.

References

External links

Sheet music for "Hello! Ma Baby"
as published by T.B. Harms & Co. (as stored by the Duke University Libraries). {{authority control 1899 songs Songs written by Joseph E. Howard Rags Songs about telephone calls Looney Tunes songs