"Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis", better known as just "Meet Me in St. Louis", is a popular song from 1904 on the occurrence of the St. Louis World's Fair which celebrated the

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

. The words were by

Andrew B. Sterling Andrew B. Sterling (August 26, 1874 – August 11, 1955) was an American lyricist. Biography Born in New York City, after he graduated from high school, he began writing songs and vaudevilles. An important event was his meeting with the compo ...

; the music by

Kerry Mills Kerry Mills ''(né'' Frederick Allen Mills; 1 February 1869 in Philadelphia – 5 December 1948 in Hawthorne, California), publishing also as F.A. Mills was an American ragtime composer and music publishing executive of popular music during the Ti ...

. The song was published in 1904 in New York by Mills's firm, F. A. Mills. It was recorded that year by many artists, including

William F. Denny William F. Denny (circa 1860 – October 2, 1908) was an American vaudeville performer and pioneer recording artist. Biography William F. Denny (also known as Will F. Denny) was born in late 1859 or more likely in 1860 in Boston,''Hobbies'', v ...

,Gracyk, Tim and Hoffman, Frank W. (2000). '' Popular American recording pioneers, 1895-1925''. Psychology Press, Binghamton, NY. . Billy Murray and Arthur Collins. The song and the fair were focal points of the Judy Garland movie, '' Meet Me in St. Louis''. Garland recorded the song in 1944.

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 '' Join Bing and Sing Along '' (1959)

Overview

"Louis" in the song is pronounced "LOO-ee", akin to the French. The song is one of the few instances of pronouncing the city's name that way. It is normally pronounced "LOO-is". The song, which is generally styled in the form of a limerick, has many and varied verses, few of which are remembered today — unlike the chorus. In the original sheet music, the chorus is the same for the first two verses but varies in verses three through six, which are essentially jokes with the punch line in the chorus.

In popular culture

The song was also featured in the film '' The Strawberry Blonde'' with

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

and Olivia de Havilland, some four years prior to ''Meet Me in St. Louis''. The song is played at the home games of the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues.

References

External links

* (Judy Garland)
"Meet Me In St. Louis Louis" early recording, sung by Robert Price
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis Film theme songs 1904 songs Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis Songs from Meet Me in St. Louis Songs with lyrics by Andrew B. Sterling Songs with music by Kerry Mills Louisiana Purchase Exposition Songs about St. Louis