"Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh!" is a popular

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

song composed by

Abe Olman Abe Olman (December 20, 1887Many sources state his birth year as 1888, but this appears to be an error. – January 4, 1984), born Abraham Olshewitz, was an American songwriter and music publisher. He composed a number of successful ragtime an ...

(1887–1984), lyricized by

Ed Rose Ed Rose is an American sound engineer and record producer. He has worked extensively with groups in the modern emo and pop punk scenes. He also co-owns Black Lodge Recording with Rob Pope and his brother Ryan Pope, members of the emo band The Ge ...

(pseudonym for Edward Smackels Jr.; 1875–1935), and

published Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, news ...

by Forster Music Publisher, Inc. The music was copyrighted 7 February 1917 and the copyright was renewed 29 December 1944. Under the

Copyright Term Extension Act The Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act – also known as the Copyright Term Extension Act, Sonny Bono Act, or (derisively) the Mickey Mouse Protection Act – extended copyright terms in the United States in 1998. It is one of several a ...

(1998), the sheet music is in the public domain, as is all music published in the U.S. prior to 1923. Its melody and structure form the basis of a self-calling circle dance, using square dance steps and popular in summer camps.

Lyrics

; Original lyrics, 1917, by

:; 1st verse (16 bars, , E♭ Major) : ''All the girls are crazy about a certain little lad,'' : ''Al-tho he's very, very bad,'' : ''He could be, oh, so good when he wanted to'' : ''Bad or good he understood 'bout love and other things,'' : ''For every girl in town followed him around,'' : ''Just to hold his hand and sing:'' :; Chorus (32 bars) : ''Oh, Johnny! Oh, Johnny!'' : ''How you can love!'' : ''Oh, Johnny! Oh, Johnny!'' : ''Heavens above!'' : ''You make my sad heart jump with joy,'' : ''And when you're near I just'' : ''Can't sit still a minute. I'm so,'' : ''Oh, Johnny! Oh, Johnny!'' : ''Please tell me dear.'' : ''What makes me love you so?'' : ''You're not handsome, it's true,'' : ''But when I look at you,'' : ''I just, Oh, Johnny!'' : ''Oh, Johnny! Oh!'' :; 2nd verse : ''Johnny tried his best to hide from every girl he knew,'' : ''But even this he couldn't do,'' : ''For they would follow him most everywhere,'' : ''Then his friends got him to spend a week or two at home'' : ''It's worse now than before, 'cause the girl next door hollers thru the telephone:'' : (chorus) ---- ;

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

patriotic version, 1917, lyrics added by Raymond A. Sherwood :; Verse : ''Uncle Sam is calling now for ev'ry mother's son'' : ''To go get behind a gun and keep Old Glory waving on the sea'' : ''Now prepare to be right there to help the cause along'' : ''To every chap you meet when you're on the street'' : ''You can sing this little song:'' :; Chorus : ''Oh, Johnny, oh Johnny, why do you lag?'' : ''Oh, Johnny, oh Johnny, run to your flag'' : ''You're county's calling can't you hear?'' : ''Don't stay behind while others do all the fighting, Start to'' : ''Oh, Johnny! Oh, Johnny! Get right in line,'' : ''And help to crush to foe.'' : ''You're a big husky chap,'' : ''Uncle Sam's in a scrap, You must!'' : ''Go, Johnny! Go, Johnny! Go!'' ---- ; Self-Calling circle dance version, date unknown :; (To the chorus melody) : ''Well, you all join hands as you circle the ring'' : ''Stop where you are, give your honey a swing'' : ''Swing that little gal behind you'' : ''Swing your own, if you have time when you get home'' : ''Allamain left with the corner gal'' : ''Do-saw-do with your own'' : ''Then you all promenade'' : ''With the sweet corner maid'' : ''Singing "Oh, Johnny! Oh, Johnny! Oh!"''

Inspiration for the song

According to an August 1945

United Press United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20t ...

article, Ed Rose (lyricist) wrote the song when his friends, Mr. and Mrs. John Hansen of

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

, began dating while attending college in Indiana. They were so conspicuously in love that Rose, also their classmate, wrote the song about them and presented them with the original manuscript.

Notable recordings

* Premier Quartet :

Blue Amberol Records Blue Amberol Records was the trademark name for cylinder records manufactured by Thomas A. Edison, Inc. in the US from 1912 to 1929. They replaced the 4-minute black wax Amberol cylinders introduced in 1908, which had replaced the 2-minute w ...

wax cylinder Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give low ...

(1917) *

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...

with the Vic Schoen Orchestra : 2840

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 ...

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...

; 10 inch (1939) : Recorded November 9, 1939, New York City : Side A

matrix Matrix most commonly refers to: * ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise ** ''The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film ** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchis ...

66498 : /www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuactAjlacM Audio sample * Bonnie Baker with Orrin Tucker and His Orchestra : Columbia,

; 10 inch (1939) : Recorded August 20, 1939, Los Angeles : Side A — vocal version by Bonnie Baker : Side B — instrumental version by Orin Tucker and His Orchestra : /www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dD1wXNhJco Audio sample: Pop hit on the Billboard Charts for 14 weeks, quickly became the top-selling record for the Columbia Recording Corporation, with 1.5 million records by the end of 1940 * Peggy Lee with orchestra conducted by

Jack Marshall Sir John Ross Marshall New Zealand Army Orders 1952/405 (5 March 1912 – 30 August 1988) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He entered Parliament in 1946 and was first promoted to Cabinet in 1951. After spending twelve years ...

: Album: ''

I Like Men! ''I Like Men!'' is a 1959 studio album recorded by Peggy Lee, arranged and conducted by Jack Marshall. Track listing # "Charley, My Boy" (Ted Fio Rito, Gus Kahn) – 1:35 # "Good-For-Nothin' Joe" (Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler) – 2:32 # " ...

'' : Capitol Records, 33 1/3 rpm, 12 inch (April 1959) stereo mono : Recorded 1959 : /www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONovrmvcLG4 Audio sample *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

and Her Famous Orchestra : NBC broadcasts : Recorded January 25, 1940, at the Savoy, New York *

Kathy Linden Kathy Linden (born 1938) is an American pop singer from Moorestown Township, New Jersey. She grew up in Burlington, New Jersey. Linden scored two big hits on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 late in the 1950s. The first was " Billy", a song origi ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1958 entitled "Oh Johnny, Oh!".Kathy Linden, "Oh Johnny, Oh!" single release
Retrieved January 22, 2016.

Filmography

* ''Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love'' (1940 film), directed by

Charles Lamont Charles Lamont (May 5, 1895 – September 11, 1993) was a prolific filmmaker, directing over 200 titles and producing and writing many others. He directed several Abbott and Costello comedies and many Ma and Pa Kettle films. Biography A Calif ...

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

* ''

Spotlight Scandals ''Spotlight Scandals'' or ''Spotlight Revue'' is a 1943 American musical comedy film directed by William Beaudine. It was the first of a four-picture contract comic actor Billy Gilbert signed with Monogram Pictures. Butch and Buddy, the team who ...

'' (1943 musical film), directed by

William Beaudine William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres. Life and car ...

:: Starring

Billy Gilbert William Gilbert Barron (September 12, 1894 – September 23, 1971), known professionally as Billy Gilbert, was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his comic sneeze routines. He appeared in over 200 feature films, short subjects ...

, Bonnie Baker,

Harry Langdon Harry Philmore Langdon (June 15, 1884 – December 22, 1944) was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films (where he had his greatest fame), and talkies.Obituary ''Variety'', December 27, 1944, page 39. Life and career Bor ...

* '' Swing Shift Cinderella'' (1945), directed by

Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...

:: Sung as "Oh, Wolfy" by Red (voiced by

Imogene Lynn Imogene Lynn (1922 – 2003) was a 20th-century American jazz and pop singer. Biography Lynn was born September 9, 1922 in Trenton, Missouri. She began singing professionally in 1940, singing with Emerson Gill and other bands on a national tou ...

) as Cinderella * '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (2005 film) :: During the scene when the children are playing hide and seek — when Lucy goes through the wardrobe

Original publications

* ''Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh,''

Sheet music (public domain)

See sheet music collections: *

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, or simply Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and, with over 40,000 students, its largest ca ...

—
IN Harmony: Sheet Music from Indiana
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University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

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USC Music Library: ''Sheet Music Catalog''

References

{{Authority control 1917 songs 1939 singles 1958 singles Songs with music by Abe Olman Kathy Linden songs American patriotic songs