"Louisville Lou (That Vampin' Lady)" is the title of a popular song by American composer

Milton Ager Milton Ager (October 6, 1893 – May 6, 1979) was an American composer, regarded as one of the top songwriters of the 1920s and 1930s. His most lasting compositions include "Ain't She Sweet?” and “Happy Days Are Here Again”. Biography Ag ...

with lyrics by

Jack Yellen Jack Selig Yellen (Jacek Jeleń; July 6, 1892 – April 17, 1991) was an American lyricist and screenwriter. He is best remembered for writing the lyrics to the songs "Happy Days Are Here Again", which was used by Franklin Roosevelt as the theme ...

. Written in 1923, it is an example of the

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 ...

"vamp" style of music. Also known and listed with

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

under the titles of "Stay Away From Louisville Lou" or simply "Louisville Lou", the song tells in lighthearted fashion the tale of the "scandalous vamp" Louisville Lou, "the most heart-breakin'est, shimmy shakin'est that the world ever knew."

Song content

The opening lines stake the author's or singer's claims for Louisville Lou's superiority as a vamp or

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

: "History is full of love-makin' champs / But if you want a brand new thrill, come and meet the vamp of Louisville" while enticing the listener further about Louisville Lou's prowess - "Until you're vamped by this brunette…you ain't had no vampin' yet." After continuing the review of her wiles and the havoc she wreaks upon innocent men ("even Deacon Jones, who is old and bent, sold his crutches just to pay her rent"), the listener is given a final warning to "stay away from Louisville Lou."

Recorded versions

The song was recorded no less than nine times in the first year of its release: * The Original Indiana Five on April 1 in

Long Island City Long Island City (LIC) is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the extreme western tip of Queens, a borough in New York City. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; New Calvary Cemetery in Sunnyside to the ...

, New York for Olympic Records; * Ladd's Black Aces on April 9 in New York, New York for

Gennett Gennett (pronounced "jennett") was an American record company and label in Richmond, Indiana, United States, which flourished in the 1920s. Gennett produced some of the earliest recordings by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, and Hoa ...

and Starr; * The Dixie Daisies again in April in New York for the Cameo label,; *on April 24 by Arthur Gibbs and His Gang in New York for the Victor label; *released April 30 by

Margaret Young Margaret Youngblood (February 23, 1891 – May 3, 1969) better known by her stage name Margaret Young, was an American singer and comedian who was popular in the 1920s. Young is best known for her songs "Hard Hearted Hannah", "Lovin' Sam Th ...

for the Brunswick label; *in May, also in New York, by Guyon's Paradise Orchestra for

Okeh 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 ...

; *in June by Billy Arnold's Novelty Jazz Band, recording in Paris for

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...

; *in August by Ted Lewis and His Band for Columbia *and also by the Georgia Jazz Band recording in New York for the New York Federal label (recording month in 1923 unknown). The recording by Arthur Gibbs and His Gang went to #7 on the pop charts. Other notable recordings by

Pee Wee Hunt Walter Gerhardt "Pee Wee" Hunt (May 10, 1907 – June 22, 1979) was an American jazz trombonist, vocalist, and bandleader. Hunt was born in Mount Healthy, Ohio. He developed a musical interest at an early age, as his mother, Sadie, played the ban ...

Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January 13, 1886 – February 9, 1966) was an American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertaine ...

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...

on the

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

label,

Ted Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...

, and

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

have kept the song in the public consciousness. Peggy Lee became particularly associated with the song through her single, recorded in New York for

in 1952, which was released again in 1960 on her album ''

All Aglow Again! ''All Aglow Again!'' is a 1960 compilation album (see 1960 in music) by Peggy Lee, arranged by Jack Marshall. Track listing :1. "Fever (1956 song), Fever" (Eddie Cooley, Otis Blackwell, John Davenport) :2. "Where Do I Go from Here?" (Jerry B ...

''. Lee continued to sing the song in her live appearances over the years and included it in her 1983 Broadway show ''Peg: A Musical Autobiography''.

Judith Durham Judith Durham (born Judith Mavis Cock; 3 July 1943 – 5 August 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian folk music group the Seekers in 1963. The group became the first Australian p ...

recorded the song on her album, ''

Judith Durham and The Hottest Band in Town Volume 2 ''Judith Durham and The Hottest Band in Town volume 2'' is the fifth studio album from Australian recording artist Judith Durham. The album was released in September 1974. The album was Durham's second album released via Pye Records. The album ...

'' (1974). Cabaret artists

Julie Wilson Julie May Wilson (October 21, 1924 – April 5, 2015) was an American singer and actress widely regarded as "the queen of cabaret". She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1989 for her performance in ''Leg ...

and Joyce Moody have included the song in their nightclub acts and have also made memorable recordings of it: Wilson in 1995 in ''Julie Wilson (Live From the Russian Tea Room)'' and Moody in 2007 in her tribute (with

Earl Wentz Earl Wentz (March 22, 1938 – November 15, 2009) was an American pianist, composer, and musical director most noted for his creation in 2000 of the American Composer Series, an ongoing performance series in the cabaret format. Early years ...

) to Milton Ager, ''Vampin' Lady'', which takes its name from the song.''Joyce Moody: Vampin' Lady: The Music of Milton Ager''
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References

{{authority control 1923 songs Songs written by Jack Yellen Songs with music by Milton Ager Belle Baker songs Songs about Louisville, Kentucky 1923 singles 1952 singles