"The Coffee Song" (occasionally subtitled "They've Got an Awful Lot of Coffee in Brazil") is a novelty song written by Bob Hilliard and Dick Miles, first recorded by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

in 1946. Later that year it was recorded by The Smart Set, and by others in later years. The song caricatures Brazil's coffee surplus, jokingly claiming that no other beverages are available. Snowclones on this phrase have been used in analyses of the coffee industry, and of the Brazilian economy and culture.An Awful Lot of Brazilians in Paraguay
/ref> Sinatra re-recorded the song in 1960 for ''

Ring-a-Ding-Ding! ''Ring-a-Ding-Ding!'' is a 1961 album by Frank Sinatra. It was the inaugural record on Sinatra's Reprise label and, as the initial concept was "an album without ballads", it consisted only of uptempo swing numbers. The title track was written s ...

'', his inaugural Reprise release.

Notable cover versions

The song has been performed by (among others) Louis Prima, The Andrews Sisters,

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

, The Smart Set,

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano", ...

, Eydie Gormé, Mike Doughty,

Stan Ridgway Stanard "Stan" Ridgway (born April 5, 1954) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and film and television composer known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums. He was the original le ...

, Soul Coughing,

Osibisa Osibisa are a Ghanaian-British Afro-Rock band founded in London in the late 1960s by four expatriate West African and three London based Caribbean musicians. Osibisa were the most successful and longest lived of the African-heritage bands in ...

, Hildegard Knef, and the Muppets.

Bob Dorough Robert Lrod Dorough (December 12, 1923 – April 23, 2018) was an American bebop and cool jazz vocalist, pianist, composer, songwriter, arranger, and producer. Dorough became famous as the composer and performer of songs in the TV series ''School ...

recorded the song for inclusion on '' Too Much Coffee Man'', a CD of music based on the eponymous Shannon Wheeler character. The Muppets performed the song as the opening number of a 1997 episode of '' Muppets Tonight''. Liz Torres sang the opening lyrics as part of Miss Patty’s 40th anniversary in showbiz celebration in the s5e10 episode of Gilmore Girls.

References

1946 songs Frank Sinatra songs Songs with lyrics by Bob Hilliard {{1940s-song-stub

Notable cover versions

See also

References