"What's the Use of Getting Sober (When You Gonna Get Drunk Again)" is a song written by Busby Meyers, performed by Louis Jordan and his
Tympany Five
Tympany Five was a successful and influential American rhythm and blues and jazz dance band founded by Louis Jordan in 1938. The group was composed of a horn section of three to five different pieces and also drums, double bass, guitar and pian ...
, recorded in July 1942, and released on the
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 We ...
label (catalog no. 8645). The "B" side of the record was "The Chicks I Pick Are Slender and Tender and Tall".
The record peaked at No. 1 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''s race record chart and remained on the chart for 14 weeks. It was Jordan's first No. 1 record.
In a November 1942 review in ''The Billboard'', M. H. Orodenker wrote: "The trumpet, with plenty of 'hicks' to his hot horn licks, establishes the mood right from the edge."
[
The song was included in the 1977 compilation, ''The Best of Louis Jordan''. It was covered by Joe Jackson on his 1981 release '']Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive
''Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive'' is the fourth studio album by Joe Jackson. Released in 1981, it is a collection of covers of classic 1940s swing and jump blues songs originally performed by musicians such as Louis Jordan and Cab Calloway, ...
''.
References
{{Louis Jordan
1942 songs
Louis Jordan songs