"Yes Sir, That's My Baby" is a popular

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

from 1925. The music was written by Walter Donaldson and the lyrics by

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (G ...

Background

The chorus begins, "Yes sir, that's my baby, no sir, don't mean maybe. Yes sir, that's my baby now." According to one source, the song was written when Donaldson and Kahn were visiting

Eddie Cantor Eddie Cantor (born Isidore Itzkowitz; January 31, 1892 – October 10, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, film producer, screenwriter and author. Cantor was one of the prominent entertainers of his era. Some of h ...

. Cantor's daughter Marjorie brought out one of her favorite toys, a walking mechanical pig. She wound it up and it started walking in rhythm while two notes kept coming from the little creature. Kahn was inspired and started working lyrics to these notes in rhythm with the pig, coming up with the title and opening line of the chorus in short order.

1925 recordings

Successful 1925 recordings include: * Margaret Young * Ace Brigode *

Gene Austin Lemeul Eugene Lucas (June 24, 1900 – January 24, 1972), better known by his stage name Gene Austin, was an American singer and songwriter, one of the early " crooners". His recording of " My Blue Heaven" sold over 5 million copies and was for ...

with Billy "Uke" Carpenter *

Blossom Seeley Blossom Seeley (July 16, 1886 Blossom Seeley biography
ragpiano.com. Accessed July 14, 2022.

Ben Bernie Benjamin Anzelevitz, known professionally as Ben Bernie (May 30, 1891 – October 20, 1943),DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P ...

* Coon-Sanders Original Nighthawk Orchestra (vocal by Carleton Coon). * Lee Morse

Later recordings

The song is a standard that has been recorded by hundreds of artists in various genres, including: *

recorded the song in 1930. *

Harry Stewart Harry Stewart (October 21, 1908 – May 20, 1956), born Harry Skarbo, was an entertainer, singer, comedian, and songwriter. He was best known for his portrayal of Yogi Yorgesson, a comically exaggerated Swedish American.worst records ever made upon its release in 1953. *

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

recorded the song in 1956 for use on his

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and it was subsequently included in the box set ''The Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings (1954-56)'' issued by

Mosaic Records Mosaic Records is an American jazz record company and label established in 1982 by Michael Cuscuna and Charlie Lourie. It produces limited-edition box sets. The sets recordings are leased from the major record companies, usually for a three- or f ...

(catalog MD7-245) in 2009. *Also in 1956, The Sensations reached #15 on the

Best Sellers in Stores The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

chart. *It was later a hit for

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard "Ricky" Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician and actor. From age eight, he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he began a ...

in 1960. This recording reached #34 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

. *

The Four Aces The Four Aces are an American male traditional pop quartet popular since the 1950s. Over the last half-century, the group amassed many gold records. Its million-selling songs include " Love is a Many-Splendored Thing", " Three Coins in the Foun ...

recorded the song in 1957. *It's the opening track on

Etta Jones Etta Jones (November 25, 1928 – October 16, 2001) was an American jazz singer. Her best-known recordings are "Don't Go to Strangers" and "Save Your Love for Me". She worked with Buddy Johnson, Oliver Nelson, Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Gene Ammo ...

' '' Don't Go to Strangers'' (1960). *In 1960 the trombonist Mario Pezzotta and his soloists recorded an instrumental version (

Durium Records Durium was an Italian record label, active from 1935 to 1989. Part of the catalogue and the brand were subsequently taken over by Ricordi, who used it for some reissues. Its initial trademark consisted of the writing Durium in block letters, su ...

, ECGE 75153), a single released in Spain, Greece and Italy, included in the 1980 album ''Solo per ballare'' (Just to dance) (

, 60005), published in Greece. *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

recorded it in 1966 for his

Strangers in the Night "Strangers in the Night" is a song composed by Bert Kaempfert with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. Kaempfert originally used it under the title "Beddy Bye" as part of the instrumental score for the movie ''A Man Could Get ...

LP. *

James Booker James Carroll Booker III (December 17, 1939 – November 8, 1983) was an American New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist and singer. Flamboyant in personality and style, and a pianist of extraordinary technical skill, he was dubbed "the Blac ...

covered the song on his album ''Classified: Remixed & Expanded''.

International re-recordings

*A Yiddish version entitled "Yes Sir, Iz May Kalleh" (Yes Sir, That's My Bride) was recorded by Peisachke Burstein. In German, the song was titled "Küss' mich, Schnucki-Putzi". *In 1956 Bruno and his Quirinetta orchestra recorded in Italian the song entitled ''Il vero charleston "Lola"'' (The Real Charleston "Lola"), with lyrics by Borella, ( CGD, ND 9006). *The song was also sung by

Jason Robards Jason Nelson Robards Jr. (July 26, 1922 – December 26, 2000) was an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he gained a reputation as an interpreter of the works of playwright Eugene O'Neill. Robards received numerous accola ...

and

Barry Gordon Barry Gordon (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and political talk show host. He was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, having served from 1988 to 1995. He is perhaps best known as the original voice of Dona ...

in the 1965 feature film '' A Thousand Clowns''. *Bram Morrison and young singer Debbie Fruitman sing together on

Sharon, Lois & Bram Sharon, Lois & Bram (also known as Sharon, Bram & Friends, Sharon & Bram or Sharon & Randi) are a Canadian children's music group founded in Toronto, Ontario, 1978. The group's original lineup consisted of Sharon (née Trostin) Hampson, L ...

's album One Elephant, Deux Éléphants. *The song was sung in Italian by Duo Fasano (Fasano sisters duo) and the famous Italian singer

Raffaella Carrà Raffaella Maria Roberta Pelloni (18 June 1943 – 5 July 2021), known professionally as Raffaella Carrà () and sometimes mononymously as Raffaella, was an Italian singer, dancer, actress, television presenter and model. She is often widely cons ...

in 1973. The song was titled "Lola" and talks about a girl (Lola) that the singer is convincing to dance the Charleston. *It was also remade by a Czech group

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

in 2011 with completely new lyrics and named "Hey Boy", becoming a holiday hit on local radio stations. Czech and Slovak listeners know the song from the traffic-information program "" (Watch out, turning), which has been broadcast since 1966 by Czechoslovak Radio, which took the instrumental version of that song as its signature. With older Czech lyrics titled "" by Jan Werich this song was performed by the Karel Vlach orchestra in the Rokoko theatre (Prague, 1963). *The Swedish band Onkel Kånkel recorded a version of the song called "" (Leprous Leffe) for their 1990 album '. *The song's title is the name of a spaceship in the

John Scalzi John Michael Scalzi II (born May 10, 1969) is an American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his ''Old Man's War'' series, three novels of which have been n ...

book The Collapsing Empire, often referred to as "the Yes, Sir". *A French version entitled "Chacun son truc" (To Each His Own) was recorded by

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...

in 1926 with completely new lyrics by Paul Briquet. "Le baryton populaire" records the song under Belgium label "Chantal De Luxe". Supposed that this song was also performed by Tino Rossi, but no full records were found, only in medley. In 1956 Pierre Arvay and his orchestra recorded the same Charleston entitled now "C'est elle qui ordonne" (It Is She Who Orders) for their album "Chansons 1925". The song was sung by Christian Duvaleix, the French actor, director, and screenwriter. This album was also released in 2011. *Walter Donaldson's music was used as an exercise in Russian children's music schools and was entitled "Каникулы" (Holidays). *It was adapted to Spanish by Roberto Parra (Chilean singer-songwriter) and recorded in 1995 by Los Tres (Chilean rock band) under the title "Quién Es La Que Viene Allí" (Who's Coming Down) for their live acoustic album Los Tres MTV Unplugged * Tipica 73 quotes the main refrain for the song in a segment of its version of the Cuban song “Amalia Batista.”

Film appearances

*1942 '' Broadway'' *1944 ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...

'' – played often throughout the film *1949 '' Yes Sir, That's My Baby'' – sung during the montage with the kids. *1951 '' I'll See You in My Dreams'' *1953 '' The Eddie Cantor Story'' – sung by Eddie in the Midnight Frolics *1965 '' A Thousand Clowns'' – sung and played on ukuleles by

and

. *1974 ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' () is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mi ...

'' *1975 ''

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...

'' – sung by Michael Chain *1979 '' Agatha'' *1986 ''

Heartburn Heartburn is a burning sensation felt behind the breastbone. It is a symptom that is commonly linked to acid reflux and is often triggered by food, particularly fatty, sugary, spicy, chocolate, citrus, onion-based and tomato-based products. Ly ...

'' – performed by

Meryl Streep Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...

and

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...

. *1998 ''

Dancing at Lughnasa ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' is a 1990 play by dramatist Brian Friel set in County Donegal, Ireland in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg. It is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Evans, the narrator. He re ...

References

{{Authority control Songs with music by Walter Donaldson Songs with lyrics by Gus Kahn Pop standards 1925 songs 1925 singles Ricky Nelson songs Eddie Cantor songs Jazz compositions in G major