"The Kid's Last Fight" is a song written by
Bob Merrill
Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. He wrote ...
and first recorded by
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final ...
in December 1953 at Columbia Records. The recording by Laine reached number 20 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was covered by
The Statler Brothers
The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers ...
for their ''
10th Anniversary'' album, released in 1980 on Mercury Records.
The song tells the story of a young fighter, Kid McCoy, fighting against Tiger Wilson. He hopes to win enough prize money to buy a bungalow for himself and his darling Bess. The Kid is fighting while battling a fever and although he knocks out Tiger Wilson, the song says "Twas the fever that won the fight".
The song starts with a
pianola sound like that used in silent films.
Songs written by Bob Merrill
1953 songs
Frankie Laine songs
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