Original version

It was first recorded on December 8, 1932, by the Ray Noble Orchestra, with vocals by Val Rosing. Another version, also recorded in 1932, was made by Charlie Palloy & his Orchestra. Ted Lewis (Columbia 2748 D) and Ruth Etting (Melotone 12625) had hits with it in 1933.

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

also recorded it on January 9, 1933, for Brunswick Records. A version by

Bob and Alf Pearson Bob and Alf Pearson were an English musical variety double act, consisting of brothers Robert Alexander Pearson (15 August 1907 – 30 December 1985) and Alfred Vernon Pearson (15 June 1910 – 7 July 2012), who were mainly known for their singi ...

was also released in 1933. The song appeared on

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

's debut album, '' The Voice of Frank Sinatra'', in 1946.

Otis Redding version

A popular version in an entirely new form was recorded by soul artist

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

in 1966. Redding was backed on his version by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and Stax staff producer

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songw ...

worked on the arrangement. Bowman, Rob (1997). ''Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records.'' New York: Schirmer Trade. . Pg. 105-1072 Redding's recording features a slow, soulful opening that eventually builds into a frenetic R&B conclusion, incorporating elements from the

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

– Lee Gaines song " Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)" as well as the words "sock it to me." In early 1967, it peaked at number 25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It has been named on a number of "best songs of all time" lists, including those from the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and ...

. It is in the 136th position on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

s list of the 500 greatest songs of all time as of the list's 2021 update. A live version performed in 1967 at the

Monterey International Pop Festival The Monterey International Pop Festival was a three-day music festival held June 16 to 18, 1967, at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. The festival is remembered for the first major American appearances by the Jimi Hendrix ...

was also recorded. In the 1991 Irish film, ''The Commitments'', the band performs the song in the style of Otis Redding. The version by The Commitments reached No. 13 in the Irish chart. Redding's version was also sampled in the song "Otis", recorded by rappers

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, from their album ''

Watch the Throne ''Watch the Throne'' is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, collectively known as The Throne. It was released on August 8, 2011, through Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Prior to t ...

''. Additionally, it appears in the film ''

Pretty in Pink ''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produc ...

'', and was sung briefly by

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer. He rose to fame on the sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'', for which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984. Murphy has als ...

as Donkey in ''

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jen ...

''. '' D-TV'' set the Otis Redding version to ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

''.

Charts

Certifications

Three Dog Night version

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael A ...

released a version of the song, which peaked at number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' Top 100 in 1969, and number 19 in Canada. It borrows stylistically from Redding's interpretation of the song, including the coda that was added in Redding's version.

''Dr. Strangelove''

An instrumental version of the song is played during the opening credits of the 1964 film ''

Dr. Strangelove ''Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'', known simply and more commonly as ''Dr. Strangelove'', is a 1964 black comedy film that satirizes the Cold War fears of a nuclear conflict between the Soviet Union and ...

'' over authentic footage of in-flight refueling of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber.

References

{{Authority control 1932 songs 1966 singles 1969 singles Songs written by Harry M. Woods Songs written by Jimmy Campbell and Reg Connelly Otis Redding songs Frank Sinatra songs Etta James songs Aretha Franklin songs Three Dog Night songs Atco Records singles