The band was originally formed in 1989 by leader Scott Morris. He and Kurt Sodergren are the two "original" members, with the rest of the band joining later on. The band concentrated on the swing of the 1940s and '50s, playing clubs and lounges in their early years.
The band launched two CDs, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Watchu' Want for Christmas? under their own label (Big Bad Records) before getting their big break when their songs "You & Me & The Bottle Makes Three Tonight (Baby)" and "Go Daddy-O" were featured in the 1996 comedy Swingers.
From there they were signed by Capitol Records. With Capitol the band released Americana Deluxe (also known as a second Big Bad Voodoo Daddy) and This Beautiful Life. The band has continued their tours, performances and album releases Save My Soul, Live, and Everything You Want For Christmas, with one high point being their appearance at the 1999 Super Bowl half-time show.
Over the last few years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has experienced great success playing on the Pops programs of American Symphony Orchestras and regular US tours.
Most recently, BBVD released a tribute album titled How Big Can You Get?: The Music of Cab Calloway. As part of the live concerts promoting this recent album, the band continues to perform new material, including the track "5-10-15 Times I Love You" which frontman Scotty Morris says will be recorded as part of a new album in early 2011.
Band Members:
* Scott Morris "Scotty" (vocals and guitar) - core member
* Kurt Sodergren (drums and percussion) - core member
* Dirk Shumaker (string bass) - core member
* Andrew Rowley "Andy" (baritone saxophone) - core member
* Glen Marehevka "The Kid" (trumpet) - core member
* Karl Hunter (saxophone and clarinet) - core member
* Joshua Levy "Josh" (piano) - core member
* Tony Bonsera (lead trumpet)
* Alex Henderson (trombone) (also part of The Brian Setzer Orchestra)
** Ron Blake (former lead trumpet) left Big Bad Voodoo Daddy to go on tour with Green Day.
Minnie The Moocher
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She was a red hot hoochie coocher,
She was the roughest, toughest frail,
but Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.
Ho-dee ho-dee ho
Ho-dee ho-dee ho
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hey-dee hey
Hey-dee hey
Whoah
Whoah
She messed around with a bloke named Smokey.
She loved him though was cokie,
he took her down to Chinatown
and he showed her how to kick the gong around.
Hey-dee hey-dee hey
Hey-dee hey-dee hey
Oy yoi yoi yoi yoi yoi
Oy yoi yoi yoi yoi yoi
Ay yi yi yi yi yi-oh
Ay yi yi yi yi yi-oh
Whoah
Whoah
She had a dream about the King of Sweden,
He gave her things that she was needin',
He gave her a home built of gold and steel,
a diamond car with the platinum wheel.
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey
Hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey
He gave her his townhouse and his racing horses,
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses,
She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes,
She sat around and counted them all a million times.
Hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hi-dee hi-dee hi
Whoah
Whoah
Poor Min, poor Min, poor Min.
"Minnie The Moocher" is a popular song by Cab Calloway and was covered by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, featuring unique interpretations in their rhythm and instrumentation. The lyrics describe the character of Minnie, a woman who is unyielding to hardship and has a big heart. The song talks about her relationship with Smokey (a man who appears to be a drug addict), how he introduced her to the underground deviances of Chinatown, and even about her dream of the King of Sweden. A man who gave her everything she needs, a home, a car, money, and all the luxuries in the world, except love.
The lyrics are about a woman who resists conforming to society's standards, instead choosing to follow the beat of her own drum. Her heart is as big as a whale, and she is a red-hot hoochie coocher, who is frequently underestimated by people who do not understand her. The verse mentioning Smokey's drug addiction also portrays the helplessness that can come with being addicted to drugs, as he seems to act as an enabler to Minnie's desires.
The song's chorus is an enthusiastic refrain that's perfect for getting everyone on their feet and dancing. The chorus doesn't have any real meaning but is rather there to convey joy and energy, with sounds like Ho-dee ho-dee ho and Hey-dee hey-dee hey. The song showcases the free-spirited, fun-loving nature of Cab Calloway and how it was represented throughout his work.
Line by Line Meaning
Folks here's a story 'bout Minnie the Moocher,
Let me tell you about this girl named Minnie the Moocher
She was a red hot hoochie coocher,
Minnie was an attractive woman but had a notorious reputation
She was the roughest, toughest frail,
Though Minnie had a fragile appearance, she was a strong woman
but Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.
Despite her weaknesses, Minnie was a kind-hearted person
Ho-dee ho-dee ho
Ho-dee ho-dee ho
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hey-dee hey
Hey-dee hey
Whoah
Whoah
She messed around with a bloke named Smokey.
She had an affair with a man named Smokey
She loved him though was cokie,
She was addicted to drugs but still loved him
he took her down to Chinatown
He brought her to Chinatown
and he showed her how to kick the gong around.
They experimented with drugs together
Hey-dee hey-dee hey
Hey-dee hey-dee hey
Oy yoi yoi yoi yoi yoi
Oy yoi yoi yoi yoi yoi
Ay yi yi yi yi yi-oh
Ay yi yi yi yi yi-oh
Whoah
Whoah
She had a dream about the King of Sweden,
Minnie once dreamed of the King of Sweden
He gave her things that she was needin',
In her dream, he gave her everything she needed
He gave her a home built of gold and steel,
The King gave her a luxurious house made of gold and steel
a diamond car with the platinum wheel.
He also gave her an expensive car with platinum wheels
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey
Hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey
He gave her his townhouse and his racing horses,
In the dream, the King also gave her his townhouse and racing horses
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses,
All of Minnie's meals had twelve luxurious courses each
She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes,
Minnie had a fortune of one million dollars in nickels and dimes
She sat around and counted them all a million times.
Minnie spent her time counting her wealth over and over again
Hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hi-dee hi-dee hi
Whoah
Whoah
Poor Min, poor Min, poor Min.
Despite her wealth, Minnie remained poor in spirit
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Cab Calloway, Clarence Gaskill, Irving Mills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@elcatrinc1996
Folks here's a story 'bout Minnie the Moocher,
She was a red hot hoochie coocher,
She was the roughest, toughest frail,
but Minnie had a heart as big as a whale.
Ho-dee ho-dee ho
Ho-dee ho-dee ho
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hey-dee hey
Hey-dee hey
Whoah
Whoah
She messed around with a bloke named Smokey.
She loved him though was cokie,
he took her down to Chinatown
and he showed her how to kick the gong around.
Hey-dee hey-dee hey
Hey-dee hey-dee hey
Oy yoi yoi yoi yoi yoi
Oy yoi yoi yoi yoi yoi
Ay yi yi yi yi yi-oh
Ay yi yi yi yi yi-oh
Whoah
Whoah
She had a dream about the King of Sweden,
He gave her things that she was needin',
He gave her a home built of gold and steel,
a diamond car with the platinum wheel.
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey
Hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey-dee hey
He gave her his townhouse and his racing horses,
Each meal she ate was a dozen courses,
She had a million dollars worth of nickels and dimes,
She sat around and counted them all a million times.
Hi-dee hi-dee hi
Hi-dee hi-dee hi
Whoah
Whoah
Poor Min, poor Min, poor Min.
@WillEnglish
No matter what the era, big band jazz is always classy, always cool. It's like a fine wine, it always tastes divine.
@49hamburger
Will English , If that is your real name, I feel a little disapointed that your parents didn't name you Johny. Not trying to be mean, just pointing it out.
@jringo5710
+Will English What do you think 'bout an' Alsatian Gewürtztramier? That's the better for myself.
@TheRoboBeepBoop
Will English And like wine, it gets better as time passes.
@michaelbruno7662
Check out Moten Swing by Ben(ny?) Moten? Never heard of him except via a reference in another artist's review/recap. Nasty bad!
@uriah9559
idk about that.
@audreydagger7366
I can hear the ghost walrus coming for us all
@toasterofdoom9629
I >am< the Walrus (goo goo g'joob)
@nathanwithrow35
@@toasterofdoom9629 he means a ghost walrus from a Betty boop cartoon.
@user-xg8yy7yl1d
in 30s slang:
He was cokey = hes a cocaine user
Kicked the gong around = smoking opium
So basically this song is about this girl being introduced to opium buy this guys shes messing around with and then presumably while high on said opium she has this dream about the king of sweden giving her a lot of money/stuff. And this song was written in the 30s lmao.