Minnie the Moocher
Cab Calloway Lyrics
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It's made to order for you
I just bet it's-a suit you
Follow up these red-hot blues
Grab a taxi and go down
Chinatown's on a spree
Let me give you the low-down
Whenever folks in Chinatown start acting gay
There's something in the air that makes them feel that way
Yeah, man, I heard somebody say
It's Minnie the Moocher's wedding day
Old Smoky Joe's so happy he can hardly wait
He's spent a million dollars for his wedding date
Yeah, man, they're gonna celebrate
It's Minnie the Moocher's wedding day
You better come on down (you better come on down)
Way down in Chinatown (way down in Chinatown)
Oh, let me take you down (oh, let me take you down)
To see them kick the gong around
A million cokies shouting, "hay-de-hay-de-hay"
The king of Sweden's gonna give the bride away
Yeah, man, I heard somebody say
It's Minnie the Moocher's wedding day
The king and queen of every nation
Were glad to get an invitation
The prince of Wales said he would get away
For Minnie the Moocher's wedding day
(For Minnie the Moocher's wedding day)
They said a hundred thousand hoppies
Went over to China picking poppies
They're gonna put them all in one bouquet
For Minnie the Moocher's wedding day
(For Minnie the Moocher's wedding day)
Hi-de-hi-de-hi (hi-de-hi-de-hi)
Ho-de-ho-de-ho-de-ho (ho-de-ho-de-ho-de-ho)
Hay-de-hay-de-hay (hay-de-hay-de-hay)
Oh, it's Minnie the Moocher's wedding day
Yeah, man, why, what's that them boys say?
It's Minnie the Moocher's wedding day
The lyrics of Cab Calloway's song Minnie The Moocher tells the story of Minnie's wedding day in Chinatown. The first stanza encourages the listener to follow along as the story takes place. The second stanza sets the scene for the festivities happening in Chinatown, stating that when the people there "start acting gay," it's because of Minnie's wedding day. The third stanza describes Old Smoky Joe, who is very happy and has spent a million dollars for his wedding date. The fourth stanza reveals that everyone is celebrating, shouting "hay-de-hay-de-hay" and that even the king of Sweden is attending.
The song is a fun and upbeat Jazz tune, and the lyrics are woven together to tell a complete story. The use of slang language and references to specific events and people of the time give the song a unique historical significance. Altogether, the lyrics are an entertaining and lively depiction of a joyous occasion in Chinatown.
Line by Line Meaning
Here's some news that'll get you
Listen up, I've got something to tell you
It's made to order for you
This news is just what you wanted to hear
I just bet it's-a suit you
I'm sure this news will please you
Follow up these red-hot blues
Pay attention to what I'm about to say
Grab a taxi and go down
Take a taxi to the location I'm telling you about
Chinatown's on a spree
There's a big celebration happening in Chinatown
Let me give you the low-down
I'll tell you what's really happening
This is really history
This event is noteworthy
Whenever folks in Chinatown start acting gay
When the people of Chinatown start acting lively
There's something in the air that makes them feel that way
There's an infectious excitement in the atmosphere
Yeah, man, I heard somebody say
I overheard someone mention
It's Minnie the Moocher's wedding day
The cause of the celebration is Minnie the Moocher's wedding
Old Smoky Joe's so happy he can hardly wait
Smoky Joe is ecstatic and can barely contain his excitement
He's spent a million dollars for his wedding date
He's spent an exorbitant amount of money on the wedding
Yeah, man, they're gonna celebrate
They're planning to have a big celebration
You better come on down (you better come on down)
You should definitely join in the festivities
Way down in Chinatown (way down in Chinatown)
In the depths of Chinatown
Oh, let me take you down (oh, let me take you down)
Let me bring you to the location
To see them kick the gong around
To see them party and have a good time
A million cokies shouting, "hay-de-hay-de-hay"
Many people are shouting excitedly
The king of Sweden's gonna give the bride away
Even royalty are involved in the wedding
The king and queen of every nation
Representatives from every country's royalty
Were glad to get an invitation
They felt honored to be invited to the wedding
The prince of Wales said he would get away
Even the prince of Wales is making time to attend the wedding
For Minnie the Moocher's wedding day
For the occasion of Minnie the Moocher's wedding
They said a hundred thousand hoppies
Many people traveled to China
Went over to China picking poppies
They went to harvest poppy flowers
They're gonna put them all in one bouquet
They'll create a large arrangement of the flowers
Hi-de-hi-de-hi (hi-de-hi-de-hi)
An exclamation of excitement and joy
Ho-de-ho-de-ho-de-ho (ho-de-ho-de-ho-de-ho)
Another exclamation of excitement and joy
Hay-de-hay-de-hay (hay-de-hay-de-hay)
Yet another exclamation of excitement and joy
Oh, it's Minnie the Moocher's wedding day
All of this excitement is because of Minnie the Moocher's wedding
Yeah, man, why, what's that them boys say?
What are those guys talking about over there?
It's Minnie the Moocher's wedding day
They're also discussing Minnie the Moocher's wedding
Lyrics © S.A. MUSIC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vitothepizzaguy7475
This man was born almost 120 years ago. Now we are looking at him preform on the internet, good stuff
@catherine520
🙌🏼
@True.Shujin
When u say it like that why can’t we fix other shit lol I’m thinking yeti deep comment just broke my brain
@joegeorge3889
Timeless
@RamsayboltonSnow
For sure Famous people will
Live on forever through there work
@otiss3213
Exactly and what a phenomenal performer he was-that many trued coping him or at least trying to.
@trainliker100
Most people today don't know that Cab Calloway was phenomenally popular in his day. First black American to sell a million records of a song. First black musician to have a national syndicated radio program. Thank to the Blues Brothers movie, he has now been seen by more generations of people.
@thatonedud8325
He would’ve been 1 of the first because OKeh released Mamie Smith's Crazy Blues in 1921, the first record by a black artist to sell a million copies
@trainliker100
@@thatonedud8325 That number for Crazy Blues is not agreed to by everybody. Some say over a million, some say not verified. It probably isn't verifiable because of the record keeping back then. Cab Calloway's was in 1931 and probably better record keeping by then. Time magazine did research and made a list that shows Calloway, but they only went back as far as 1923 (unfortunately) when Time Magazine was launched. So I suspect that Crazy Blues is an open question unless there is some authoritative source. Whether or not over a million, an extremely significant record to be sure. Of course the RIAA exists now, but didn't start giving out their awards until 1958. So no help there.
@thatonedud8325
@@trainliker100their has been many more then that though like “The ink spots” or “Louis Armstrong” so cab Calloway is “one of the first”