Jack McVea (November 5, 1914 – December 27, 2000) was an American swing, bl… Read Full Bio ↴Jack McVea (November 5, 1914 – December 27, 2000) was an American swing, blues, and rhythm and blues woodwind player; he played clarinet and tenor and baritone saxophone. His father was the noted banjoist Satchel McVea, and banjo was Jack McVea's first instrument.

Born John Vivian McVea in Los Angeles, California, and playing jazz in Los Angeles for several years, he joined Lionel Hampton's orchestra in 1940. From 1944 on he mostly worked as a leader. Perhaps his most impressive performance as a sideman in those years was at the first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in 1944. From 1966 till his retirement in the 1980s he led a group which played traditional jazz at Disneyland, called "The Royal Street Bachelors" in New Orleans Square.

McVea was leader of the Black & White Records studio band and was responsible for coming up with the musical riff for the words "Open the Door, Richard". Ralph Bass got him to record it in 1946 and it became immensely popular, entering the national charts the following year, and was recorded by many other artists.

He is also known for his playing on T-Bone Walker's "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just As Bad)." McVea also played on 1945's "Slim's Jam" by Slim Gaillard alongside Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

McVea died in December 2000, at the age of 86

Open The Door Richard
Jack McVea Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Open the Door Richard
Count Basie and His Orchestra
Words by Dusty Fletcher and John Mason
Music by Jack Mcvea and Don Howell

Peaked at # 1 in 1947 and, true to the times, six other versions also made the
Top 10
Three Flames (#1); Dusty Fletcher (#3); Jack Mcvea (#3); the Charioteers (#6);

Louis Jordan (#6); and The Pied Pipers (#8)

Intro-conversations mingled in a crowded room
???? At the club tonight. Ole Richard went home early-he's got the key to the
House. I'm gonna knock on the door, see if I kin get in.

Open the door, Richard!! Ya see, Richard sleeps in the back room. It's kinda hard
To hear.
Maybe I better knock a little louder.

Open the door, Richard!! I don't think Richard heard me yet. Knock one more
Time-let's see
What's gonna happen.

Richard, open the door, please.

Sung: Open the door, Richard
Open the door and let me in
Open the door, Richard
Richard, why don't you open that door?

Richard, open the door, man-it's *co-hold* out here'n this air. Now look-there's that
Old woman 'cross the street lookin' out the windah
(Who's that, Widow Sweet?)
That must be her sister, I guess. She wants to make sure this is me. She's tryin'
To find out
What's happenin'. Yes, it's me and I'm late again!
(??, did you hear what the lady's sayin'?)
No, what is she sayin'?
(She said you sure look common out here'n the street.)
Common? Man, I got class I ain't never used yet. I'm gonna knock again-
Richard's got to get up.

Open the door, Richard!! Man, you got a key to the house?
(No, ??, I don't have a key. I don't have a key.)
Somebody's got to get in the house. We can't climb in the transit.
(Oh, I know he's in there.)
How you know he's in there?
(I can hear him breathin'.)
Ooooh, let's try it one more time!

Richard, open that door, man. Maybe Richard's gone.

Sung: Open the door, Richard
Open the door and let me in
Open the door, Richard
Richard, why don't you open that door? I know he's in there.
(how you know he's in there?)
Why, you got on the suit.
I know I got on the only suit. Ain't got but one suit between us. That's the
Reason why I don't like to roooooom with nobody.

Fade
Richard, why don'tcha open the door, man?

Transcriber's notes: *cold. "*
This entire song is done on an ad-lib basis and it varies widely from other
Versions, which were considerably funnier. "??" represents the names or

Nicknames of the band members which I could not comprehend. Still it is the
Version that made #1

Overall Meaning

"Open the Door Richard" is a humorous and catchy song that was popularized by Count Basie and His Orchestra and written by Dusty Fletcher and John Mason. The song is about a man who is trying to get into his friend Richard's house after a night out clubbing. The narrative is presented as a series of conversations between the man and his companions as they try to get Richard to let them in. The tone of the song is light-hearted and playful, with a jazzy and upbeat musical accompaniment.

The song is structured around repeated refrains of "Open the door, Richard" and "Richard, why don't you open that door?" interspersed with the singer's observations and comments. The lyrics create a sense of familiarity and camaraderie between the singers, who are depicted as a group of friends enjoying a night out together. The themes of friendship, loyalty, and the desire for human connection are present throughout the song, making it a touching and relatable piece that still resonates with listeners today.

Line by Line Meaning

Intro-conversations mingled in a crowded room
A group of people having conversations in a crowded room

Open the door, Richard!! Ya see, Richard sleeps in the back room. It's kinda hard To hear.
Trying to get Richard's attention to open the door but he's far in the back where it's hard to hear.

Maybe I better knock a little louder.
Suggesting to knock louder to get Richard's attention.

Open the door, Richard!! I don't think Richard heard me yet. Knock one more Time-let's see What's gonna happen.
Another attempt to get Richard's attention as he hasn't heard yet.

Richard, open the door, please.
Requesting Richard to open the door.

Open the door, Richard Open the door and let me in Open the door, Richard Richard, why don't you open that door?
Repeated requests to get Richard to open the door.

Richard, open the door, man-it's *co-hold* out here'n this air. Now look-there's that Old woman 'cross the street lookin' out the windah (Who's that, Widow Sweet?) That must be her sister, I guess. She wants to make sure this is me. She's tryin' To find out What's happenin'. Yes, it's me and I'm late again! (??, did you hear what the lady's sayin'?) No, what is she sayin'? (She said you sure look common out here'n the street.) Common? Man, I got class I ain't never used yet. I'm gonna knock again- Richard's got to get up.
Describing the details of the surroundings and the neighbors while requesting Richard to open the door because it's cold outside.

Open the door, Richard!! Man, you got a key to the house? (No, ??, I don't have a key. I don't have a key.) Somebody's got to get in the house. We can't climb in the transit. (Oh, I know he's in there.) How you know he's in there? (I can hear him breathin'.) Ooooh, let's try it one more time!
Asking if Richard has a key and suggesting they can't break in, confirming that Richard is inside because they can hear him breathing.

Richard, open that door, man. Maybe Richard's gone.
Wondering if Richard has left and requesting him to open the door.

Open the door, Richard Open the door and let me in Open the door, Richard Richard, why don't you open that door? I know he's in there. (how you know he's in there?) Why, you got on the suit. I know I got on the only suit. Ain't got but one suit between us. That's the Reason why I don't like to roooooom with nobody.
Repeated requests to open the door and reasoning why they are confident Richard is inside.

Richard, why don'tcha open the door, man?
Another question to Richard asking to open the door.

Contributed by Kaelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

@joliddle12

39w↑4

My Mam has been talking about this song for months. Played it for her this morning and she was over the moon to hear it again. She hasn't heard it since she was a child.