Jesse Crawford (December 2, 1895 – May 28, 1962), was a US pianist and orga… Read Full Bio ↴Jesse Crawford (December 2, 1895 – May 28, 1962), was a US pianist and organist. He was well known in the 1920s as a theater organist for silent films and as a popular recording artist. In the 1930s, he switched to the Hammond organ and became a freelancer. In the 1940s, he authored instruction books on organ and taught organ lessons.

Crawford's father died when he was one year old, leaving an impoverished wife and mother, placed the baby in an orphanage asylum near Woodland, California. He taught himself music there. By age nine, he was playing a cornet in the orphanage band. At age 14 he left the orphanage to play piano in a small dance band, and then took a job playing piano in a ten-cent-admission silent film house.
His early theatre organ experience was at Washington's Spokane Gem Theater in 1911 and at the Clemmer-owned Casino Theatre (on an eight-rank Estey organ). He next played briefly at theatres in Billings, Montana, Spokane, Washington and Seattle. When he met Oliver Wallace, Crawford learned about the then-new types of theatre organ sounds. Crawford’s next jobs were playing at the Strand in San Francisco and the Mission Theatre in Los Angeles.

In the 1920s, Crawford began forming a fan base and was dubbed the of "Poet of the Organ" for his style of playing ballads in Chicago. In 1921, he was employed by the Balaban and Katz theatre chain playing its 29-rank Wurlitzer in the Chicago Theatre. Likewise, Crawford was hired to play a large Wurlitzer organ in Grauman's Million Dollar Theatre in Los Angeles.
From 1926 to 1933, he performed at New York City's Paramount Theater, with his wife Helen (also an organist) playing a twin organ console.
After some recordings for the small local Autograph Records label, Crawford made a series of gramophone records for the Victor Records label which proved very popular with record buyers. He had hits such as "Rose Marie", "Valencia" and "Russian Lullaby". Other popular songs included "At Dawning" and "Roses Of Picardy".

With the end of the silent film era, work for theatre organists in movie houses dried up. Crawford played a Kilgen organ at Chicago's Century of Progress World's Fair in 1934, and in 1936 he got a job as staff organist in NBC studios in Chicago. In the 1930s, Crawford switched to the Hammond organ, and began playing engagements across the United States. In addition to his numerous sound recordings, Crawford recorded player organ rolls on the Wurlitzer "R Rolls" system. His own compositions included "Vienna Violins", "Louisiana Nocturn", "Harlem Holiday", and "Hawaiian Honeymoon".

In 1940, the self-taught Crawford undertook his first formal music study with Joseph Schillinger, whose other students included George Gershwin, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and movie score composers Leith Stevens and Nathan Van Cleave. He recorded Hammond organ LPs for Decca Records and worked and began writing, producing sheet music song arrangements for Hammond organ and instruction books. He also taught organ students, both in one-on-one lessons and in class style lessons, where he mostly lectured. He recorded his last two LPs on the Simonton Wurlitzer organ.

Joy To The World
Jesse Crawford Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Jeremiah was a bullfrog
Was a good friend of mine
I never understood a single word he said
But I helped him a-drink his wine
And he always had some mighty fine wine
Singing

Joy to the world

All the boys and girls now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

If I were the king of the world
Tell you what I'd do
I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war
Make sweet love to you
Sing it now

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

You know I love the ladies
Love to have my fun
I'm a high life flier and a rainbow rider
A straight shooting son-of-a-gun (oh yeah)
I said a straight shooting son-of-a-gun

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the world
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

I wanna tell you
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls

Overall Meaning

The song "Joy to the World" by Jesse Crawford is a classic tune that is enjoyed by people of all ages today. At first glance, the lyrics seem a bit nonsensical, but upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that the song is about finding joy and happiness in life.

The song starts with a reference to a bullfrog named Jeremiah. The singer states that Jeremiah was a good friend of his, even though he didn't always understand what he was saying. The reason for this is not clear, but it seems to indicate that the singer is open-minded and accepting of people from all walks of life. The singer then mentions that he helped Jeremiah drink his wine, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for sharing in other people's joys and sorrows.

The chorus of the song is a joyful reminder that we should celebrate life and enjoy the simple things. It mentions how everyone, including the fish in the deep blue sea, should experience joy. Later, the singer expresses a desire to throw away the trappings of modern life and focus on love and human connection. He even expresses a love of the ladies and a desire to have fun, but in a way that is harmless and free of violence.

Overall, "Joy to the World" may seem like a simple tune, but it carries an important message about finding happiness in life and connecting with others. It encourages us to embrace a carefree attitude and to enjoy the beauty of the world around us.

Interesting facts about "Joy to the World":

Line by Line Meaning

Jeremiah was a bullfrog
Jeremiah was a dear friend of mine

Was a good friend of mine
Jeremiah meant a lot to me

I never understood a single word he said
Jeremiah spoke in ways I couldn't comprehend

But I helped him a-drink his wine
But we bonded over drinking his tasty wine

And he always had some mighty fine wine
And his wine was always exceptional

Singing Joy to the world, all the boys and girls now
Spreading joy and happiness to everyone, young and old

Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Celebrating joy even with aquatic creatures

Joy to you and me
Extending joy to me and everyone around

If I were the king of the world
If I could have everything my way

Tell you what I'd do
This is what I would do