Considered one of the greatest couples of the American movie musical, Judy … Read Full Bio ↴Considered one of the greatest couples of the American movie musical, Judy Garland (1922-1969) and Mickey Rooney (1920-2014) performed together in a series of films in the late 1930's to the early 1940's for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's prestigious film studio. The duo first worked together in the film Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (1937). Two years later, Garland and Rooney showcased their song and dance talents in the well-received Babes in Arms. Their quartet of musicals, including Babes in Arms (1939), as well as Strike Up the Band (1940), Babes on Broadway (1941), and Girl Crazy (1943), all featured a similar plot of teenagers putting on a show for their community.

Strike Up the Band
Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Let the drums roll out
Let the trumpet call
While the people shout "Strike up the band"
Hear the cymbals ring
Calling' one and all
To the martial swing, strike up the band
There is work to be done, to be done
Let's have fun, fun, fun

You son of a gun of a gun, take your stand
Form a line, oh, oh
Come on, let's go
Hey, leader, strike up the band!
There is work to be done, to be done
Let's have fun, fun, fun
Come on, son of a gun of a gun, take your stand
Form a line, oh, oh
Come on, let's go

Hey, Mr. Leader, (2x)
Please strike up the band!

Overall Meaning

In the song Strike Up The Band, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney encourage people to come together and celebrate with music. The lyrics speak of the power of the drums and trumpets along with the ringing of the cymbals, calling everyone to form a line and join in the martial swing. The song is a call to action, urging people to take a stand and have some fun.

The lyrics describe the need to get to work, but also to enjoy life and take pleasure in the simplicity of music. The song's repetitive and upbeat nature suggests it is a song of unity and a celebration of life. The verse "There is work to be done, to be done, let's have fun, fun, fun" speaks to the idea that even though life can be hard, it is important to find joy in the little things like music.

Line by Line Meaning

Let the drums roll out
Begin the musical performance with the sound of the drums

Let the trumpet call
Start the performance by playing the trumpet

While the people shout "Strike up the band"
As the audience cheers, begin the musical performance

Hear the cymbals ring
Listen to the clash of the cymbals indicating the start of the performance

Calling' one and all
Inviting everyone to join in the lively music

To the martial swing, strike up the band
Begin playing the music with a military-style rhythm

There is work to be done, to be done
Although there is work to be done, we can still take the time to have some fun

Let's have fun, fun, fun
Enjoy the moment to the fullest

You son of a gun of a gun, take your stand
Get ready to perform with confidence and energy

Form a line, oh, oh
Organize yourselves and get ready to perform in order

Come on, let's go
It's time to start the performance

Hey, leader, strike up the band!
Direct the request to the musical director to begin playing

Hey, Mr. Leader, (2x) Please strike up the band!
Repeat the request for the musical director to start the performance

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANTOINE DOMINO, DAVE BARTHOLOMEW

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

@stankimer9980

3y↑49

Yet one more brilliant old pieces of music and dancing extravaganza ... there is nothing today that compares to these movies of the 30s and 40s.

@mabel8179

2y↑4

You got that right Stan! I adore this clip. I keep watching it!

@derekllewellyn6663

27w↑1

@@mabel8179in Judy Garland she was beautiful and wonderful young lady girl friend Derek Llewellyn feel like flash back past life look like the same place it's looks like new ride control contact la Cocina it's looks like new ride I just make it happen more information ony I believe because between shaking 🫨 like that it's looks like I feel like she feels like her stomach looks like feeling feel shaking me up it's looks like new ride WB studio's same ride

@nancilucey2055

30w↑7

I NEVER tire of watching these 2...always so much fun, talent and great music and dancing.

@AdrianTeaV

9w↑1

WOW ! That was intense ! Trying to imagine anything similar in 2024? Nothing...From the Costumes, Dances, Timing her eye movements, twirling....Wow !

@adamsworld398

49w↑6

I want all of my school parties like this!😂

@marijooneill8015

2y↑13

All that talent, her voice is absolutely great, plus all of her other talents. Terrific.

@Yasyyyyy

Yessss 💗

@SaxonC

5y↑91

Nobody could lip sync to their playback songs better Judy Garland. She prerecords the song according to the scene where it sounds like she was actually moving and dancing to the music in the recording studio.. She’s a genius and a natural. Watching her shows just how untalented these singers and performers today are! God bless you Judy. You’re sorely missed ❤️😞

@boinx1234

5y↑14

I agree - best lip-syncher ever! That's why I'm so careful when I replace the mono with stereo. I want to make sure I honor her amazing ability to match herself.

@brucepart9936

5y↑1

@@boinx1234 You beat me to that comment. I was going to chuck in the mix how to our 21st Century eyes, so jaded with the lip synch on everything, you can tell it was post dubbed. The leads by JG & MR are just fine although you can tell they aren't singing at full pelt, however, the band's bits leave a bit to be desired.

@boinx1234

4y↑10

@@brucepart9936 Judy always sang at full belt when lip-synching. She would ask for the playback to be turned up to full volume, and then top it.

@lemonhead162

3y↑12

Mickey Rooney was a bolt of lightning! He looked like he was having the time of his life!!!

@mabel8179

2y↑11

Just brilliant! The beat and tune are wonderful and the dancing- -looks so much fun. The world needs the Conga right now!

@felix.carbonel.3799

2y↑7

Mickey Rooney is super fantastic and so is Judy Garland. They're both at the beginning of their super talents and they project so much chemistry with such ease. They're both super fresh youthful with so much energy.

@frankiebowie6174

4y↑29

Not only did they work her like a dog, in her spare time she got to be the best Hollywood lip-syncher ever. It’s not easy! Ask Barbra Streisand.

@paullatimer1639

4y↑53

I can't believe this picture was made 80 years ago. Better than anything that's out today.

@ellowyn8561

4y↑1

Surely this was restored and it is the best

@MaskedMan66

3y↑3

Be fair, movie musicals are not really a thing anymore, more's the pity.

@marcchevalier3750

3y↑2

@@MaskedMan66 That's good its not a thing anymore because todays people are so hard looking and make me want to vomit because of today's culture, baby boomer related gen, modernism, etc...

@MaskedMan66

3y↑1

@@marcchevalier3750 I haven't seen it, but I gather that "LaLa Land" was quite enjoyable, and there are some spectacular sequences from "The Greatest Showman" that I've seen.

@boinx1234

3y↑5

@@ellowyn8561 It was restored in that I replaced the mono track with true stereo.

7 More Replies...

@waynem7634

5y↑18

Judy and Mickey and Busby Berkeley choreography and direction...all Winners here!

@Mark_H101

4y↑14

Gosh. I wish I had gone to this high school!

@artsmith5542

5y↑48

The sound’s so darn PERFECT!!!

@boinx1234

5y↑5

Thanks - tried to reply to your email, but it bounced back.

@taylormaddux8433

5y↑1

Yes. And it's a great-looking print!

@mabel8179

Absolutely fab!

@alexisconnolly6465

4y↑47

The way Mickey exits the scene 😂😂 man these kids had energy back then!! 1:43

@johnfd0210

4y↑6

I laughed aloud (in a good way) when he flung his butt out one last time!

@jamessmithe5490

3y↑3

It's funny that Mickey didn't feel he was being overworked or exploited at the time; he loved it and just had a natural wellspring of energy.

@babyj.7793

3y↑3

That's why he died at 93 i hope i can reach that age haha

@jordanbusby6231

3y↑2

He got a little bit of a Pentecostal shout on there

@annakube9504

2y↑4

They were high

14 More Replies...

@MaskedMan66

3y↑16

People who only know Judy as Dorothy Gale are in for a shock when they see this, but this really was Judy's regular mode!

@comic4relief

3y↑1

How different is it really though? Singing and dancing!

@MaskedMan66

3y↑3

@@comic4relief So what you're saying essentially is that there's no difference between a waltz and a rumba, nor a ballad and a rap.

Judy Garland was a jazz singer first and foremost, and this was more to her usual manner than the ballads and pop stuff she did in "Wizard." Plus, here we see Judy, not as a twelve year-old child, but as her actual teenage self (this being the year after "Wizard").

@comic4relief

3y↑2

@@MaskedMan66 She gave us both. And more.

@MaskedMan66

2y↑1

@@steveb1164 Yes, as of June 22nd of that year. Why do you mention it?

@berjaboy

1y↑4

Back in the 30s and 40s, Busby Berkeley was the king of the chorus line. No one did it better. He was a strange man. The people who worked on the lighting, sound or camera's (people behind the scene) he treated great! Take them out to lunch, invite them to parties, pal around with them. However his actors/actresses, he treated like crap, and took no nonsense from, he was very demanding with them for some reason.

@allengumm1157

4y↑25

About JG"s lip-syncing, she showed she was already a master at it when she synced to her recording of "Over the Rainbow" in "Wizard" the previous year. This La Conga number is amazing. True about the chorus being the oldest high schoolers in the country lol. I think Judy and Mickey are about the only ones who were even close to being the right age! No matter; it makes the number all the more fun,

@MaskedMan66

3y↑3

Judy was 17 or 18 at this point, so just right.

@MaskedMan66

2y↑3

Hey, the cast of Grease didn't look any younger (except for Dinah Manoff, who was 19).

@brittweasley7184

3y↑6

nothing like Judy and Mickey together!!

@Lubbylove89

4y↑25

1:43 someone give me this kid's energy.

@pattibrooks1907

4y↑11

Love Judy and Mickey ! They did a great job on all of thier movies with each other

@moboutmen

39w↑2

Love the way Mickey emulates Cab Calloway on his way out stage left. 1:44

@AnaBeatrizNobre21

4y↑15

This got me smiling through the whole video! Love Judy ❤

@gtlfb

2y↑4

Recall an interview in which Ann Rutherford said Mickey Rooney was the most multitalented person she had ever met. Could dance, sing, do drama or comedy, played a variety of instruments - even directed some parts of these backstage musicals. His career spanned 9 decades!

@MrDanamp

5y↑19

That poor chubby kid at 3:55 is concentrating SO HARD!!

@nzarzecki

4y↑3

Wendy Arrington 😂

@johnfd0210

4y↑3

No doubt they were all concentrating...can you imagine being an extra in a number like that and tripping or falling and ruining the take?

@stankimer9980

3y↑1

@@johnfd0210 actually the chubby kid was a character in the movie... I think Mickey Rooney lined him up to take his girlfriend to the dance when he knew he would be leading the band and not able to take her.

@richardgornalle4536

5y↑19

Amazing picture and sound quality. Thank you.

@rivaridge7211

2y↑1

I never saw this wonderful Garland/Rooney clip, but I immediately knew it HAD to be directed by the genius film Director, Busby Berkeley.

@greeneyedwarlock882

2y↑2

FAAAAAAANTASTIC NUMBER❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️

@d23g32

19w

Not counting time spent in sound studios recording the instrumental and vocal tracks, the La Conga dance scene took ten days, five days of rehearsals followed by five days of filming. According to the film's production logs, two of the filming days were fourteen hours long (9 am - 11-ish pm), and the others were roughly eight hours each. Rehearsals and filming of this scene took place the last week of June and the first three days of July, 1940.

@elwoodblues9613

15w

I can't choose what's better: the tight harmonies at 1:43, or the mass dance at the end. I love this clip!

@Tomy-fs9jt

5y↑17

Love this song!

@johnparker4538

4y↑6

Wow. More energy than the Large Hadron Collider! Wonderful.

@legrandeanorey3860

4y↑11

GENIAL JUDY EN UNO DE SUS NUMEROS MAS LOGRADOS JUNTO A MICKEY !! ES TAN ENTUSIASTA, TAN ALEGRE .... MARAVILLOSO !! LO VEO SIEMPRE !!

@iainrobb2076

2y↑1

Genius. Wonderful, wonderful.

@johnfd0210

4y↑10

I always like looking at the extras..the two in front at 3:37-3:45 are a great looking couple.

@falcon664

31w

I noticed them too and found your comment. The camera happens to follow him as the camera crosses, he really moves beautifully. She has a great expression and looks like she's having a ball, great moves as well. Likely why they were in the front.

@stephenfurniss8130

3y↑3

Apparently the number was filmed in one continuous take.Word got around the studio that Busby Berkeley was going to attempt this and the whole studio turned up to watch!

@boinx1234

3y↑3

Myth. You can watch it and see it's made up of numerous cuts. Also, Berkeley was a horrible taskmaster who always demanded retakes.

@stephenfurniss8130

3y↑1

Information taken from an interview with Roger Edens, the composer

@cerdas1814

2y↑1

Thanks Desi for bringing the conga to the USA!

@brittweasley7184

23w↑1

I love when her & Mickey dancing at 1:10

@RToni

13w

classic entertainment and so much better than new things

@frackstonwilson685

2y↑4

The great Judy Garland is always a delight even though her eyes in this number a somewhat frightening. She is among the greatest singers ever. She and Patsy Cline are in the same category as spell binding to listen to.

@UmutKursawe

19w

I had to pay 99 Bucks for a PAL DVD I know it's worth it! I can't wait for it to arrive!

@michaelmyers32

5y↑8

1 2 3 BOOM. I just noticed. It looks like from the beginning until about 2:48 is one take. Impressive.

@Tonyvideoguy

4y↑1

Michael Myers It is. The director, Busby Berekeley, was fond of doing that in musical numbers. He would do one continuous take for the entire song, then do cutaways for the remaining number. It also put a lot of pressure on the actors to get it perfect in one take or they would have to start all over.

@patoman881

4y↑4

I am so sorry to surprise you. She sang through every take. She wanted them to know that she was actually singing

@boinx1234

Who’s surprised? Every singer performing to playback actually sings. Otherwise, it’s too obvious that they’re lip syncing.

@hebneh

3y↑4

Just your average high school dance in the decorated gym - NOT! This video lacks a segment when Judy and Mickey did a comic bit together in the midst of the dancers, who cleared a space for them. It ended at 4:16; you can see the crowd parting and the two of them rejoining the lines of people. When I first saw this movie on TV in the 1970s, this segment was present.

@boinx1234

3y↑1

Did you read my note with the clip? I explained the cut.

@joelbilly1355

38w↑2

So pretty and tiny yet when she sang it was like she was 10ft tall

@eddieg2828

2y↑3

Mickey is on a good one lol

@PhattyMcBoomBoom

2y↑2

Mickey sure is an aggressive dancer, lol

@samueldavidrucker7514

4y↑3

Only 14,000 views - should be 14 million and we'd have a better happier country!

@boinx1234

4y↑1

There were over 100,000 views, but I deleted it and uploaded this higher quality version.

@bobbywimsy6741

4y↑1

Broadway Classics Thank you for excellent upload!!

@bobbywimsy6741

2y↑1

FDR did it in his wheelchair with Eleanor. Harry & Bess did it. Mamie & Ike, etc. Donald & wife tried it, Joe & Jill too- Joe wandered off after 3 minutes. Anyway God bless our Country!

@jamessmithe5490

3y↑2

Actually quite a good song.

@wiishopwednesdayrecords2959

2y↑2

Do I not know sh** or is this like really good cinematography for the 40’s ?

@boinx1234

2y↑1

Many films in the 1930s and 40s had excellent cinematography.

@scott12061972

2y↑1

With out Mickey Rooney this song is spectacular

@davidroe2930

2y↑3

This video cuts out the best part of the whole routine when Mickey takes over the dance floor. The director took 13 days to practice this routine and shot it in one take. Fantastic

@boinx1234

If you read my note, you would have seen that I had to cut it to meet YouTube restrictions. I also included a link to the entire number.

@silvo171

5y↑5

Tanks !!!!

@danielanguiano4635

4y↑5

4:19... all I can hear is Elmer Fudd’s car from Wabbit Twouble!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@allengumm1157

29w↑1

Was part of this number cut here? I thought Mickey and Judy did a challenge bit with one another. Oh well, it's still great as it is.

@boinx1234

29w

Did you read the note I included with the clip?

@danielvieira7437

4y↑1

Incrível!

@thewonderfulworldofderek6087

4y↑2

I love it History years Intrvew review 80th anniversary it's good movie' 1940

@achillpill9700

1y↑1

I love them so much. This screams cultural appropriation at its finest. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate this. Just times were different then.

@Fonseca429

3y↑2

Congaaaaaaa!

@mr.astronomy807

4y↑3

1930s 40s were so formal looking

@evanhughes1510

4y↑2

This is a formal scene in a movie. Wasn’t that formal in everyday life.

@thewonderfulworldofderek6087

4y↑2

Shaks good my movd

@thewonderfulworldofderek6087

4y↑2

I be back on DVD I yet you know

@boinx1234

4y↑1

But not in stereo!

@gregoryagogo

3y↑2

I uploaded this waaaaaay back in 2011 and Warner took it down.

@tidybaby3959

2y↑1

LOL its a movie with all short people because the main actors are 5ft 2" and 4ft 11"

@danielanguiano4635

4y↑3

0:10, 0:11, 0:14, 0:26, 1:00, 1:35, 1:36, 1:40, 2:02, 2:48, 2:55, 2:56, 2:57,, 3:10, 3:21, 3:55

@GarandLuvr

1y↑3

Cultures have been taking from each other since the dawn of time, why is it suddenly bad now? 🤔🤔🤔

@peachesj4748

40w

Because people don't have any scruples these days. So negative and hateful, all the time.

@daddylonglegs3978

2y↑1

I know it's supposed to be a bow in Garland's hair, but she looks more like Minnie Mouse.

@Tonyvideoguy

4y↑9

Some of these high schoolers look like they're well into their 30s!

@johnfd0210

4y↑2

I was thinking that. The blonde woman at 3:48 looks like she wandered in from one of those Warner Brothers musicals from the early 1930's.

@gregoryagogo

3y↑1

There's a part edited out, I noticed.

@boinx1234

Did you read the note I include with all my clips?

@brittweasley7184

20w

1:09-1:43 my fave

@cafeconlechegrl

4y↑5

Gloria Estefan copied Judy Garland!! La Conga!!! Hahaha!!! 😆

@jicamo66

3y↑2

Bonga 😕 “THE La Conga”. 🤦🤦🏿

@riquelmesorbete6019

3y↑1

ESTUPENDO!

@natalycabral1329

2y↑1

as a Hispanic, this ain’t the best way to represents the way we “dance” but oh well

@riquelmesorbete6019

3y↑1

Es idea mia, o los "CANADIENSES" , se "comieron" a la mitad de HOLLYWOOD?

@CALLMESIR...

44w↑1

Leave it to Berkely. He was a real pain in the ass perfectionist, but he always got what he wanted.

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