In his youth, Prima played trumpet with Irving Fazola, his brother's band, and the pit band of the Saenger Theater. In 1933 he began his busy recording career, as part of the David Rose orchestra at station WGN, Chicago; he was also part of the small recording group The Hotcha Trio, with Rose on piano and Norman Gast on violin. In 1934 Prima moved to New York, working regularly on 52nd Street with old New Orleans friends like Eddie Miller (tenor sax and clarinet) and George Brunies (trombone), and also new acquaintances like Pee Wee Russell (clarinet). Prima's informal jazz group was known as Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang, and this band recorded prolifically for Brunswick through 1936, and then for Vocalion and Decca.
Prima's 1936 composition, "Sing Sing Sing", which he had released with the New Orleans Gang in March, 1936 as a Brunswick 78, Brunswick 7628, with "It's Been So Long" as the B side, became one of his biggest hits and one of the most covered standards of the swing era; Benny Goodman's performance of the song at Carnegie Hall with a featured performance by Gene Krupa on drums has become iconic.
Louis Prima and His Band
Prima moved to Los Angeles to headline at the Famous Door nightclub. He appeared in several Hollywood movies, including a featured performance with Bing Crosby in the 1936 film Rhythm on the Range. Prima and his Dixieland Gang continued to play club dates across the nation, including a 1939 stint at New York's Hickory House.
Big bands were big business then, and Prima apparently bowed to pressure from booking agents and formed a conventional big band in 1940. He exploited a distinctive, shuffling beat (which he called "Gleeby Rhythm"); this trademark Prima shuffle remained part of his repertoire for two decades. Prima sang most of the band vocals, with Lily Ann Carol as the "girl singer." Prima's high-powered drummer at this time was Jimmy Vincent, an energetic teenager who remained with the Prima band for many years.
In 1947 he added singer Cathy Ricciardi, who recorded under the name Cathy Allen. She was succeeded in 1949 by Keely Smith (who was to become his fourth wife), and the band concentrated on novelty songs like "Civilization (Bongo Bongo Bongo)" and "All Right, Louis, Drop the Gun." Prima's big band continued into the early 1950s, with a series of novelty recordings supervised (sometimes heavy-handedly) by record producer Mitch Miller.
Vegas years
The popularity of the big-band sound started to wane, and Prima began losing money, just as he needed it to support the pregnant Smith. Prima found work with Smith in small venues all over the East Coast. Eventually he called up his friend Bill Miller, who was then entertainment director of The Sahara nightclub and casino in Las Vegas, and asked for a job. His friend Cab Calloway warned him against the cramped Sahara lounge, but the financial pressure was too great. Prima telephoned saxophonist Sam Butera and instructed him to pick up a few musicians and go to Las Vegas in time for Prima's debut.
Prima acknowledged his new musicians for the opening-night crowd, and spontaneously asked Butera what the name of the band was. Butera ad-libbed, "The Witnesses!" From then on, Sam Butera and the Witnesses backed Prima and Smith on stage and records.
Prima and Smith worked hard throughout the 1950s, performing multiple shows a night and finishing at 6 a.m. Their efforts were rewarded with a resurgence in their popularity, and they were at least partly responsible for making the lounge at The Sahara a hotspot. On stage, Prima insisted on Smith adopting a humorless, poker-faced character that would play straight to Prima's zany ad libs. Smith actually had a fine sense of comedy that is often audible on the team's recordings; no matter how much the incorrigible Prima tried to disrupt her vocals, Smith would often come back with a funny remark of her own.
Louis Prima and Keely Smith were very much the model for Sonny & Cher: the exuberant Italian musician and the serious, exotic female singer, Smith and Cher both being of Cherokee descent (although Cher's heritage is primarily Armenian). Similarly, echoes of the stage banter between Prima and Butera would be heard years later in the early performances of the E Street Band and the interplay between Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons.
In 1959, Prima and Smith won the Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group or Chorus for "That Old Black Magic."
In 1956 the Prima ensemble performed at the Sahara Hotel and Casino to record tracks for the album The Wildest!. It was an attempt by Capitol Records to capture the essence of the Vegas act. Over the next nine years, Prima and Smith raised two children, while he made scores of records, owned racehorses, appeared on television, and even opened a golf course. They outgrew the lounge and were promoted to the big room. They appeared in a few quickie musical films, including Senior Prom and Hey Boy! Hey Girl! Prima co-produced the feature Twist All Night, in which his band also appeared.
During this whirlwind of activity, according to Smith, the couple drifted farther and farther apart. One night, he refused to conduct for one of Smith's performances, delegating to Butera instead. A few days later they were in court, petitioning for divorce.
Later years
Following the divorce, he began dating Gia Maione. Maione was a long-time fan of Prima's, was already familiar with all the arrangements to his songs, and even kept a signed photo of him in her purse. She eventually became Prima's fifth and final wife, and was with the band right up until 1975. By this point, the band was putting out a markedly different and more contemporary sound, with electric organs and synthesizers, even dabbling in progressive rock.
In 1967 Prima's distinctive voice and jazzy delivery landed him a role in Walt Disney's animated feature The Jungle Book, as the raucous orangutan King Louie. He performed the hit song "I Wanna Be Like You" on the soundtrack, leading to the recording of two albums with Phil Harris: The Jungle Book and More Jungle Book, on Disneyland Records. He can also be heard on the soundtrack of another cartoon feature, The Man Called Flintstone.
He suffered a mild heart attack in 1973. In 1975, following headaches and episodes of memory loss, Louis Prima sought medical attention, and found out he had a stem brain tumor. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and went into a coma following surgery to remove the tumor. He never recovered, and died three years later, having been moved back to New Orleans. He was buried in Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans; his gray marble crypt is topped by a figure of Gabriel, the trumpeter-angel. The inscription on the crypt's door quote the lyrics from one of his hits: "When the end comes, I know, they'll all say 'just a gigolo' as life goes on without me. Lovingly, your little family..."
I Wan'na Be Like You
Louis Prima Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, the jungle VIP
I've reached the top and had to stop
And that's what botherin' me
I wanna be a man, mancub
And stroll right into town
And be just like the other men
I'm tired of monkeyin' around!
Oh, oobee doo
I wanna be like you
I wanna walk like you
Talk like you, too
You'll see it's true
An ape like me
Can learn to be humen too
Gee, cousin Louie
You're doin' real good
Now here's your part of the deal, 'cause
Lay the secret on me of man's red fire
But I don't know how to make fire
Now don't try to kid me, mancub
I made a deal with you
What I desire is man's red fire
To make my dream come true
Now give me the secret, mancub
Come on, clue me what to do
Give me the power of man's red flower
So I can be like you
You!
I wanna be like you
I wanna walk like you
Talk like you, too
You'll see it's true
Someone like me
Can learn to be
Like someone like me
Can learn to be
Like someone like you
Can learn to be
Like someone like me!
The song "I Wan'na Be Like You" is sung by King Louie to Mowgli, the young boy who was raised by wolves in the Disney classic, The Jungle Book. The song is all about King Louie's desire to be like humans and learn their secrets, particularly the ability to make fire or "man's red flower." The song starts with King Louie boasting about his position as the king of the jungle and the jungle VIP. However, he admits that he is not satisfied with his current situation and wants to be a mancub and live among humans.
One interesting aspect of the song is how it really captures the atmosphere of longing for something you cannot have. King Louie wants so badly to be like humans that he is willing to make a deal with Mowgli and begs him for the secret of how to make fire. In many ways, this song reflects the broader theme of The Jungle Book, which is the struggle between one's animalistic nature and acquiring traits of "civilized" humans.
Another interesting aspect is the character of King Louie himself. Although he is not present in the original book, he is a popular character in the Disney adaptation, probably due in large part to this song. The song is a perfect showcase for the character, as it is both fun and catchy. It also helps that Louis Prima, the singer who lent his voice to King Louie, was a renowned jazz musician, known for his upbeat, energetic style.
Overall, "I Wan'na Be Like You" is a fun and memorable song that captures some of the key themes of The Jungle Book. It is a great example of the power of music to capture the essence of a story and its characters.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I'm the king of the swingers
I am at the top of my game
Oh, the jungle VIP
I possess unique qualities that put me above the rest
I've reached the top and had to stop
I achieved my goal and don't know what to do next
And that's what botherin' me
I am troubled by my lack of direction
I wanna be a man, mancub
I want to be human
And stroll right into town
I want to fit in with society
And be just like the other men
I want to be accepted by humans
I'm tired of monkeyin' around!
I am done with my wild and unfocused behavior
Oh, oobee doo
I'm feeling optimistic
I wanna be like you
I want to be like a human
I wanna walk like you
I want to move like a human
Talk like you, too
I want to communicate like a human
You'll see it's true
It is possible
An ape like me
I am an ape
Can learn to be humen too
I can learn to be human too
Gee, cousin Louie
Wow, cousin Louie
You're doin' real good
You are doing great
Now here's your part of the deal, 'cause
This is your end of the bargain
Lay the secret on me of man's red fire
Tell me the secret of how to make fire
But I don't know how to make fire
I don't know how to make fire
Now don't try to kid me, mancub
Don't deceive me, human
I made a deal with you
We made an agreement
What I desire is man's red fire
I want to make fire
To make my dream come true
So I can become human like you
Now give me the secret, mancub
Give me the secret, human
Come on, clue me what to do
Tell me what I need to do
Give me the power of man's red flower
Give me the ability to make fire
So I can be like you
So I can become human like you
You!
You (referring to the human)
Someone like me
An ape like me
Can learn to be
Can become
Like someone like me
Like an ape like me
Can learn to be
Can become
Like someone like you
Like a human like you
Can learn to be
Can become
Like someone like me!
Like an ape like me!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind