The Andrews Sisters Rum and Coca-Cola Music Video Music Video Title: "Rum & Coca Cola" by the Andrews Sisters with Glenn Miller & His Orchestra View More The Andrews Sisters Music Videos
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The Andrews Sisters Rum and Coca-Cola Lyrics Information:
IF YOU DON'T SEE THE GREEN FOOTNOTE REFERENCE NUMBERS IN THE TEXT ABOVE
TRY GOING TO THE PREVIOUS VERSION BY CLICKING ON THE LINK "SEE OTHER
VERSIONS" IN THE ORANGE BOX ABOVE. ALSO SOMETIMES THE LYRICS ON PREVIOUS
VERSIONS ARE MORE CORRECT THAN THE ONES DISPLAYED BY GRACENOTE AS THE
CURRENT VERSION.
RUM & COCA COLA7a
Written by: Morey Amsterdam, Paul Baron & Jeri Sullivan 7b
Performed by: The Andrews Sisters with Glenn Miller & His Orchestra 89
First released: 10
Single: 1944
Album: 1976 11
1 Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago,
although some experts think that before Trinidad and Tobago the artform goes back to
the medieval French troubadours.
2 Point Koomahnah is an isthmus on the southeast end of the island of Trinidad.
3 Chicachicaree is a location of a very small island just off the northwest end of Trinidad.
The more recent spelling of the name is Chacachacare (per Google Maps).
4 Mona's Isle very small island off the northwest coast of Puerto Rico, and about 6 miles
(5.5 kilometers) north of the northwest coast of Trinidad.
5 Der Bingle is a common nick name for the American singer, Bing Crosby.
6 Manzanella Beach is beach on the eastern coast of Trinidad.
7a Occasionally you will see "Rum & Coca Cola" spelled "Rhum & Coca Cola." This is largely
due to the album, Amor Amor, released in 2004 by the French-American singer, Arielle Dombasle.
On that album the name of the song is spelled with the final "h." However, also in 2004,
a compilation by the Andrews Sisters that was named Rhum & Coca Cola was released in the
French market by Sony Music Media.
7b Originally the music was composed and published by Trinidadian composer, Lionel Belasco,
for a song titled "L'Année Passée," which was in turn based on a folksong from the island of
Martinique in the West Indies. The original lyrics were written by Rupert Grant, another
calypso musician from Trinidad, who went by the stage name of Lord Invader. It was
copyrighted in the United States by entertainer Morey Amsterdam, an American comedian, actor
and song & dance man, and became a huge hit in 1945 for the Andrews Sisters, spending ten
weeks at the top of Billboard's U.S. chart. The credits for music and lyrics were restored
to Belasco and Grant in a plagiarism lawsuit.
The song came to the attention of Morey Amsterdam, when he visited the island of Martinique in
September 1943 as part of a U.S.O. tour. Although he subsequently claimed never to have heard
the song during the month he spent on the island, the lyrics to his version are clearly based
on the Rupert Grant version, with the music and chorus being virtually identical. However,
Amsterdam's version strips the song of its social commentary. Grant's version laments that U.S.
soldiers are debauching local women, who "saw that the Yankees treat them nice / and they give
them a better price." Its final stanza describes a newlywed couple whose marriage is ruined
when "the bride run away with a soldier lad / and the stupid husband went staring mad."
The Amsterdam version also hints that women are prostituting themselves, preserving the Lord
Invader chorus which says, "Both mother and daughter / Working for the Yankee dollar."
The Andrews Sisters seem to have given little thought to the meaning of the lyrics. According
to Patty Andrews, "We had a recording date, and the song was brought to us the night before the
recording date. We hardly really knew it, and when we went in we had some extra time...so we
just kind of faked it." Years later, Maxine Andrews recalled, "The rhythm was what attracted
the Andrews Sisters to "Rum and Coca-Cola." We never thought of the lyric...it was cute, but
we didn't think of what it meant; but at that time, nobody else would think of it either,
because we weren't as morally open as we are today and so, a lot of stuff - really, no
excuses - just went over our heads." Despite its popularity in the United States, it was
controversial and was banned by network radio stations because it was suggestive, mentioned
an alcoholic beverage and Coca Cola was mentioned by name, meaning they didn't want to give
Coke free advertising.
8 On this recording:
Patty Andrews (lead vocals)
Maxene Andrews (high harmony)
LaVerne Andrews (low harmony)
9 Covered by:
Calypso Rose
The Chenille Sisters
Xavier Cugat
Roberto Delgado
Bill Harris
Hello Sailor
Johnny Kemp
James Last & His Orchestra
Tony Martinez
Vaughn Monroe
Nã Leo Pilimehana
Louis Prima & His Orchestra
Professor Longhair
Sonia Santana
Jeri Sullivan
Swing Sister
USA Canteen
Vocal-Ease & the Boogie Men
Simon Zenther
et al.
10 Released on: *
SINGLE(s):
(1)The Andrews Sisters:
A-side: "Rum & Coca Cola"
B-side: "One Meatball"
(a) Decca, 10-Inch, Vinyl, 78rpm Single, #18636, US-1944.
* The album(s) and record(s) listed here may have different versions of the song than the one
that was transcribed. Also, this list is not intended to be the complete discography on which
this song appears.
11 There may be earlier issues that contain this song, but I haven't been able to find written
documentation of them.
12 Transcribed from the track on this album.
Use this code to link to lyrics Rum and Coca-Cola The Andrews Sisters Rum and Coca-Cola Lyrics (more examples)
