| Cow-Cow Boogie | |
| Language: | English |
| Published: | 1942 |
| Lyricist: | Benny Carter Gene De Paul |
| Composer: | Don Raye |
"Cow Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay)" is a "country-boogie"-style blues song, with music was written by Don Raye, and lyrics were written by Benny Carter and Gene De Paul.[1] The song was written for the 1942 Abbott & Costello film Ride 'Em Cowboy, which included Ella Fitzgerald as a cast member, but was cut from the movie.
The song utilizes the folklore of the singing cowboy in the American West. In the lyrics, the cowboy is from the city and tells his "dogies" (motherless calves)[2] to "get hip."
The first recording was by Freddie Slack & his Orchestra, featuring vocalist Ella Mae Morse in 1942. The record was the second release by Capitol Records and their first million-seller/ number one on the charts record. Morse learned the song from hearing Fitzgerald on a soundtrack she had acquired, even though the song had been cut from the movie. Morse also recalled recording the song in a single take, which she had thought was only a rehearsal.
Haruomi Hosono recorded the song as 'Cow Cow Boogie' on the 2013 covers album Heavenly Music.[9]