Temptation (Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed song) explained
"Temptation" is a popular song published in 1933, with music written by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed.
Bing Crosby recording
The song was introduced by Bing Crosby in the 1933 film Going Hollywood. Crosby recorded the song with Lennie Hayton's orchestra on October 22, 1933,[2] and it reached the No. 3 spot in the charts of the day during a 12-week stay.[3] He recorded it again with John Scott Trotter's Orchestra on March 3, 1945[4] and also for his 1954 album .
Other notable recordings
- Other popular versions of the song have been recorded by Ferde Grofé & His Orchestra with vocal refrain by Al Dary on November 21, 1933, Artie Shaw and his orchestra on September 7, 1940, Perry Como in 1945,[5] and by Mario Lanza on 29 November 1951 at Radio Recorders and subsequently released by RCA in January 1952. A British cover version by Steve Conway was released in 1946.[6]
- A parody version, entitled "Tim-tay-shun", was recorded in a country music style by Red Ingle with a vocal by "Cinderella G. Stump" (actually a pseudonym for Jo Stafford) in 1947 and this topped the US charts.[7] [8]
- African-American crooner Billy Eckstine recorded his version December 30, 1947. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Most-Played Juke Box Race Records chart.[9]
- The Everly Brothers' version (b/w "Stick With Me Baby", Warner Bros. Records WB5220), released in May 1961, reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart. This version also peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.[10]
Other performances in popular culture
- The song was used in the film Singin' in the Rain (1952) and later in the 1983 musical based on the film.
- The song is also prominently featured in Valerio Zurlini's Violent Summer (1959).
- An interpretation was featured in the first episode of The Muppet Show, with Miss Piggy, four chickens, four frogs, and two male pigs being led by Kermit the Frog in the Muppet Glee Club, Miss Piggy sang a solo in the third verse until the end, her voice being performed by Richard Hunt instead of Frank Oz, her then-regular performer.
- An arrangement is regularly played by University of Michigan athletic bands during events. The song is featured regularly by the marching band during home football games when it is routinely performed following a defensive play that forces an opponent to face 4th down. The Michigan Marching Band often performs the song as part of their postgame concert where it is paired with the "Hawaiian War Chant" because, "You can't have one without the other".
Bibliography
- Who Wrote that Song Dick Jacobs & Harriet Jacobs, published by Writer's Digest Books, 1993
Notes and References
- Book: Rice
, Jo
. 1982. The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits. 1st. Guinness Superlatives Ltd . Enfield, Middlesex. 58. 0-85112-250-7.
- Web site: A Bing Crosby Discography. BING magazine. International Club Crosby. April 19, 2017.
- Book: Whitburn. Joel. Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. 1986. Record Research Inc. Wisconsin, USA. 0-89820-083-0. 104.
- Web site: A Bing Crosby Discography. BING magazine. International Club Crosby. April 19, 2017.
- Web site: Gilliland, John. . Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #16 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library . Digital.library.unt.edu . 197X . 2021-01-26.
- News: August 1946. The Gramophone.
- Book: Whitburn. Joel. Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. 1986. Record Research Inc. Wisconsin, USA. 0-89820-083-0. 222.
- Web site: Gilliland, John. . Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #20 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library . Digital.library.unt.edu . 197X . 2021-02-06.
- Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 181.
- Book: Whitburn, Joel . The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition . Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 214.
