The House of Blue Lights (song) explained

The House of Blue Lights
Type:	single
Artist:	Freddie Slack with Ella Mae Morse
B-Side:	Hey Mr. Postman
Genre:	Boogie woogie
Length:	2:51
Label:	Capitol

"The House of Blue Lights" is a boogie woogie-style popular song written by Don Raye and Freddie Slack. Published in 1946, it was first recorded by Slack with singer Ella Mae Morse and Raye.

The song's intro includes a "hipster"-style spoken exchange:

"Well, whatcha say, baby? You look ready as Mr. Freddy this black. How 'bout you and me goin' spinnin' at the track?"
"What's that, homie? If you think I'm goin' dancin' on a dime, your clock is tickin' on the wrong time."
"Well, what's your pleasure, treasure? You call the plays, I'll dig the ways."
"Hey daddy-o, I'm not so crude as to drop my mood on a square from way back..."

A single review in Billboard magazine included similar hipster parlance:The single reached number eight on the Hot 100 singles chart.^[1]

Other recordings

"The House of Blue Lights" has been recorded by a variety of musical artists.

A version by the Andrews Sisters, also released in 1946, reached number 15.^[1]
In 1955, a recording by Chuck Miller for Mercury Records reached number nine on the Billboard Popular Records chart.^[2]
A cover by Asleep at the Wheel peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1987.^[3]
The Harvard Krokodiloes have long used the song as their traditional opening number at all their concerts.^[4]

Notes and References

Book: Dawson . What Was The First Rock'n'Roll Record? . Propes . Steve . 1992 . 0-571-12939-0 . 14-17 . Jim Dawson . Steve Propes.
Larkin, Colin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 1690. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
Book: Whitburn, Joel. Hot Country Songs 1944–2012. Record Research, Inc. 28. 2013. 978-0-89820-203-8.
News: Rodman . Melissa C. . March 7, 2016 . Harvard Krokodiloes Celebrate 70th Anniversary . January 5, 2024 . The Harvard Crimson.