Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, which tells the story of a trumpeter who is drafted into the army during World War II and brings some swing to the troops with his jazzed-up version of reveille, is one of the most recognizable tunes from the swing-era and is ranked as #6 on the RIAA's Songs Of The Century. The song was written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince and was actually recorded nearly a year before the United States entered World War II. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy has been recorded by many different performers over the years, but by far the most popular and well-known version is that of the Andrews Sisters. Click the image below to download it from iTunes...

Here is a very enjoyable video of lindy hoppers at the Sydney Jitterbug Championships in Sydney, Australia performing to the Andrews Sisters version. I love the musicality of the he-goes-she-goes turn at 01:00 as well as the slap and coquettish strutting at 01:22...

There are other versions as well, such as the one by former Benny Goodman drummer, Gene Krupa:

There is also a classic Walter Lance cartoon based on the song, which if you ignore the racial stereotyping, is quite funny and has some terrific jazz trumpet improvisation...