Talk:Chattanooga Choo Choo

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Reference for the gold record date?[edit]

Is there a reference to certify the date for the Gold Record status of this song? In a quick Google this morning, I've seen conflicting notations for this event listing both 1941 and 1942. The RIAA doesn't list it because it's 16-17 years before the organization started sponsoring the Gold Record award. slambo 14:55, Feb 4, 2005 (UTC)

Seemingly Conflicting Information[edit]

In the main article "Chattanooga Choo Choo" it is stated near the end that "... and it should be further noted that it has never been possible to travel from New York to Chattanooga without changing trains at least twice."

Later in the section titled "Legacy" I noted the statement that "... but there were at least three other Southern Railway trains that ran through Chattanooga direct to Washington and on to New York without changing trains."

Unless New York City collected all these trains, it seems that there should have been a return trip available in like manner. Facetiousness aside, this is not absolutely necessary to have a return trip in like manner, but it seems likely that if a railroad saw a need for no-change service from Miami to New York, there would be a profitable need for a trip in the reverse direction. Can anyone enlighten me? 24.51.88.250 16:04, 11 February 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Split into two articles[edit]

There are two subjects in this article: 1) the song and 2) the train station Chattanooga Terminal Station. In fact the train station redirects here. It's confusing. Logically, there should be two separate articles, one for the song, and the other for the station. Einbierbitte 22:56, 21 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

AGREE — Wow. Confusing doesn't adequately cover it, but yeah, it should at least be two articles as you have said, Einbierbitte. Do we have a Chattanoogan (or anyone equally knowledgeable of the subject/s) ready and willing to take the task? — ArkansasTraveler 21:21, 2 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

People here to read about the song should be able to get a digest about the train station without having to follow a link to another article.Jkolak (talk) 06:52, 6 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose. The train station and the song share the emotional iconography of 20th century steam railroading. Facts about the song and about the train station form an intertwined narrative with each other. The article itself is not too long (if it were longer this observer's reaction to this proposal would be different). At this length, to split up this article into two or more pieces smacks to this observer of pedantry. Bigturtle (talk) 18:49, 10 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Oppose. The information about the station adds interesting details to the article, and at the moment, there is not enough information to justify having a separate article for the station. Also, the song is more famous than the station itself, so a disambiguation page would not be necessary. Oldiesmann (talk) 17:48, 24 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Song in popular culture[edit]

In Family Guy, during one episode, Peter and Lois go to a KISS concert where Lois embarrasses Gene to the point where he and (I believe, but I might be wrong) Paul Stanley leave the stage, leaving Ace Frehley and Peter Criss to sing and do the dance. - NemFX (talk) 05:00, 5 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Interesting, but hardly notable enough for this article. Slambo (Speak) 11:30, 5 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps slightly more notable is the spoof of the song's opening lyrics in Young Frankenstein Nsayer (talk) 03:12, 26 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Movie[edit]

No mention of Chattanooga Choo Choo (1984)? - Keith D. Tyler ¶ 00:30, 25 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Movie BIG with Tom Hanks 1988, sung by mother while she's cleaning

Similarity[edit]

if you listen to "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and then "Take the A Train" there seems to be considerable similarity in the chorus/riff of both songs

Cover Version I believe that there was a disco version of this song by Tuxedo Junction. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.97.38.1 (talk) 03:15, 15 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Compare With "Take the 'A' Train"[edit]

On viewing "The Glenn Miller Story" on my local cable channel, having seen it for the first time, ever, last week (I was never, ever interested in the late Mr. Miller's work, as I've found his compositions to be not so much Jazz as popular composition passing as Jazz), I wasn't aware until now that the lyrics of "Chattanooga CHoo Choo" were obviously racist\ Jim Crow references. Of what little I discerned, I thought the utterances were "Pardon me, B-O-Y-S,\...is it right down the line, oh, won't you give me the time?" (As I said totally disinterested in Mr. Miller, unless I heard his works in passing.) Obviously, Mr. Mr. Miller was also an opportunist, in that, after he made his breakthrough composition "Moonlight Serenade", he sweated to sustain his popularity. One sure way to do this was by currying favor with the racist white majority, especially in the South. Whenever Blacks in the U.S. came up with an innovation in entertainment, White, hostile and jealous of these, frantically sought out a "Great White Hope" who could hopefully trump the Negro at his own talent by mimicking him (no easy task, as many white band-leaders resorted to theft-as in the case of Paul Whitehead-where they were shown to not have had any great writing or arranging acumen; to say nothing of improvisational talent). I do believe that Miller was also sensitive to the fact that he might have been perceived as a "white negro", playing, and cavorting with blacks (E. Presley had the same concerns, ergo his hostile statements against the very peoples' music and culture he mimicked). As I said before, Miller was not a Jazz composer. Another question arises that I wish others would start a discussion. Was Miller's adoption of "Chattanooga ChooChoo" a racist response to Billy Strayhorn and Duke Elligton's "Take the 'A' Train"? Of course, in the latter's lyrics, the compo was a homage to the popularity of Harlem, New York City, so I surmised that "Choo Choo" was a 'response song' to the former. The 'response song' was a staple of African American music in Jazz and, more prominently, Rhythm and Blues. One last observation: Though Miller's "Choo Choo" was awarded top honors among the ASCP's rating system. I see no corresponding recording for Ellington's "A' Train". Why is this? --69.119.72.13 (talk) 07:48, 5 February 2012 (UTC)Veryverser — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.207.8.123 (talk)

Alleged racist tone of song[edit]

Pardon me boy - the term "boy" in that era was a racist term for any black male irrespective of his age, and the theme continues "give me a shine" - embodying the term "shine boy" another term for the typically menial job permitted to the blacks at that time. The term "boy" was also used to refer to people who shined shoes in a railway station (or elsewhere), some of whom were even Caucasian. The song is excellent and its content serves as a reminder of the the way society was at that time and what was accepted a "normal" by many people. This should be remembered when reading writing by Raymond Chandler and John Steinbeck [both excellent] whose work embodies what was accepted back then. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.12.207.35 (talk) 19:09, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As you say, this was normal dialogue in 1941. I don't think the article needs left-wing sub-titles. You might as well re-edit classic plays where someone shouts "Off with his head!" Valetude (talk) 00:42, 20 January 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, this was the lingua franca circa 1940's when overt racism was the norm in the United States. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.115.148.66 (talk) 14:35, 14 January 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Lyrics[edit]

The MetroLyrics version has errors. A better version is at http://lyrics.wikia.com/Glenn_Miller:Chattanooga_Choo_Choo

but I do not know what is allowed for links to this type of site, so I will leave it up to more knowledgeable people. At the very least you should add a notice that the lyrics at the link have errors. If you regularly look for lyrics on the internet then you probably already know they are replete with errors of all sorts.

Personnel listing[edit]

The article currently states:

The personnel on the May 7, 1941, original recording by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra in Hollywood on RCA Bluebird were Tex Beneke, Paula Kelly, The Modernaires (vo), Billy May, John Best, Ray Anthony, R.D. McMickle (tp), Glenn Miller, Jim Priddy, Paul Tanner, Frank D'Annolfo (tb), Hal McIntyre, Wilbur Schwartz (cl, as), Tex Benneke, Al Klink (ts), Ernest Caceres (bar), J.C. McGregor (p), Jack Lathrop (g), Trigger Alpert (sb), and Maurice Purtill (dm).

The abbreviations in parentheses are not all easy to recognize. I recommend that they be spelled out per Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Abbreviations. --Metropolitan90 (talk) 13:01, 2 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Track 29[edit]

In the film "The Prince of Tides" Streisand picks up Nolte at a track 29. Has it been the right station?----130.83.152.165 (talk) 17:24, 2 February 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Ray Charles' version[edit]

I'm wondering if the Ray Charles' version be mentioned as prominent? It specifically adds the introductory lyric ...

Hey there, pal, whatcha say?

Step aside partner, it's my day

Bend an ear and listen to my version

(Of a really solid, Tennessee excursion)

... if only to draw attention to the "hip" 1960 style, and meta lyric bend an ear and listen to my version. WayneMcA (talk) 01:42, 29 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]