Jump, Jive an' Wail - Brian Setzer Orchestra
Song Lyrics, Artist Information, Chart History

  • Originally written and performed in 1939 by jazz trumpeter, composer, & bandleader Louis Prima (born 12/7/11 in New Orleans, died 8/24/78 at the age of 66 after spending three years in a coma following brain surgery to remove a tumor)
  • As a Big Band  leader and trumpet player, Prima wrote or recorded some of the biggest hits of the big band era
  • Although Benny Goodman had been dubbed "The King of Swing", the song that made him famous, called "Sing Sing Sing" was written by Louis Prima
  • The original title of the song was "Jump Jive N Then You Wail"
  • The song was recorded by Prima a number of times, including a version in 1958 with his then wife Keely Smith
  • In 1998 the song was covered and included on the Brian Setzer Orchestra's third album, "The Dirty Boogie"
  • Although the song received a lot of airplay, it never cracked the Top 40
  • Formed in 1992, The Brian Setzer Orchestra (BSO) helped bring about a resurgence during the 1990s in the popularity of swing music
  • Setzer was instrumental (no pun intended) in the renewed popularity of Rockabilly music following his tenure as leader and front man for the band Stray Cats during the 1980s
  • The BSO cover of Jump, Jive an' Wail won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
  • For an interesting article on the swing resurgence of the late 90s check out this article by Eric Fenton as published in the National Review
  • The song has also been covered by Mark Chesnutt

Other songs by Louis Prima also performed by Oracle Band:


An excerpt from a live Oracle Band performance of this song is available as both a streaming RealAudio format, or as a higher quality downloadable MP3.  Select the version you'd prefer.

Streaming RealAudio

Download MP3


Purchase The Dirty Boogie from Amazon.com, featuring these great tracks:

* Jump Jive & Wail
* Rock This Town
* You're The Boss (Feat Gwen Stefani)
...Plus 10 more!

Jump, Jive, and Wail - Song Lyrics

Baby, baby it looks like it's gonna hail
Baby, baby it' looks like it's gonna hail
You better come inside
Let me teach you how to jive and wail

You gotta jump, jive, and then you wail
You gotta jump, jive, and then you wail
You gotta jump, jive, and then you wail
You gotta jump, jive, and then you wail
You gotta jump, jive, and then you wail away!

Papa's in the icebox lookin' for a can of ale
Papa's in the icebox lookin' for a can of ale
Mama's in the backyard learning how to jive and wail

(chorus)

A woman is a woman and a man ain't nothin' but a male
A woman is a woman and a man ain't nothin' but a male
One good thing about him
He knows how to jive and wail

Jack and Jill went up the hill to get a pail
Jack and Jill went up the hill to get a pail
Jill stayed up, she wants to learn how to jive and wail

(chorus)


Note that the lyrics posted here are those as interpreted and performed by The Oracle Band. In a few cases we have taken some liberties with the lyrics to make them more appropriate for tasteful gatherings. Their use here is intended as an aid for people in selecting music for their wedding reception or private party, and may not be reproduced for any commercial, for-profit use.

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