G.I. Jive
| "G.I. Jive" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Johnny Mercer | |
| Released | 1943 |
| Genre | R&B |
| Songwriter | Johnny Mercer |
"G.I. Jive" is a 1943 comical song about the drudgery of military life written and originally performed by Johnny Mercer.[1] Mercer recorded the song with Paul Weston and his Orchestra on October 15, 1943 for his own Capitol Records label.[2] The song was released on Capitol 141 in December 1943 and reviewed by Billboard magazine in its December 11, 1943 issue.[3]
Background
[edit]Mercer intended to write a song that the soldiers would like,[1] and the song was the biggest hit of all the songs dealing with soldier life during World War II.[4]
Chart performance
[edit]The single was a hit twice in 1944 by two different performers: Johnny Mercer hit number one on the Harlem Hit Parade for one week and peaked at number thirteen on the pop charts.[5] Three months later, Louis Jordan also made it to number one on both the Harlem Hit Parade and the pop chart with "G.I. Jive".[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Gilliland, John (1994). Pop Chronicles the 40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s (audiobook). ISBN 978-1-55935-147-8. OCLC 31611854. Tape 1, side A.
- ^ "78 Discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved October 26, 2025.
- ^ "On the Records." Billboard, December 11, 1943, 67.
- ^ Jones, John Bush (2006). The Songs That Fought the War. Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England. p. 114. ISBN 1584654430.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 395.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 309.