South of the Border (1939 song)
"South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" is a popular song describing a trip to Mexico, written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr and published in 1939 for the film of the same name starring country star Gene Autry.[4]
| "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Gene Autry | ||||
| B-side | "Gold Mine In Your Heart" | |||
| Released | October 13, 1939[1] | |||
| Recorded | September 11, 1939[2] | |||
| Studio | Stevens Hotel, Chicago, Illinois | |||
| Genre | Country, Country & Western | |||
| Label | Vocalion 05122 | |||
| Composer(s) | Michael Carr | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Jimmy Kennedy | |||
| Gene Autry singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm | |
| B-side | "It's All Over Town (We're Thru)" |
| Released | August 14, 1939[3] |
| Recorded | August 1, 1939 |
| Studio | New York City, New York |
| Genre | Big Band |
| Label | Bluebird B-10376 |
Background
In the lyrics, a man looks back with regret for having left a woman he can't forget. When he returns much later, she is preparing to wed, presumably to either the church or another man. In the movie, however, she has become a nun to atone for her brother's crimes.[5] Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[6]
Recordings
The song was a hit in 1939 for Shep Fields, vocal by Hal Derwin, reaching the No.1 spot for five weeks.[7] Other successful recordings in 1939 were by Guy Lombardo, Gene Autry, Ambrose (vocal by Denny Dennis) and Tony Martin.[8]
Other notable recordings
- Frank Sinatra recorded the song on April 30, 1953[9] for Capitol Records and it reached the Billboard charts with a top position of #18 in a 4-week stay.[10]
- Al Bowlly recorded May 11, 1939 (see Al Bowlly discography)
- Acker Bilk – included in the album Clarinet Moods (2002)[11]
- Asleep at the Wheel, with vocals by George Strait, for their 2015 album Still the King - Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys[12]
- Bing Crosby included in his album Bing Crosby's Treasury – The Songs I Love (1965)
- Chris Isaak for his album Baja Sessions (1996)
- Chuck Berry – for the album Chuck Berry (1975) (a few liberties taken with the lyrics)
- Dean Martin for his album Dino Latino (1962)
- Engelbert Humperdinck – for the album The Winding Road (2007)[13]
- Fats Domino included in his album Here He Comes Again! (1963)[14]
- Frankie Laine (1953)[15]
- Gale Storm – issued as a single[16] and also included in the album Gale Storm Sings (1957)[17]
- Gene Merlino – for The Simpsons episode "Kamp Krusty"
- Herb Alpert for his album South of the Border (1964)
- Keely Smith for the album Keely Sings Sinatra (2001)[18]
- Malcolm Vaughan – included in the EP Requests for Malcolm Vaughan (1960)[19]
- Marty Robbins – released in his posthumous collection Under Western Skies, released in 1995.
- Mel Tormé – included in the album ¡Olé Tormé!: Mel Tormé Goes South of the Border with Billy May (1959)
- Patsy Cline – included in her album Showcase (1961)
- Don Mclean – included in his album Prime Time (1977)
- Patti Page – recorded for her album Let's Get Away from It All (1957)[20]
- Perry Como recorded for his album We Get Letters (1957)
- Russ Conway – for his album Piano Requests (1958)[21]
- Sam Cooke – included in his Cooke's Tour album (1960)
- The Shadows – for their album Out of the Shadows (1962)
- Slim Whitman – included in the album In Love the Whitman Way (1968)[22]
- Willie Nelson – for his album What a Wonderful World (1988) and for his album Let's Face the Music and Dance (2013)
References
- 78 Record: Gene Autry - South Of The Border (Down Mexico Way) (1939), retrieved 2021-07-31
- Russell, Tony (2004). Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 84. ISBN 0195139895.
- 78 Record: Shep Fields And His Rippling Rhythm - South Of The Border (Down Mexico Way) (1939), retrieved 2021-07-31
- Soundtrack: South of the Border (1939). - IMDb.
- Frederick B. Pike, "FDR's Good Neighbor Policy: Sixty Years of Generally Gentle Chaos" (1995), University of Texas Press. P. 198.
- Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014.
- Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 157. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 583. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- "Frank Sinatra Discography". jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 394. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- South of the Border (Down Mexico Way) (feat. George Strait) on YouTube
- "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- "45worlds.com". 45worlds.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
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