Songs I Like - Jack and Jill (Louis Jordan)

"Once a lion escaped from the circus train, he strayed in Jack and Jill's domain,
just then they got in a towerin' rage, the lion took one look and jumped back in his cage."

Louis Jordan is the best, most famous singer and songwriter you may have never heard of. He was a black entertainer in the early 20th century, the first major black movie star (in early black cinema), and the writer of almost 50 hit songs. His music gets covered occasionally by other people, such as Jump, Jive, and Wail recently a hit for the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. In 1949 he re-released an earlier hit Jack and Jill as Pettin' and Pokin' as part of a movie Five Guys Named Moe (also a song, his 1943 #3 hit). This time instead of just Louis Jordan it was a band singing, with a chorus and various interjections.

I prefer the original version, with Louis Jordan at his fast-talking best, ripping out lyrics with clarity and crisp perfection that was a signature style for him. Louis Jordan's songs were often hilarious and sometimes a bit risque, for the time. He is credited with popularizing the term "chick" to refer to women, and while he wrote almost everything he sang, he did not earn much on these songs. If you've never heard any Louis Jordan, get some and listen - his works are instant classics you'll be humming and smiling at immediately.

Anyone who has watched Cops or been a police officer is familiar with the situation Jordan satirizes here, a couple that seems to constantly be fighting and tearing the place up but are totally in love and alternate raging battles with loving caresses. I picked this out of a good 20 possible songs I like of his, imagine the words sung clearly at about three words a second.

I'm gonna tell you a story about Jack and Jill,
and I don't mean the couple that went up the hill,
I mean a couple of lovers that live next door,
they're always battlin'
and I'm just tryin' to keep score.

They keep a pettin' and pokin' and jabbin' and jokin'
and coolin' and crackin' and wooin' and whackin'
and neckin' and knockin' and and singin' and sockin'
squawkin' and squeezin' burnin' and freezin'.

He holds her hand for as long as he's able,
but when he let's go she bops him with the table.
A pattin' and a pinchin'
and clobberin' and clinchin'
they enjoying themselves, having a good time.

Now Rev'rend Green thought he'd call one day,
on those nice newly-weds across the way,
but just as the pastor knocked on the door,
a straight right connected him and he hit the floor.

They were pittin' and poppin'
they were bangin' and boppin' coolin' and kissin'
they were hittin' and missin'
groovin' and grievin' and lovin' and leavin'
kickin' and cracklin' and ticklin' and and tacklin'
They were havin' a time

Once a lion escaped from the circus train,
he strayed in Jack and Jill's domain,
just then they got in a towerin' rage,
the lion took one look and jumped back in his cage.

Swattin' and swingin' and plottin' and playin',
stompin' and stampin' and groovin' and grabbin',
they kept dancin' and duckin', trippin' and truckin',
plottin' and pleadin' and bangin' and bleedin'.

Well ma Momma said, I'll go right in there and fetch her,
bit lord Momma came out ridin' on a stretcher,
feintin' and foldin' hittin' and holdin',
they were in love, havin' a good time.

Ain't love grand?

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