Leroy Anderson: The Classical Jukebox (1950)

I remember the jukebox in Tony’s Italian café in the Scottish village I was brought up in. In the past I have been in a pub or club where the nickelodeons were in use. I always enjoyed watching the mechanism load the 45rpm platter onto the turntable.

The heyday of the jukebox was the late 1940s when they played swing and early rock records in dinersand transport cafes. Both in America and here in the UK they became “cultural icons” promoting the post-war lifestyle.

In 1950, the American singer Teresa Brewer (1931-2007) had a major hit with the song Music! Music! Music! This can be heard on YouTube, here.

Leroy Anderson was so impressed with this song that he used it as the “theme” for his A Classical Jukebox. The clever thing was that he took the tune and wrote parodies of famous classical tunes. Opening with a hat tip to Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser, followed by pastiche of Delibes’ ballets and Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2. At one point the needle in the jukebox gets stuck with a short phrase being repeated several times. This humorous touch would have been a common experience for customers back in the day before CDs and streaming.

Anderson’s A Classical Jukebox was first recorded on 19 June 1950 by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1950. It was issued on by RCA Victor on 10-3044 and was coupled with Syncopated Clock.

A later recording by Fiedler and the 'Pops' can be heard on YouTube, here.