Jeepers Creepers (song)
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"Jeepers Creepers" is a popular 1938 song and jazz standard. The music was written by Harry Warren and the lyrics by Johnny Mercer, for the movie Going Places. It was premiered by Louis Armstrong, and has since been covered by dozens of other artists.[1]
The lyrics of the song begin:
"Jeepers Creepers, where'd you get those peepers?
Jeepers Creepers, where'd you get those eyes?"
[edit] Overview
This song was featured in the 1938 film Going Places starring Richard Powell, Anita Louise, Louis Armstrong, and Ronald Reagan. Louis Armstrong plays the part of Gabriel, the trainer of a race horse named Jeepers Creepers. Jeepers Creepers is a very wild horse and can only be soothed enough to let someone ride him when Gabriel plays the song "Jeepers Creepers" on his trumpet or sings it to him. Louis Armstrong's character, Gabriel, had written the song specifically for the horse, Jeepers Creepers, in this comedy.
[edit] Other notable uses of the song
- This song is featured in the 1939 Warner Bros. cartoon by the same name. In this cartoon, Porky Pig investigates a haunted house inhabited by a mischievous ghost that sings this song.
- In the 1941 Cartoon Notes to You, a Cat Sings This song which annoys Porky Pig.
- In the 1942 film, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Jeepers Creepers is sung by a group of kids who pass by the house of George M. Cohan (played by James Cagney).
- In the 1975 movie The Day of the Locust, the character Faye Greener (Karen Black) sings the song whenever she wants to disturb her father.
- In 1988,"Peek-a-Boo", the first single from Siouxsie & the Banshees's ninth studio album Peepshow, was found to be too similar to the lyrics of "Jeepers Creepers". To remedy the situation and to avoid legal action, Siouxsie & the Banshees gave co-songwriting credit on "Peek-a-Boo" to Warren and Mercer.
- In 1996, The HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show produced a song of the same title with Jack Black as lead, during the second episode of the third season.
- The song was featured prominently during the 2001 horror movie Jeepers Creepers (released by United Artists, which at one point held the rights to Going Places).
- A recording of the song was made by The Puppini Sisters on their 2006 debut album Betcha Bottom Dollar.
[edit] References
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