Yakety Sax
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| "Yakety Sax" | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Boots Randolph | |
| B-side | "I Really Don't Want to Know" |
| Released | 1963 |
| Format | 45 rpm |
| Genre | Zydeco |
| Length | 1:59 |
| Label | Monument Records |
| Writer(s) | Spider Rich Boots Randolph |
| Producer | Fred Foster |
"Yakety Sax" is a piece of music written by James Q. "Spider" Rich and Boots Randolph and popularized by saxophonist Randolph in his 1963 recording.
The composition includes pieces of assorted fiddle tunes such as "Chicken Reel", and was written for a performance at a venue called The Armory in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Two bars of "Entrance of the Gladiators" are also worked into it.
The song is not to be confused with the Leiber and Stoller song "Yakety Yak", recorded in 1958 by The Coasters. The tunes are similar, and both feature the "yakety sax" sound, but have distinct melodies. Randolph first recorded "Yakety Sax" that year for RCA Victor, but the song did not become a hit until his re-recording for Monument Records in 1963, which reached #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
[edit] Other noteworthy performances
- Guitarist Chet Atkins recorded a variant version of "Yakety Sax" in 1965 called "Yakety Axe". Atkins' version used a similar tempo and showcased his country guitar picking style in place of a saxophone. The title change referred to the colloquial term for an electric guitar as an "axe". In 1990 he collaborated with Mark Knopfler on the album Neck and Neck where he recorded a slower-tempo version, with verses composed by Merle Travis that he recited rhythmically to the music. The original version of "Yakety Axe" was Atkins' highest charting song on Hot Country Songs, reaching number 4; it also went to number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1]
- Bill Haley & His Comets recorded "Yakety Sax" on three occasions: for Orfeón of Mexico in 1964, for Guest Star Records of the US in 1964, and for Sonet Records of Sweden in 1968. and it was a staple of their live performances, usually featuring saxophonist Rudy Pompilli.
- Sax Player Marty Maggio released on BSW Records in Early 2011.[2]
[edit] Television, film and radio
"Yakety Sax" is often used in television and film as a soundtrack for outlandishly humorous situations. It was frequently used to accompany comedic sketches in the comedy programme The Benny Hill Show,[3] where it accompanied otherwise silent, rapidly paced comedy sequences typically involving a farcical chase scene. This use of the piece, and the chase scenes themselves, have been parodied in many other movies and TV shows.
[edit] References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 34. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
- ^ ""Yes" Country". CD Baby. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/martymaggio.
- ^ "Boots Randolph, 80; versatile musician recorded `Yakety Sax’". Los Angeles Times. 4 July 2007. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jul/04/local/me-randolph4. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
