Yakety Sax
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2009) |
| "Yakety Sax" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "I Really Don't Want to Know" |
"Yakety Sax" is a 1963 45 rpm single written by Boots Randolph and James Q. "Spider" Rich, and recorded by Boots Randolph.
The composition includes pieces of assorted fiddle tunes such as "Chicken Reel", and written for a performance at a venue called The Armory in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. There is also a bar of "Entrance of the Gladiators" 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 distinctly different melodies. Randolph had recorded an earlier version of "Yakety Sax" that year for RCA Victor, but it was not until his rerecording for Monument Records that it became a standard.
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 that he recited rhythmically to the music.
- Bill Haley & His Comets recorded "Yakety Sax" on at least two occasions,[citation needed] and it was a staple of their live performances,[citation needed] usually featuring saxophonist Rudy Pompilli
- An electronic version (titled "Yakety Moog") was recorded on the album Switched On Nashville by Gil Trythall.
- Played repeatedly on The Jim Rome Show[citation needed]
Television and film
"Yakety Sax" is often used in television and film as a soundtrack for outlandishly humorous situations. It is frequently used to accompany comedic chases, most notably in the sketch comedy program The Benny Hill Show,[1] where it accompanied otherwise silent, rapidly paced comedy sequences (often involving a chase scene).
The song is featured in the 2005 film V for Vendetta, playing during a TV comedy skit Gordon Dietrich writes without censor approval[2]. The song is also used in the 1987 comedy film Rags to Riches with Joseph Bologna and Douglas Seale. Also, a variation of the theme was used in an episode at Back at the Barnyard[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Boots Randolph, 80; versatile musician recorded `Yakety Sax'". 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
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