Yakety Sax
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| "Yakety Sax" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Boots Randolph | ||
| Released | 1961 | |
| Format | 45 rpm | |
| Genre | Blues | |
| Length | 4:32 | |
"Yakety Sax" is a 1961 45 rpm single record by saxophonist Boots Randolph.
Guitarist Chet Atkins recorded a variant version of "Yakety Sax" in the mid-1960s called "Yakety Axe." Atkins' version utilized a slower tempo and showcased his country guitar picking style in place of a saxaphone. Bill Haley & His Comets recorded covers on at least two occasions and it was a staple of their live performances, usually performed by sax player Rudy Pompilli.
The recording has achieved popularity as the soundtrack to filmed comedy. It is probably best known for its frequent use the sketch comedy program, The Benny Hill Show, to accompany otherwise silent, rapidly paced comedy bits (frequently involving a chase scene).
This piece of music should not be confused with the Lieber and Stoller song "Yakety Yak", recorded in 1958 by The Coasters. The tunes are similar, and both feature the "yakety sax" sound, but are distinctly different melodies.
[edit] Other noteworthy performances
- Glen Campbell once performed "Yakety Axe" on The Tonight Show, with his guitar held behind his head.[citation needed]
- An electronic version (entitled "Yakety Moog") was recorded on the album Switched On Nashville by Gil Trythall.
- The main sax melody is featured as the bass line in the Phish song "It's Ice".[citation needed]
[edit] In popular culture
Yakety Sax is often utilized in popular culture as a soundtrack to humorous situations. It is frequently used to accompany comedic chases.
- This music was used in the film V for Vendetta during the "Deitrich Half-Hour" show.
- It was used in the opening title of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart of the "Afrospanicindioasianization" special episode. It made a second Daily Show appearance on September 14, 2006, when correspondent John Oliver introduced it as "a secret song that makes things go faster".
- This music has been used twice on The Simpsons'. Once on "Treehouse of Horror XIV", as well as during a Benny Hill spoof in the season 14 episode, "A Star is Born-Again."
- The music is played by the Bill Clinton parody in 2001: A Space Travesty.
- In the eighth-season South Park episode "Quest for Ratings", it was played in the fictitious TV shows "Close Up Animals With a Wide Angle Lens" and "Close Up Animals With a Wide Angle Lens Wearing Hats".
- A similar sounding tune, obviously a reference to Benny Hill, was played on The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron in the episode Who Framed Jimmy?, as a bear chased the title character and his friends through a forest, in a speeded-up manner similar to that of The Benny Hill Show.
