Buffalo Gals

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"Buffalo Gals" is a traditional American song, written down and published as "Lubly Fan" in 1844 by the blackface minstrel John Hodges, who performed as "Cool White". It was widely popular throughout the United States, and minstrels altered the lyrics to suit the local audience, so it might be performed as "New York Gals" or "Boston Gals". Thus the best-known version is named after Buffalo, New York, rather than the buffalo herd animal; it is also unrelated to the Buffalo Soldier.

The chorus:

Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight?

Come out tonight, Come out tonight?

Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight,

And dance by the light of the moon.

The English singing game "Pray, Pretty Miss" may have been an inspiration for the lyric, according to Frank Brown in Collection of North Carolina Folklore. The tune is remminiscent of "Im Grunewald, im Grunewald ist Holzauktion", a music hall song from Germany.

A 1944 recording titled "Dance with Dolly" became a hit in the United States.

A 1960 hit by Ray Smith, "Rockin' Little Angel" is based on the same melody.

A different song by the same name, juxtaposing extensive scratching with calls from square dancing, was released by Malcolm McLaren on his 1983 album Duck Rock.

[edit] Cinema and Television

• A recording of the song is played in the classic Christmas movie It's a Wonderful Life.
• The song is featured, as "New Orleans Woman," in the 131st episode, "Thunder Man," of the TV series Bonanza.
• The last line from the song is sung by a man and a woman in the production logo for the Bedford Falls Company. The name of the company and the logo are both based on the movie It's a Wonderful Life.

[edit] Literary

Buffalo Gals is also the title of a novel by Ursula K. Le Guin.