Just a Gigolo (song)

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"Just a Gigolo" is a popular song, adapted by Irving Caesar in 1929 from the Austrian song "Schöner Gigolo", written in 1928 by Leonello Casucci (music) and Julius Brammer (lyrics).

Contents

[edit] History

The original version is a poetic vision of the social collapse lived in Austria after World War I, represented by the figure of a former hussar who remembers himself parading in his uniform, while now he has to get by as a lonely, hired dancer. The music features a simple melodic sequence, but nonetheless has a clever harmonic construction that highlights the mixed emotions in the lyrics, adding a nostalgic, bittersweet effect.

The success of the song prompted a Tin Pan Alley publisher to buy the rights and order an English version to Irving Caesar, a very popular lyricist of the time. Caesar eliminated the specific Austrian references and, in the often-omitted verse, set the action in a Paris cafe, where a local character tells his sad story. Thus, the lyrics retained their sentimental side but lost their historic value.

"Just a Gigolo" appeared in a 1931 film, a 1932 Betty Boop cartoon and a 1993 TV-series, all titled after the song. The film Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo, directed by David Hemmings in 1979, was titled after the first verse of the original lyrics, but the "Just a Gigolo" title was used for US distribution. In this film, the song was performed by Marlene Dietrich, in her last film appearance.

[edit] Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody

"Just a Gigolo" is best known for the 1956 Louis Prima version, where it is paired in a medley with another old standard, "I Ain't Got Nobody" (words by Roger Graham and music by Spencer Williams, 1915). Although these two songs have nothing else in common, due to the popularity of Prima's combination they are sometimes mistaken as parts of the same song.

During his Las Vegas tenure, Louis Prima used to revisit his old hits in his new, jive-and-jumping style, often presenting them in medleys. The success of his act gained him a recording deal with Capitol Records, which aimed to capture on record the atmosphere of his shows. The first album, titled The Wildest! and released in January 1957, opened with "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody", which then became Prima's signature number and helped relaunch his career.

[edit] Recording

The recording session took place in April 1956 at Capitol Tower Studios, Los Angeles, and was produced by Voyle Gilmore. Prima was backed by his Las Vegas group, Sam Butera & the Witnesses, in its original line-up: Sam Butera (tenor sax), James "Red" Blount (trombone), William "Willie" McCumber (piano), Jack Marshall (guitar), Amado Rodriques (bass) and Robert "Bobby" Morris (drums). Keely Smith, who was Prima's wife and an important part of his act, joined the Witnesses for the characteristic backing vocals. Prima sang the lead but didn't play the trumpet on this track.

[edit] Other versions

In 1978, the Village People recorded a cover of Prima's version, which was made even more popular when US rock star David Lee Roth recorded a remake in 1985 that reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Prima's version was also covered by Alex Harvey in 1979 on his "The Mafia Stole my Guitar" album.

The University of Illinois Marching Illini are also well-known for performing the song as part of their post-game show.

Swedish dansband Ingmar Nordströms recorded a swedish version of the song, called Gösta Gigolo. The title is pronounced the same as the english, but refers to a guy named Gösta and is hanging around the dance floor in the hotel of a small town.

Israeli singer and TV star, Gidi Gov, released an hebrew version of the song, called Gigolo. His album "Moondance" (Hebrew: ריקוד ירח), which was released in 2003, contains cover versions for some of his old songs along with hebrew versions for:

[edit] Releases

The following artists have released versions of the song[1]:

[edit] Lou Bega version

“Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody”
“Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody” cover
single cover
Single by Lou Bega
from the album Ladies and Gentlemen
Released July 23, 2001
Format CD single
Genre Latin pop / Jazz
Length 3:13
Label BMG
Writer(s) Irving Caesar
Leonello Casucci
Producer Goar B
Zippy Davids
Axel Breitung
Peter Hoff
Lou Bega singles chronology
"Gentleman"
(2001)		 "Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody"
(2001)		 "Bachata"
(2006)

Lou Bega's version of "Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody" was the second single from his album Ladies and Gentlemen. It only charted in the the German singles chart, where it peaked at #94.

[edit] Track listing

Maxi single
  1. "Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody" (Phat Bass Radio Mix) - 3:13
  2. "Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody" (Electronic Salsa Radio Mix) - 3:13
  3. "Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody" (J's Late Night Remix) - 3:10
  4. "What?" - 5:14
  5. "Album Preview" (Calling Her, God Is a Woman, Club Elitaire, Lonely) - 3:40
Single
  1. "Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody" (Phat Bass Radio Mix) - 3:13
  2. "Just a Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody" (Electronic Salsa Radio Mix) - 3:13

[edit] References

  1. ^ Just a Gigolo. Song Search. Warner Chappell Music.
  2. ^ Macho Man.
  3. ^ Total Balalaika Show.
  4. ^ Sergio Pángaro & Baccarat's album "Baccarat en castellano".

[edit] External links