On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe

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"On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" is a popular song which refers to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was written for the 1946 movie, The Harvey Girls, where it was sung by Judy Garland. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

The music was written by Harry Warren, and the lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song was published in 1944, but the most popular recordings were made the next year.

Charting versions were recorded by Mercer, Bing Crosby, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and Judy Garland and the Merry Macs.

[edit] Recorded versions

• The Johnny Mercer recording was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 195. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on July 5, 1945 and lasted 16 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1. ^[1]
• The Bing Crosby/Six Hits and a Miss recording was released by Decca Records as catalog number 18690. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on July 19, 1945 and lasted 10 weeks on the chart, peaking at #4. ^[1]
• The Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra recording, vocal by The Sentimentalists, was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-1682. The record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on August 2, 1945 and lasted 6 weeks on the chart, peaking at #6. ^[1]
• The Judy Garland/Merry Macs recording was released by Decca Records as catalog number 23436. The record reached the Billboard magazine charts on September 20, 1945 at #10, its only week on the chart. ^[1]
• It has been covered by other artists, including Harry Connick, Jr., The Four Freshmen and Henry Mancini.

[edit] Appearances on other media

• In the Tom and Jerry short The Cat Concerto, at a certain point, Jerry dances around on the felts, changing the tune from the Rhapsody to "On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe".

• A commercial for Studebaker's Lark Daytona Wagonaire features a jingle that borrows the tune and changes the refrain to, "You've never seen any car to compare/To the brand-new Lark Daytona Wagonaire!"

Awards
Preceded by "It Might as Well Be Spring" from State Fair	Academy Award for Best Original Song 1946	Succeeded by "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from Song of the South

[edit] References