Buffalo Gals
"Buffalo Gals" is a traditional American song, written and published as "Lubly Fan" in 1844 by the blackface minstrel John Hodges, who performed as "Cool White." The song was widely popular throughout the United States. Because of its popularity, minstrels altered the lyrics to suit the local audience, so it might be performed as "New York Gals" in New York City or "Boston Gals" in Boston. The best-known version is named after Buffalo, New York.
The chorus is:
- 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.
Adaptations
- 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 reminiscent of "Im Grunewald, im Grunewald ist Holzauktion," a music hall song from Germany.
- A 1944 recording set to the same tune, 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 1960 hit by The Olympics, "Dance by the Light of the Moon" borrows part of the melody and lyrics, reworking it into a doo-wop song.
In popular culture
- The song plays multiple times throughout Frank Capra's Christmas classic, It's a Wonderful Life.
- The Band Summer Camp did a remix of the song "Voice of an Old Friend" by Active Child and named it "Summer Camp Bedford Falls Remix" referring to the fictional town in the classic film It's a Wonderful Life.
- An instrumental version of the song was used as the theme for a saloon scene in the classic film, High Noon.
- The song was sung by "The Raiders" in the Civil War film Andersonville
- The song was also featured in the hit TV sitcom "Two and a Half Men," in the episode where Alan's ex-wife has a support group that Charlie wins over.
- The song was also featured in two Cartoon Network series, Cow and Chicken and Johnny Bravo
- The melody also used in the 3D-CGI-Animation Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
- The melody was adapted for Tweety's song "I Tawt I Taw a Putty Tat" (not to be confused with a later song) in the Merrie Melodies cartoon A Gruesome Twosome.
- In The Simpsons, Homer Simpson sings 'Buffalo Gals' in Moes Tavern to earn 25 cents to buy beer with.
- "Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight" is a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin, featured in the collection Buffalo Gals and Other Animal Presences
- The melody was used by Bobby Darin in his 1958 single "Plain Jane"
- The chorus was sung by lead character 'Ray' in the Everbody Loves Raymond episode "Debra at the Lodge"
- The song was sung in a "Two of a Kind" sitcom on Skinnamarink TV.
External links