Hot Lips
| "Hot Lips" | |
|---|---|
| "When He Plays Jazz He's Got - Hot Lips" | |
 | |
| Written by | Henry Busse/Henry Lange/Lou Davis |
| Published | 1922 |
| Language | English |
| Form | Blues Foxtrot |
 |
Hot Lips
 Performed by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, Victor 18920A, 23 Jun 1922
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"Hot Lips" ("When He Plays Jazz He's Got - Hot Lips") is a popular song written by jazz trumpeter Henry Busse, Henry Lange, and Lou Davis. The song was a #1 hit for Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra. Henry Busse was a founding member of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.
Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra recorded the song on June 23, 1922 in New York and released it as a Victor 78, 18920-A. The recording was no. 1 for 6 weeks. The Paul Whiteman recording was featured in the Oprah Winfrey movie The Color Purple (1985), directed by Steven Spielberg.
First published in 1922, it was advertised as "A Blues Fox Trot Song" The song is about a trumpet player. The chorus is:
- He's got hot lips— When he plays Jazz,
- He draws out step,— Like no one has,
- You're on your toes,— And shake your shoes,
- Boy, how he goes— When he plays Blues.
- I watch the crowd— Until he's through,
- He can be proud— They're "cuckoo,' too;
- His music's rare You must declare,— The boy is there
- With two hot lips, He's got hot lips.[1]
Other Recordings
The song has been recorded many times. Red Nichols, Al Hirt, Pete Candoli, Horace Heidt, the California Ramblers, Miss Patricola on Victor, the Hoosier Hot Shots on Melotone, and Henry Busse with his orchestra, have all recorded the song. The initial issue was by Paul Whiteman's orchestra of which Busse was a member at the time.
References
- ↑ Busse, "Hot Lips".
Bibliography
- Busse, Henry; Lange, Henry; Davis, Lou. "Hot Lips" (sheet music). New York : Leo. Feist, Inc. (1922).