Why Don't You Do Right?

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"Weed Smoker's Dream"
Weed Smoker's Dream single cover.jpg
Single by Harlem Hamfats
B-side"Little Girl"
Released1936 (1936)
RecordedChicago, October 2, 1936
GenreBlues, jazz
Length3:19
LabelDecca
Songwriter(s)"Kansas Joe" McCoy[1]

"Why Don't You Do Right?" (originally recorded as "Weed Smoker's Dream") is an American blues and jazz-influenced pop song written by "Kansas Joe" McCoy and Herb Morand in 1936. Both men are given composer credits on the original 78 record label, although Morand's name is misspelled. A minor key twelve-bar blues with a few chord substitutions, it is considered a classic "woman's blues" song and has become a standard.

Composition and lyrics[]

In 1936, the Harlem Hamfats recorded "The Weed Smoker's Dream". Band member McCoy later rewrote the song, refining the composition and lyrics. The new tune, titled "Why Don't You Do Right?", was recorded by Lil Green in 1941,[2] with guitar by William "Big Bill" Broonzy. The recording was an early jazz and blues hit.[3]

The song has its roots in blues music and originally dealt with a marijuana smoker reminiscing about lost financial opportunities. As it was rewritten, it takes on the perspective of the female partner, who chastises her man for his irresponsible ways: "Why don't you do right, like some other men do? Get out of here and get me some money too."

Peggy Lee recordings[]

"Why Don't You Do Right?"
Single by Benny Goodman with Peggy Lee
from the album Rendezvous with Peggy Lee
B-side"Six Flats Unfurnished"
Released1942 (1942)
RecordedNew York, July 27, 1942
GenreJazz
Length3:12
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Kansas Joe McCoy
Peggy Lee performing the song in Stage Door Canteen (1943)
Benny Goodman and His Orchestra with Peggy Lee, performing "Why Don't You Do Right?" in Stage Door Canteen

One of the best-known versions of the song was recorded by Peggy Lee and Benny Goodman on July 27, 1942, in New York. Featured in the 1943 film, Stage Door Canteen, it sold over one million copies and brought her to nationwide attention.[4]

Lee often stated that Green's recording was influential to her music. In a 1971 interview[5] she said, "I had the record, and I used to play it over and over in my dressing room, which was next to Benny Goodman ... Finally ... he said, 'I think you really like that song.' I said, 'Oh, I love it.' He said, 'Would you like to sing it?'" Lee said yes, so Goodman had an arrangement made of it for Lee to sing.[2]

"Why Don't You Do Right?" was not Goodman and Lee's biggest hit. However, it reached number four on the Billboard charts and reached the same position on the Harlem Hit Parade charts.[6] In 1947, they recorded an alternative version.[citation needed]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Why Don't You Do Right". ASCAP | ACE Repertory. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #9". Digital.library.unt.edu. 1972.
  3. ^ Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited. p. 13. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
  4. ^ Bush, John. "Peggy Lee – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  5. ^ "John Gilliland Collection, 1955-1991 | Music Library". Findingaids.library.unt.edu. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 232.
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