In the Mood

"In the Mood" was the signature tune of Glenn Miller and one of the best-known arrangements of the Big Band era. Miller's rendition topped the charts at number 1 in 1940.

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The song was composed by Joe Garland (Joseph C. Garland) and Andy Razaf. The main theme previously appeared under the title of "Tar Paper Stomp", credited to jazz trumpeter/bandleader Wingy Manone, who recorded it several times in 1929 and 1930. A story says that after "In the Mood" became a hit, Manone was paid by Miller and his record company not to contest the copyright.

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The song also charted at number 16 in 1953 with Johnny Maddox.

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Other notable big band artists who recorded the song include the Andrews Sisters, Xavier Cugat, Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and The Brian Setzer Orchestra.

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Non-big band renditions were recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Lee Hooker, Chet Atkins, and Ernie Fields Jr.

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Glenn Miller's version is known to many younger people through its use as the instrumental theme in the sampled medley "Swing the Mood", a number 1 hit in many countries in the late 1980s by Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers.

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"In The Mood" was played at the funeral of Peter Sellers in 1980. It was a ghoulish joke on Sellers' part; the comedian hated the song. Perhaps he would have liked the Ray Stevens version, by a "group" called "The Henhouse Five", the "vocals" consisting entirely of imitation chicken-clucks.

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Glenn Miller: Alton Glenn Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American jazz musician and band leader in the Swing era. In the middle of a very successful career, including many famous recordings, he disappeared under mysterious circumstances during World War II....

Big Band: A big band, also known as a jazz orchestra, is a large musical ensemble that plays swing music....

1940: 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar)....

In the Mood related Images and Photos (experimental)

In the Mood (DVD)	In the Sun	In the Sky	In The Cut
In The Cut	The In-Laws	In the Park	In the Park
In the Cafe	In the Room	In the Park	In the Bath