Since it’s Sunday, and some of you may be a bit hungover, I thought I’d turn down the volume just a little bit. It’s cold outside, and today may be best spent snuggling under a blanket, dreaming of warmer weather. But we’re on Day 10 of the December of Drinking set list, so we have to have a little something to wet our whistles! Our next group will provide a little tropical flavor, and touch of rum to drop into that hot toddy.
The Andrews Sisters – Rum and Coca-Cola
This is, of course, an easy tune to predict on a list of drinking songs. “Rum and Coca-Cola” was a big hit for the Andrews Sisters in 1945, but the song was controversial on several levels.
The music for “Rum and Coca-Cola” was written by Lionel Velasco, a Venezuelan calypso composer. The lyrics were added by a Trinidadian performer who went by the name of Lord Invader. It was quite popular on Trinidad in 1943, when a comedian named Morey Amsterdam visited the island on a USO tour. Though he claimed to never have heard the song, when Amsterdam published his version, the music and chorus were virtually identical. Lord Invader‘s lyrics were more sharply critical of the women of the island prostituting themselves to soldiers, but Amsterdam kept the suggestive part of the chorus: “Both mother and daughter, working for the Yankee dollar.”
The song was given to The Andrews Sisters to record during the height of their popularity. None of the sisters caught the reference, and apparently their audiences either didn’t or didn’t care. The song spent 4 weeks at the top of the singles chart, despite the fact that some radio stations wouldn’t play it because it referenced liquor and prostitution. Oh, and broadcasting it amounted to free advertising for Coca-Cola.
Lionel Velsaco and Lord Invader sued Morey Amsterdam for plagiarism after the release of “Rum and Coca-Cola.” Both originators of the song won their cases, and were rewarded with royalties. Amsterdam, however, retained the copyright on the song.
It’s a complicated story for a song with only slightly naughty lyrics, so let Maxene, LaVerne, and Patty soothe your icy afternoon with a little “Rum and Coca-Cola.” Cheers!
Drinks List
- King Cole Trio – Scotchin’ With The Soda
- Big Bad VooDoo Daddy – You And Me And The Bottle Makes Three Tonight
- George Thorogood & The Delaware Destroyers – I Drink Alone
- Stick McGhee & His Buddies – Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee
- Willie Nelson – I Gotta Get Drunk
- Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank)
- Nina Simone – Gin House Blues
- Reverend Horton Heat – It’s Martini Time
- The Doors – Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)
- The Andrews Sisters – Rum and Coca-Cola
