| "Be My Guest" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Fats Domino | ||||
| B-side | "I've Been Around" | |||
| Released | October 1959 | |||
| Recorded | September 26, 1959 | |||
| Genre | New Orleans rhythm and blues | |||
| Length | 2:08 | |||
| Label | Imperial Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Fats Domino, John Marascalco, Tommy Boyce | |||
| Producer(s) | Dave Bartholomew | |||
| Fats Domino singles chronology | ||||
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"Be My Guest" is a song written by Fats Domino, John Marascalco and Tommy Boyce. Arranged and produced by Dave Bartholomew and recorded by Domino on September 26, 1959,[1] it was released as a single by Imperial Records the following month and reached number 8 on the Billboard pop chart, number 2 on the R&B chart,[2] and number 11 on the UK singles chart.[3]
The song was Boyce's first hit as a writer. He reportedly waited six hours at Domino's hotel room to present him with the demo, and got Domino to promise to listen to the song.[4] In later years Boyce went on to further success, notably writing songs for the Monkees with Bobby Hart.[5]
While many of Fats Domino's and other New Orleans rhythm and blues recordings became popular in the Caribbean, as they were heard on radio there, the accentuated off beat rhythm of "Be My Guest" has been specifically mentioned as contributing to the development of ska music in Jamaica in the late 1950s and early 1960s, by being played frequently on local sound systems.[6][7] Other musicians who have recorded the song included Emile Ford and the Checkmates (1960), Millie Small (1965), and Daniel O'Donnell (2005).[1]
References
- 1 2 "Be My Guest", SecondhandSongs.com. Retrieved 3 July 2019
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 120. ISBN 0-89820-115-2.
- ↑ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 230. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
- ↑ Shannon, Bob; John Javna (1986). Behind The Hits:Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll. New York: Warner Books. p. 141. ISBN 0-446-38171-3.
- ↑ "Songs written by Tommy Boyce ", MusicVf.com. Retrieved 3 July 2019
- ↑ Ricardo Henry, "Jamaican Ska Music - Made For Dancing", jamaica-land-we-love.com. Retrieved 3 July 2019
- ↑ "Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll -Timeline", American Masters. Retrieved 3 July 2019