S.O.D. "Come On-a My House" by Rosemary Clooney

10/17/2015     It's interesting where songs come from.  This one is based on an Armenian folk song and the Armenian custom of providing a bountiful table of food for friends and relatives.  Actor, pianist and record producer, Ross Bagdasarian, a.k.a. David Seville, who also created the Chipmunks, wrote the song along with novelist and playwright, William Saroyan while the two cousins were driving across New Mexico together.  They are both of Armenian descent.  It was written in 1939 and wasn't until 1950 when it was performed in a play called "The Sun".  

     Clooney really never liked the song, was sure no one else would, and did not want to record it. She was however given a choice by the record company to either record it or be fired.  In 1951 she recorded it with Mitch Miller and his orchestra.  She then watched the hit climb to the #1 spot on the Billboard charts where it held strong for 8 weeks.  She commented later that whenever she heard the track, she could hear the anger in her voice.

     Many popular artists have covered the tune including, Madonna, Ella Fitzgerald, The Surf Punks, Eartha Kitt, Captain and Tennille and Celia Cruz.