Monday, June 15, 2015

"We're the Couple in the Castle" from Mr. Bug Goes to Town (1942)

Last night I watched one of my all time favourite animated films, the Fleischer Brothers' underrated masterpiece Mr. Bug Goes to Town (1941). In addition to featuring some simply incredible animation, Mr. Bug Goes to Town also has one of the best movie soundtracks of the Forties. Indeed, no less than three of the five original songs featured in the film were written by none other than composer Hoagy Carmichael and lyricist  Frank Loesser.  It should then come as no surprise that Mr. Bug Goes to Town would produce at least one hit song despite its failure at the box office. "We're the Couple in the Castle", written by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser, was recorded by multiple artists in early 1942, including Johnny Long (who also recorded "Boy, Oh, Boy" from the film), Frankie Masters (who recorded "Boy, Oh, Boy" as well), Claude Thornill, Barry Wood, and even none other than Glenn Miller & His Orchestra. In March 1942 "We're the Couple in the Castle" regularly made the top ten of Billboard's list of songs with the most radio plugs, as well as the regional lists of the best selling sheet music around the country. Mr. Bug Goes to Washington may have bombed at the box office, but "We're the Couple in the Castle" was a hit in the early months of 1942.

My favourite song from Mr. Bug Goes to Town is actually "Katy Did, Katy Didn't" by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser, but then it was not the big hit from the film. Here, then, is "We're the Couple in the Castle" sung by the man who originated it in the film, Kenny Gardner (who also provided the voice of Dick in the film).

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