How Are Things in Glocca Morra?

"How Are Things in Glocca Morra?" is a popular song about a fictional village in Ireland.

The music was composed by Burton Lane and the lyrics written by E. Y. Harburg. The song was published in 1946 and introduced in the 1947 musical "Finian's Rainbow". There is no actual Glocca Morra in Ireland, and the words "Glocca Morra" are not even Gaelic. In a television interview late in his life, Harburg revealed that the name "Glocca Morra" was made up by composer Lane, who had devised a dummy lyric beginning with the line "There's a glen in Glocca Morra". Harburg liked the name but insisted on changing the line to "How are things in Glocca Morra?," as this is more personal.

Many versions of this song were recorded in 1946 and 1947, including the most popular by Dick Haymes, which was recorded on December 29, 1946 and released by Decca Records as catalog number 23830. The record reached the Billboard magazine charts on March 21, 1947 at #9, its only week on the chart. [cite book
last = Whitburn
first = Joel
authorlink = Joel Whitburn
title = Top Pop Records 1940-1955
publisher = Record Research
year = 1973 ]

Other early versions included the Buddy Clark version, which was recorded on October 14, 1946 and released by Columbia Records as catalog number 37223; the Ella Logan/Albert Sharpe version, which was recorded on April 3, 1947 and released by Columbia Records as catalog number MM 686 (the original cast album of the Broadway production); the Stuart Foster/Tommy Dorsey version, which was recorded on December 30, 1946 and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-2122; the Martha Tilton version, which was recorded on November 25, 1946 and released by Capitol Records as catalog number 345; and the Harry Babbitt version was recorded on January 20, 1947 and released by Mercury Records as catalog number 3056. In addition, legendary jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins recorded this tune for his Blue Note debut "Sonny Rollins, Volume One".

The song, performed by Petula Clark, is also part of soundtrack of the 1968 film version of the stage musical. She has included the number in her concert repertoire ever since.

Numerous others have recorded the song, including Bing Crosby in 1975, Barbra Streisand and Julie Andrews.

References

* [http://www.warnerchappell.com/wcm_2/song_search/song_detail/songview_2.jsp?menu_status=songsearch&esongId=105911700&wcmsid=PK90tCdtmZ3YTzuh6BOGAid Includes list of performers who have recorded the song]