"Straighten Up and Fly Right" | ||||
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SinglebyThe King Cole Trio | ||||
Released | April 14, 1944 (1944-04-14) | |||
Recorded | November 30, 1943 (1943-11-30)[1] | |||
Studio | C.P. MacGregor, Hollywood[2] | |||
Label | Capitol 154 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Nat King Cole, Irving Mills | |||
Producer(s) | Johnny Mercer | |||
The King Cole Trio singles chronology | ||||
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"Straighten Up and Fly Right" is a 1943 song written by Nat King Cole and Irving Mills and one of the first vocal hits for the King Cole Trio.[3] It was the trio's most popular single, reaching number one on the Harlem Hit Parade for ten nonconsecutive weeks. The single also peaked at number nine on the pop charts.[4] "Straighten Up and Fly Right" also reached number one for six nonconsecutive weeks on the Most Played Jukebox Hillbilly Records.[5]
The song was based on a Black folk tale that Cole's father had used as a theme for one of his sermons. In the tale, a buzzard takes different animals for a joy ride. When he gets hungry, he throws them off on a dive and eats them for dinner. A monkey who had observed this trick goes for a ride; he wraps his tail around the buzzard's neck and gives the buzzard a big surprise by nearly choking him to death.[2]
The song's harmonic structure is based on that of the George and Ira Gershwin's song, "I Got Rhythm".[6]
The King Cole Trio recorded the song, along with "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You,"『If You Can’t Smile and Say Yes,』and "Jumpin' at Capitol" for Capitol Records during a 3-hour recording session at C.P. MacGregor Studios in Hollywood on November 30, 1943, with Johnny Mercer producing and John Palladino engineering the session.[2]