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"Harrigan" is a song written by George M. Cohan for the short-lived 1908 Broadway musical Fifty Miles from Boston when it was introduced by James C. Marlowe.[1] It celebrates, and to some extent mocks, his own Irish heritage. It is also an affectionate homage to Edward Harrigan, a previous great Irish American contributor to American musical theater.
The song was performed by James Cagney and Joan Leslie in the 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy, a biopic of Cohan's life. In that film it was portrayed as an early work of Cohan's that he was shopping around. In real life, by 1907 he had already scored some major Broadway hits and had little need to try to sell individual songs to producers.
Contemporary Irish-American singer Billy Murray made a very popular recording of the song for Victor Records (catalog No. 5197) in 1907.[2] In his version, the answer "Harrigan!" to each question is shouted by a background group. Edward Meeker was another who enjoyed success with his recording of the song in 1907.[3]
- ^ "Internet Broadway Database". ibdb.com. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 328. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 305. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.