South of the Border (1939 song)

"South of the Border Down Mexico Way"
Single by Gene Autry
B-side	"Gold Mine in Your Heart"
Published	March 30, 1939 (1939-03-30) by Peter Maurice Music Co., Ltd., London[1]
Released	October 13, 1939 (1939-10-13)[2]
Recorded	September 11, 1939 (1939-09-11)[3]
Studio	Stevens Hotel, Chicago
Genre	Hillbilly, Country & Western
Length	2:48
Label	Vocalion 5122[4]
Composer(s)	Michael Carr
Lyricist(s)	Jimmy Kennedy
Gene Autry singles chronology
"Back in the Saddle Again" (1939) "South of the Border Down Mexico Way" (1939) "The Merry-Go-Roundup / I'm Beginning To Care" (1940)

"South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)"
Song by Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm
B-side	"It's All Over Town (We're Thru)"
Released	August 14, 1939[5]
Recorded	August 1, 1939[6]
Studio	New York City, New York
Genre	Big Band
Label	Bluebird B-10376

"South of the Border Down Mexico Way" is a popular song describing a trip to Mexico, written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr. It was originally released in 1939, with many versions following, including one for the film of the same name sung by star Gene Autry.^[7]

Background

In the lyrics, a man looks back with regret for having left a woman he cannot forget. When he returns much later, she is preparing to wed, presumably to either the church or another man. In the movie, however, she has become a nun to atone for her brother's crimes.^[8] Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.^[9]

Recordings

The song was a hit in 1939 for Shep Fields, vocal by Hal Derwin, reaching the No.1 spot for five weeks.^[10] Other successful recordings in 1939 were by Guy Lombardo, Gene Autry, Ambrose (vocal by Denny Dennis) and Tony Martin.^[11]

Other notable recordings

• Al Bowlly recorded May 11, 1939 (see Al Bowlly discography)
• Frank Sinatra recorded the song on April 30, 1953^[12] for Capitol Records and it reached the Billboard charts with a top position of #18 in a 4-week stay.^[13]>
• Frankie Laine (1953)^[14]
• Gale Storm – issued as a single^[15] and also included in the album Gale Storm Sings (1957)^[16]
• Gene Merlino – for The Simpsons episode "Kamp Krusty"
• Patti Page – recorded for her album Let's Get Away from It All (1957)^[17]
• Perry Como recorded for his album We Get Letters (1957)
• Russ Conway – for his album Piano Requests (1958)^[18]
• Mel Tormé - ¡Olé Tormé!: Mel Tormé Goes South of the Border with Billy May (1959)^[19]
• Sam Cooke – included in his Cooke's Tour album (1960)^[20]
• Patsy Cline – included in her album Showcase (1961)^[21]
• The Shadows – for their album Out of the Shadows (1962)^[22]
• Dean Martin for his album Dino Latino (1962)^[23]
• Fats Domino included in his album Here He Comes Again! (1963)^[24]
• Herb Alpert for his album South of the Border (1964)^[25]
• Bing Crosby included in his album Bing Crosby's Treasury – The Songs I Love (1965)^[26]
• Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys released a version on the album “The Best of Bob Wills” (1970)
• Chuck Berry – for the album Chuck Berry (1975) (a few liberties taken with the lyrics)
• Don McLean – included in his album Prime Time (1977)^[27]
• Willie Nelson – for his album What a Wonderful World (1988),^[28] and for his album Let's Face the Music and Dance (2013)^[29]
• Chris Isaak for his album Baja Sessions (1996)^[30]
• Keely Smith for the album Keely Sings Sinatra (2001)^[31]
• Acker Bilk – included in the album Clarinet Moods (2002)^[32]

References

1. Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1939). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1939 Musical Compositions New Series Vol 34 Pt 3 For the Year 1939. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
2. 78 Record: Gene Autry - South of the Border (Down Mexico Way) (1939), retrieved 2021-07-31
3. Russell, Tony (2004). Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 84. ISBN 0195139895.
4. "Vocalion 78rpm numerical listing discography - 5000 series (main sequence)". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
5. 78 Record: Shep Fields And His Rippling Rhythm - South Of The Border (Down Mexico Way) (1939), retrieved 2021-07-31
6. "Victor matrix BS-041153. South of the border (Down Mexico way) / Hal Derwin ; Shep Fields ; Rippling Rhythm Orchestra - Discography of American Historical Recordings". adp.library.ucsb.edu. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
7. Soundtrack: South of the Border (1939). - IMDb.
8. Frederick B. Pike, FDR's Good Neighbor Policy: Sixty Years of Generally Gentle Chaos (1995), University of Texas Press. P. 198.
9. Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2010.
10. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 157. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
11. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 583. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
12. "Frank Sinatra Discography". jazzdiscography.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
13. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 394. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
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