THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

412-Fats Waller-Ain’t Misbehavin.’

1929-It has never charted, there was no UK chart until 1952.

Best Bit-At 3.19. Fats Waller wasn’t just a gifted musician, he had a tremendous sense of humour as well. In a 1941 interview Waller said that this song was written while he was lodging in prison for an alimony violation, and that was why he was not misbehaving. Another story goes that on completing the song, Waller and fellow composer Andy Razaf were heading to the theatre when a bird dropped it’s load on the song sheet.’That’s good luck’ said Waller, ‘But I’m sure glad elephants ain’t flyin.”

Thomas Wright Waller was born on May 21st, 1904, in New York City, United States, he died on December 15th, 1943, at the age of 39 after contracting pneumonia. More than 4,200 people were estimated to have attended his funeral in Harlem, which prompted the Baptist pastor Adam Clayton Powell Jr., (1908-1972) who delivered the eulogy to say, that Waller ‘Always played to a packed house.’ Afterwards, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered over Harlem from an air-plane piloted by an unidentified African-American World War I aviator. Fats Waller told the story of the time he was kidnapped in Chicago while leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by Al Capone (1899-1947.) Waller was ordered inside the building and found a party taking place. With a gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano and told to play. A terrified Waller realised he was the ‘surprise guest’ at Capone’s birthday party, and was relieved that the kidnappers had no intention of killing him. During his lifetime Fats Waller copyrighted over 400 songs, many written with this songs co-author Andy Razaf. It is suspected that Waller wrote many more, but in times of financial difficulties he sold them to other writers and performers who would pass them off as their own, the best example being the 1930 song ‘On the Sunny Side of the Street.’

Fats Waller was one of the most critically acclaimed artists of his era, with his regular writing partner Andy Razaf paying tribute to him after his death, describing Waller as ‘The soul of melody, a man who made the piano sing. Both big in body, and in mind, known for his generosity, a bubbling bundle of joy.’ The American Jazz pianist Ralph Sutton (1922-2001) said of Waller, ‘I’ve never heard a piano man swing any better than Fats, or swing a band better than he could. I never get tired of him. Fats has been with me from the first, and he’ll be with me as long as I live.’ Waller will also be remembered for being one of the innovators in ‘Stride Jazz piano,’ (see also best songs 169) taking his influence from the ‘Ragtime’ players, and incorporating the style in to what would become ‘Modern Jazz.’ Fats Waller has also been remembered in the ‘Rock’ era, when in 1981, the Irish Rock group Thin Lizzy (see also best songs 125) released the album ‘Renegade,’ which contained the song ‘Fats,’ co-written by Phil Lynott (1949-1986) and Snowy White as a tribute to Waller.

‘Ain’t Misbehavin” is one of the oldest songs on this ‘1000 Best Songs’ list, having been co-written in 1929 by Fat Waller, Harry Brook (1895-1970) and Andy Razaf, who was born Andrimanantena Paul Razafinkarefo on December 16th, 1895, in Washington, D. C. United States, he died from cancer on February 3rd, 1973, at the age of 77. Razaf was a poet, composer, and lyricist, his other notable compositions include the Fats Waller collaboration on ‘Honeysuckle Rose,’ from 1929, and the writing of the lyrics for ‘In the Mood,’ made famous by Glen Miller and His Orchestra in 1939 (see also best songs 146.) At the age of 16, Razaf quit school and took a job as an elevator operator in a ‘Tin Pan Alley’ office building in New York City, and in 1972, he was recognised by his ‘Tin Pan Alley’ peers, when he was inducted into the ‘Songwriters Hall of Fame.’ ‘Ain’t Misbehavin” was also co-written by Harry Brooks, who was born on September 20th, 1895, in Homestead, Pennsylvania, United States, he died on June 22nd, 1970, at the age of 74. Brooks is best remembered for his co-writes with Fats Waller and Andy Razaf of ‘Ain’t Misbehavin” (1929) and ‘Black and Blue’ (1929.)

‘Ain’t Misbehavin” was first performed at the premiere of the Broadway musical ‘Connie’s Hot Chocolates,’ as the opening song sung by Paul Bass, and Margaret Simms. There were six successful recordings of the song in 1929 in terms of sheet music sold, with the best selling being by Leo Reisman (1897-1961) and His Orchestra.The recording by Fats Waller that year was an instrumental version, another recording of note was from Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) (see also best songs 1039-767-286-231 and 100.) Fats Waller has also re-recorded ‘Ain’t Misbehavin” with vocals for his performance in the 1943 film ‘Stormy Weather’ (see also best songs 634.) In the UK the song has been a hit twice, in 1957 Johnny Ray (1927-1990) took his version to Number 17, and in 1960 Tommy Bruce (1937-2006) and the Bruisers made Number 3. The Country music artist Hank Williams Jr. recorded a version of ‘Ain’t Misbehavin” for his 1985 studio album ‘Five-O.’ Released as a single, the song peaked at No. 1 on the American Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.

‘No one to talk with, all by myself. No one to walk with, but I’m happy on the shelf. Ain’t misbehavin,’ I’m savin’ my lovin’ for you.’