The Band Played On, also known (by its refrain) as Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde, was a popular song, with lyrics by John F. Palmer and music by Charles B. Ward, written in 1895.

The lyrics of the refrain:

Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde

As the band played on;

He'd glide 'cross the floor with the girl he adored

As the band played on;

Well, his brain was so loaded

It nearly exploded

The poor girl would shake with alarm;

He'd ne'er leave the girl with the strawberry curl

As the band played on.

The song has become a pop standard with many recordings made. It was also featured in many films, including Raoul Walsh's The Strawberry Blonde and Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train.

One of the most famous recordings, by Guy Lombardo's orchestra, was made on February 26, 1941 and issued by Decca Records as catalog number 3675 (reissued as number 25341). It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on May 9, 1941 and lasted 4 weeks on the chart, peaking at #6. ^[1]

[edit] References

1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Record Research. 

• William Emmett Studwell (1997), The Americana song reader (illustrated ed.), Haworth Press, p. 9, ISBN 9780789001504, http://books.google.com/books?id=VhV1u2oIb-QC&pg=PA9 

[edit] External links

• The song's appearances in film, on IMDb
• Lyrics and Music
• Lyrics of the song on (Public Domain) pdmusic.org

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