| "A Tisket A Tasket" Roud #13188 |
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| Written by | Traditional |
|---|---|
| Written | USA? |
| Language | English |
| Form | Nursery rhyme |
| Recorded by | Ella Fitzgerald (1938) |
A Tisket A Tasket is a nursery rhyme first recorded in America in the late nineteenth century.[1][2] It was used as the basis for a very successful and highly regarded 1938 recording by Ella Fitzgerald. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 13188.
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Traditional lyrics [edit]
The rhyme was first noted in the United States in 1879 [3] as a children's rhyming game. It was sung while children danced in a circle. One of the number ran on the outside of the circle and dropped a handkerchief. The nearest child would then pick it up and chase the dropper. If caught the dropper was either kissed, joined the circle, or had to tell the name of their sweetheart.[2] An early noted version had the lyrics:
- A-tisket a-tasket
- A green and yellow basket
- I wrote a letter to my love
- And on the way I dropped it,
- I dropped it,
- I dropped it,
- And on the way I dropped it.
- A little boy he picked it up and put it in his pocket.[2]
Lyrics by Ella Fitzgerald [edit]
Ella Fitzgerald, in conjunction with Al Feldman, (later known as Van Alexander), extended and embellished the rhyme into a jazz piece which was her breakthrough hit with the Chick Webb Orchestra in 1938. It has since become a jazz standard.[3] A follow-up song written by Fitzgerald and Webb entitled "I Found My Yellow Basket" (1938) was less successful.
In popular culture [edit]
As a recording [edit]
- In 1938 the rhyme was used as the basis for a song written by Al Feldman and Ella Fitzgerald. Ella's recording of this song in 1938 was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1986, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance".[4] The song was a major hit of the "pre-chart" era, reaching #1 in Billboard's sheet music and Record Buying Guide (jukebox) charts, also #1 on "Your Hit Parade".[5] Fitzgerald also performed the song in Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942).[6]
- Briefly sung in the animated Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon Magical Maestro (1952), directed by Tex Avery.
- Also appears in part on Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1983 Album "Texas Flood : Mary had a little Lamb"
- The rhyme is mentioned in the song "Past, Present and Future" by The Shangri-Las. "You know I used to sing - a-tisket a-tasket a green and yellow basket / I'm all packed up and I'm on my way and I'm gonna fall in love"
- Appears in Method Man's remix of Method Man "Rap flow is bangin' like butter on a biscuit A tisket, a tasket I'm not tryin' to have it"
On film [edit]
- In In the Sweet Pie and Pie, a 1941 comedy short starring The Three Stooges, Moe, Larry, and Curly marry the three socialites, Tiska, Taska, and Baska Jones.
- In Ride 'Em Cowboy, a 1942 comedy film starring Abbott and Costello, it was sung on a bus ride by Ella Fitzgerald.
- In Two Girls and a Sailor, a 1944 film starring June Allyson and Van Johnson, it was performed by Allyson and Gloria DeHaven.
- In Il bandito, a 1946 drama by Alberto Lattuada, starring Amedeo Nazzari and Anna Magnani.
- Early television ads for Triscuit borrowed the tune for this rhyme.
- In the 2012 film "The Master", a version is sung with alternate lyrics. The opening lyrics are now, "A tisket a tasket, past lives in a basket." The full version can be seen on the 2013 home video release as a special feature.
In novels [edit]
- In Robert A. Heinlein's novel Time Enough for Love, it is related as "a tisket, a tasket, a head in a basket--it cannot reply to questions you ask it."
Game [edit]
A-Tisket, A-Tasket; can be name of the game: Duck, duck, goose
Notes [edit]
- ^ W. E. Studwell and M. Baldin, The big band reader: songs favored by swing era orchestras and other popular ensembles (Haworth Press, 2000), p. 35.
- ^ a b c Brewster, Paul G. (1976). Children's games and rhymes Volume 1 of Studies in play and games. Volume 1 of Studies in play and games. Ayer Publishing,. pp. 82 section C. ISBN 0-405-07914-1. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ^ a b Studwell, William Emmett; Baldin, Mark (2000). The big band reader: songs favored by swing era orchestras and other popular ensembles - Resources in music history. Routledge. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7890-0914-2.
- ^ Grammy Hall of Fame Database
- ^ Songs from the Year 1938 - The World's Music Charts at tsort.info (retrieved 2010-1-22)
- ^ Parlor songs
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