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The rhyme was first noted in the United States in [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 either was kissed, joined the circle, or had to tell the name of their sweetheart.
In some variants, the second line is "I lost my yellow basket". In other variants, the last line is "A little girl picked it up and put it in her pocket". In nineteenth-century England, the rhyme used in the same game had somewhat different but evidently related words:.
"A Tisket A Tasket" is a nursery rhyme first recorded in America in the late nineteenth century. It was used as the basis for a very successful and highly regarded. The words Tisket-Tasket, have no specific meaning, it is a word play made up to go with the rhyme. The song lyrics were part of a popular singing game for kids.
Ella Fitzgerald , in conjunction with Al Feldman later known as Van Alexander , extended and embellished the rhyme into a jazz piece that was her breakthrough hit with the Chick Webb Orchestra in It has since become a jazz standard. The song was a major hit of the "pre-chart" era, reaching number one in Billboard's sheet music and Record Buying Guide jukebox charts, also number 1 on "Your Hit Parade".
Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album On the Happy Side The music for the song was used in the opening scene of John Ford 's film The Grapes of Wrath to help establish the contemporary time frame of the events of the film. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article needs additional citations for verification.
The swing period of the s, characterized by its rhythmic momentum and variations, gave "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" all the musical elements it needed to succeed. The propulsive rhythmic quality naturally developed a flowing and smooth musical line, making it easy listening for audiences. In order to achieve this feeling, musicians were often encouraged to play slightly ahead of the beat compared to earlier styles of jazz that played on the beat.
On May 2, , they rehearsed the song for only one hour before recording it that night. Bob Stephens, the recording engineer at Decca Records, did not want to release the song, and Chick Webb had to convince Decca Records executives to even consider it. The song hit the charts at the number 10 spot on June 18, , and two weeks later on June 25, , reached number one. Want to learn more about the American experience through the transformative power of jazz?
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Search Google Appliance Enter the terms you wish to search for. Blog Home About Archive. A-tisket, a-tasket, a hit song in her basket: Ella's rise to fame. Breaking down racial barriers with her voice.