page_title: Alabamy Bound
section_title: Themes
hierarchical_section_title: Alabamy Bound / Themes
caption_attribution_description: English: One of many 'olio' song &amp; dance numbers. Early 1960s
context_page_description: "Alabamy Bound" is a Tin Pan Alley tune written in 1924, with music by Ray Henderson and words by Buddy DeSylva and Bud Green. It was popularized by Al Jolson and included in the musical Kid Boots, where it was sung by Eddie Cantor. Successful recordings of the song were released in 1925 by Paul Whiteman, Isham Jones and Fletcher Henderson, as well as Blossom Seeley, whose vocal version reached number 2 on the charts. The song has sold over a million copies of sheet music and has been included in several films over the years.
context_section_description: "Alabamy Bound" has been described as a "bright march-type ditty" with a "southern flavor". The lyrics are written from the point of view of an Alabamian who is returning home, presumably from working in a larger city like New York or Chicago. Ray Henderson's melody and its "driving-train-like rhythm" provides a setting for the scene of this train song. Implicit in the song is the notion of trains as the fastest, safest and most comfortable means of transport at the time, which adds to the positive image of the character returning home. Its reference to the Southern United States was a common thread in many of Jolson's songs, such as "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" and "Carolina in the Morning".
caption: "Alabamy Bound" was one of many 'olio' song and dance numbers of the 1920s. Here depicted is a performance from the early 1960s.
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