Corrine, Corrina (Song)
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“Corrine, Corrina” | |
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Single by Charlie McCoy and Bo Chatman | |
B-side | “In the Gutter” (John Oscar) |
Released | August 1929 |
Recorded | November 1928 |
Genre | Country blues |
Length | 3:20 |
Label | Brunswick (no. 7080) |
“Corrine, Corrina” (sometimes spelled “Corrina, Corrina“) is a 12-bar country blues song in the AAB form. “Corrine, Corrina” was first recorded by Bo Carter (Brunswick 7080, December 1928). However, it was not copyrighted until 1932 by Armenter “Bo Carter” Chatmon and his publishers, Mitchell Parish and J. Mayo Williams. The song is familiar for its opening verse:
Corrine, Corrina, where you been so long?
Corrine, Corrina, where you been so long?
I ain’t had no lovin’, since you’ve been gone
The Mississippi Sheiks, as the Jackson Blue Boys with Papa Charlie McCoy on vocals, recorded the same song in 1930; this time as “Sweet Alberta” (Columbia 14397-D), substituting the words Sweet Alberta for Corrine, Corrina. “Corrine, Corrina” has been recorded in a number of musical styles, including blues, jazz, rock and roll, Cajun, and Western swing. The title of the song varies from recording to recording, most often with the variant “Corrina, Corrina”.
History
“Corrine, Corrina” may have traditional roots, however, earlier songs are different musically and lyrically. One of the earliest is the commercial sheet music song “Has Anybody Seen My Corrine?” published by Roger Graham in 1918.
Vernon Dalhart (Edison 6166) recorded a vocal version in 1918,
and Wilbur Sweatman‘s Original Jazz Band (Columbia A-2663), an instrumental version the same year.
Graham’s song contains sentiments similar to “Corrine, Corrina”:
Has anybody seen my Corrine?
No matter where Corrina may be
Tell my Corrina to come right back to me
I want some lovin’ sweetie dear
Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded a version of “C.C. Rider” in April 1926 entitled “Corrina Blues” which contains a verse in a similar vein:
If you see Corrina, tell her to hurry home
I ain’t had no true love since Corrina been gone (3×)
The Mississippi Sheiks also recorded “Sweet Maggie” in the 1930s:
Sweet Maggie sweet Maggie where you bin so long
Tell me sweet Maggie where you bin so long
There hasn’t bin no lovin since you bin gone
Recordings
Blues records
Notable early singers to record the song included Blind Lemon Jefferson (1926), Bo Carter (1928),
Charlie McCoy (1928),
Tampa Red (1929, 1930),
James “Boodle It” Wiggins (1929),
Frankie “Half Pint” Jaxon (1929),
Walter Davis (1939),
Johnny Temple (1940),
and Big Joe Turner (1941).
Veteran blues artists recorded for the revival market include Mississippi John Hurt (1966)
and Mance Lipscomb (1968).
Postwar-blues artists recording the song included Taj Mahal
and Snooky Pryor.
Jazz recordings
Among the musicians to record the song were Wilbur Sweatman, Red Nichols (1930).
Cab Calloway (1931),
Art Tatum (1941),
The Black Sorrows (1985),
and Natalie Cole.
Early country recordings
Several recordings were made for the country market by artists including Clayton McMichen (1929) and the Cajun musician Leo Soileau (1935).
“Corrine Corrina” | |
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Single by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | |
B-side | “Goodnight Little Sweetheart” |
Released | December 1941 |
Recorded | April 15, 1940 |
Studio | Burrus Sawmill Studio, Saginaw, Texas |
Genre | Western swing, country blues |
Label | Okeh 06530 |
Songwriter(s) | Bo Carter, Mitchell Parish, J. Mayo Williams |
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys singles chronology | |
“Lil Liza Jane” (1941)”Corrine Corrina“ (1941)”Cherokee Maiden“ (1942) |
Western swing recordings
In 1934, Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies recorded the song under the title “Where Have You Been So Long, Corrinne,” as a Western swing dance song.
Shortly thereafter, Bob Wills adapted it again as “Corrine, Corrina,” also in the Western swing style. Following his recording with the Texas Playboys (OKeh 06530) on April 15, 1940, the song entered the standard repertoire of all Western swing bands, influencing the adoption of “Corrine, Corrina” by Cajun bands and later by individual country artists.
“Corrine, Corrina” is also an important song related to Western swing’s pioneering use of electrically amplified stringed instruments. It was one of the songs recorded during a session in Dallas on September 28, 1935, by Roy Newman and His Boys (OKeh 03117). Their guitarist, Jim Boyd, played what is the first use of an electrically amplified guitar found on a recording.
Cliff Bruner’s Texas Wanderers also recorded an early version of Chatmon’s song on February 5, 1937 (Decca 5350).
Folk music revival recordings
“Corrina, Corrina” entered the folk-like acoustical tradition during the American folk music revival of the 1960s when Bob Dylan began playing a version he titled “Corrina, Corrina”. Although his blues-based version contains lyrics and song structure from “Corrine Corrina”, his melody is lifted from “Stones in My Passway” (Vocalion 3723) recorded by Robert Johnson in 1937. Dylan’s version, found on his second album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, also borrows lyrics taken from Johnson’s song:I got a bird that whistles, I got a bird that sings (2×)
The Rising Sons, featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder, recorded the song as “Corinna, Corinna” before breaking up in 1966. Taj Mahal then recorded another version in 1968 titled “Corinna”.
Michael Cooney included it under the title “Weeping Willow (Corrina)” on his 1976 album on Front Hall Records, Singer of Old Songs. Joni Mitchell covered the song in 1988 on her album Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm, with the title “A Bird That Whistles (Corrina Corrina)”, and adding a flight-evoking Wayne Shorter soprano sax solo.
Other artists who have recorded the song include Eric Clapton, who sings it as “Alberta, Alberta”,
and Conor Oberst.
The English roots band Show of Hands also performed the song on their live album As You Were, released in 2005 under the duo’s own label Hands on Music. The Band (featuring Miranda Sykes as a special guest for this part of the album) used the Dylan/Johnson version of the song.
Rock recordings
“Corrine, Corrina” | |
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Single by Ray Peterson | |
from the album The Very Best of Ray Peterson | |
B-side | “Be My Girl” |
Released | November 1960 |
Recorded | 1960 |
Genre | Country blues |
Length | 2:38 |
Label | Dunes |
Songwriter(s) | Bo Carter, Mitchell Parish, J. Mayo Williams |
Producer(s) | Phil Spector |
Big Joe Turner recorded a rendition of the song for Atlantic Records in 1956. Ray Peterson‘s 1960 version, produced by Phil Spector, reached number nine on the Billboard chart. Jerry Lee Lewis included a version on his 1965 album, The Return of Rock.
Bill Haley & His Comets released a rock n’ roll version on Decca Records on their album Bill Haley’s Chicks in 1959.
Steppenwolf recorded it as “Corina, Corina” for Steppenwolf Live, released in April 1970.
Rod Stewart recorded a rendition between 2011 and 2013, and it is featured as a bonus track on his Time album.
Boz Scaggs included it on his 2013 album Memphis.
The rock band, Phish, has covered a version of the song in live concerts throughout their career (played first in February 1987).
Country recordings
Dean Martin, better known as a crooner, included the song on his second country music album, Dean “Tex” Martin Rides Again (1963).
Country and blues singer/pianist Moon Mullican did a version on his second last album in 1966.
Asleep at the Wheel recorded the song for their 1993 album A Tribute to the Music of Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys with Brooks & Dunn. Their version peaked at number 73 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in 1994.
Country rock singer Gib Guilbeau recorded a reworked version of the song entitled “Alberta Alberta” on his self titled 1973 album.
- Bill Monroe did a bluegrass version in 1977.
- Chet Atkins and friends – Corina, Corina
- Floyd Crammer – Corinna, Corinna
- Los Crazy Boys – Corina, Corina
- Pat Boone – Corrina Corrina
- Craig Duncan
- Bill Haley & HIs Comets
- Jerry Lee Lewis
Corrina, Corrina (film)
Corrina, Corrina | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jessie Nelson |
Written by | Jessie Nelson |
Produced by | Paula Mazur Jessie Nelson Steve Tisch |
Starring | Whoopi Goldberg Ray Liotta Tina Majorino Wendy Crewson Larry Miller Joan Cusack Don Ameche |
Cinematography | Bruce Surtees |
Edited by | Lee Percy |
Music by | Rick Cox |
Production company | New Line Cinema |
Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date | August 12, 1994 |
Running time | 115 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $10-15 million |
Box office | $20.1 million |
Corrina, Corrina is a 1994 American comedy-drama film set in the Los Angeles suburbs of the 1950s about a widower (Ray Liotta) who hires a housekeeper/nanny (Whoopi Goldberg) to care for his daughter (Tina Majorino). It was written and directed by Jessie Nelson, in her feature film directing debut. It was the final film in which Don Ameche starred; he died shortly after filming was completed.
Plot
In 1959 Los Angeles, jingle writer Manny Singer is a recent widower with a young daughter, Molly, who is not coping well with the death of her mother Annie and refuses to speak. Manny decides to hire a housekeeper and nanny to help fill the void of his wife’s absence as he returns to work.
The first housekeeper Manny hires quickly quits, and soon afterward Corrina Washington, an African-American woman, interviews for the position. Molly responds well to her, so Manny hires her and she quickly forms a strong bond with Molly. Corrina works out a system for Molly to communicate “yes” or “no” without having to actually speak. She helps Molly to heal from her mother’s death, including telling her that her mother is in heaven, which Manny objects to as he is an atheist and his wife was as well, only for Corrina to suggest that it is better to acknowledge an afterlife than to lie to Molly about her mother’s whereabouts.
Corrina sees the early struggles of life after Annie’s death, and Molly slowly begins to interact more with Corrina. Molly also begins to spend time with Corrina’s family, who take her to church and welcome her into their home. At an office party, Manny is introduced to Jenny, a perky divorcee with two young sons. Manny is still struggling with losing Annie and is not ready to date. Corrina’s sister Jevina encourages her to date a man their color, Anthony, but Corrina shows no interest.
A frightened Molly returns to a whites-only school where she is bullied for adding Corrina to her family picture. She runs into Corrina’s arms at the end of the day, desperate to go home. That night, Molly awakes from a nightmare, Corrina and Manny run to her side but she is scared and angry. Corrina tells her she is allowed to be mad. Manny admits to her how hurt he is about losing Annie and how much he misses her too. That night Jevina chastises Corrina for pretending to become a part of this family.
A terrified Molly begs Corrina to let her stay home from school and she secretly agrees. Corrina spends more time with them, and soon she and Manny slowly discover they are more compatible with each other than with anyone else. He confides in her about Annie and she talks about her long gone former husband. They share a love of music and she even assists him on his new jingle. After a successful advertising campaign, he comes home with flowers for Molly as well as Corrina. Their private celebration is interrupted by a visit from Jenny, which Corrina takes as a cue that she is not meant to stay.
The next day, a flustered Corrina goes to work where Manny apologizes for Jenny’s uninvited visit. As they say goodbye, they share a kiss on the cheek, which Manny’s nosey neighbor sees. Corrina and Manny begin to fall in love and face prejudice as an interracial couple. Molly asks her grandfather Harry to make sure that Manny marries Corrina. That night, Corrina and Manny talk about their spouses and share a moonlight dance and kiss that is witnessed by Molly.
After weeks of playing hooky from school, Corrina tells Molly it’s almost time for her to return, but Molly says she’s not yet ready. Soon after, Manny finds out that Corrina has been letting Molly stay home from school. In a fit of anger, he tells her that she is not Molly’s mother and fires her, taking a heartbroken Molly home. Molly becomes withdrawn again, and Manny learns that Harry has died. After the funeral, he goes to visit Corrina at her house to tell her of Harry’s death and to properly apologize. After an unsuccessful talk, she overhears his not-so quiet prayers to God to help him out. She informs him that she quit and he assures her that she was replaced. They embrace and he begins to kiss her. She brings him inside to formally meet her family. Finally, Molly singing “This Little Light of Mine” in order to cheer up Eva, and eventually Eva joins the joyful song. Soon Manny and Corrina return and Molly joyfully runs to Corrina.
Cast
- Whoopi Goldberg as Corrina Washington
- Ray Liotta as Manny Singer
- Tina Majorino as Molly Singer
- Joan Cusack as Jonesy
- Wendy Crewson as Jenny Davis
- Jenifer Lewis as Jevina Washington
- Don Ameche as Harry Singer
- Larry Miller as Sid
- Brent Spiner as Brent Witherspoon
- Erica Yohn as Eva Singer
- Lynette Walden as Annie Singer
- Patrika Darbo as Wilma the Car Hop
Release
The film was a moderate box office success, grossing $20,160,000 in the U.S.
Reception
The film received mixed reviews from many film critics criticizing Nelson’s failure to fully address the complications surrounding a romantic interracial relationship in the 1950s. Roger Ebert confessed that he enjoyed it but wrote:
…seems almost as shy as the characters about the charged issues of race and romance. After it was over I felt that, yes, it was warm and good-hearted, but there was more of a story there to be told.
Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised the actors and actresses for their work on it but echoed a similar criticism regarding Manny and Corrina’s relationship:
The affection between them is evident, but not even by the end of her story has Ms. Nelson decided what sort of affection it is. That may be true to life, but for an otherwise mainstream movie, it’s trouble.
On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 37% rating based on 19 reviews.
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