Buttons and Bows
1947



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Highlights
  • Written for the 1948 Paramount Pictures film The Paleface, starring Bob Hope and Jane Russell.
  • Won Livingston & Evans their first ever Academy Award for Best Original Song, 1948.
  • Dinah Shore's version of BUTTONS AND BOWS lasted 24 weeks on the Billboard charts in 1948, peaking at number one.
  • Also hitting the charts in 1948, were versions of the song recorded by The Dinning Sisters, Betty Rhodes, Evelyn Knight and Betty Garret.
  • The melody to BUTTONS AND BOWS was used as a character theme for "Wrangler Jane", played by Melody Patterson, in the 1960s ABC-TV sitcom F Troop.
  • BUTTONS AND BOWS was performed in the 1950 Paramount Pictures classic, Sunset Bouldevard.



Recording History
Lynn Anderson
Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops Orchestra, American Classics, BMG Direct, #DMC2-1331
Gene Autry, Columbia Records, 20469, 1947
Tommy Bruce, Ain't Misbehaving, Charly Records
Bing Crosby
Syd Dale
Doris Day
The Dinning Sisters, Capitol Records, 15184, 1947
G. Eales
The Ervinna and Charlie & his Boys, Golden Hits of 20th Century, Vol. 4, Whit Cloud Record, EALP-1231, 1972
Michael Feinstein, Livingston & Evans Songbook, Concord Records, FCD-3101-2, 2002
Connie Francis, 1962
Betty Garrett, MGM Records, 10244, 1947
Geraldo and his Orchestra and Doreen Lundy, Parlophone Records, F 2326, 1948
David Grisman and Hal Blaine, Dawg Duos, Acoustic Disc.
Bob Hope, Bob Hopes Thanks for the Memory, Sanctuary Records Group Ltd., #AJA 5493
Bob Hope and The Clark Sisters, Capitol Records, 15292, 1948
Carol Jarvis
Gordon Jenkins, Great Movie Themes of the 30's, 40's & 50's, VeeJay Records, #COL-CD-7268
Karen Benjamin and Alan Chapman
The King Brothers
Evelyn Knight, Decca Records, 24489, 1947
Jay Livingston, The Livingston and Evans Songbook: Michael Feinstein, Concord Records, Inc., #FCD-3101-2 , 2002
Henry Mancini
The MayBees
Hugo Montenegro, Great Songs from Motion Pictures Vol.3 1945-1960, Time Records
Eddie Osborn
Ray Conniff and his Orchestra, The Ultimate Collection, Columbia Records, #5024632000
Betty Rhodes and Harry Zimmerman and his Orchestra, RCA Victor Records, 20-3078, 1948
The Rice Brothers, The Rice Brothers 2, Rounder Records
Don Robertson, (single), RCA, 7862, 1961
Jane Russell, 1948 Academy Awards Show
Sandler & Young, Once More With Feeling, Ralton Productions
Dinah Shore, Columbia Records, 38284, 1947
Frank Sinatra, radio show Your Hit Parade
The Snazin Smith/RyoRyo, ToiBoi Records, 1999
The Sum Sum, (Bitter Love In Tears), EMI Regal Records, LRHX-849, 1971
Sven Libaek Orchestra
Jon Weber, It's Never Quite the Same, Mood Records, MD-1111, 1998
Joanne Wheatley and The Fred Waring Orchestra
Ronny Whyte
Lyrics
Spoken:
A western ranch is just a branch of Nowhere Junction to me.
Gimme the city where livin's pretty and the gals wear finery.


East is east and west is west
And the wrong one I have chose
Let's go where I'll keep on wearin'
Those frills and flowers and buttons and bows
Rings and things and buttons and bows.

Don't bury me in this prairie
Take me where the cement grows
Let's move down to some big town
Where they love a gal by the cut o' her clothes
And you'll stand out, in buttons and bows

I'll love you in buckskin
Or skirts that you've homespun
But I'll love ya' longer, stronger
where yer friends don't tote a gun.
My bones denounce the buckboard bounce
And the cactus hurts my toes
Let's vamoose where gals keep usin'
Those silks and satins and linen that shows,
And you're all mine in buttons and bows.

Gimme eastern trimmin' where women are women
In high silk hose and peek-a-boo clothes
And French perfume that rocks the room
And I'm all yours in buttons and bows

Buttons and bows, buttons and bows...
BUTTONS AND BOWS From the Paramount Picture The Paleface, Famous Music Corp., 1947. Music and Words by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans (Special Picture Release)