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Chim Chim Cher-ee

"Chim Chim Cher-ee" is a song from Mary Poppins, the 1964 musical film,[1] and is also featured in the 2004 Mary Poppins musical.

For the album by Eric Alexander, see Chim Chim Cheree (album).

"Chim Chim Cher-ee"

The song won the 1964 Academy Award for Best Original Song. In 2005, Julie Andrews included this song as part of Julie Andrews Selects Her Favorite Disney Songs.

Songwriters[edit]

The song was written by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman (the "Sherman Brothers"), who also won an Oscar and a Grammy Award for the Mary Poppins score.[1]

Inspiration[edit]

The song was inspired by one of the drawings of a chimney sweep created by Mary Poppins screenwriter Don DaGradi. When the Sherman Brothers asked about the drawing, DaGradi explained the ancient British folklore attributed to "sweeps" and how shaking hands with one or touching their sleeve could bring a person good luck.[2] In their 1961 treatment, the Sherman Brothers had already amalgamated many of the P.L. Travers characters in the creation of "Bert". His theme music became "Chim Chim Cher-ee".


In addition to the "standard" version of the song which Bert sings to the children, he sings short snippets of the song to himself at various times, with different verses specific to an unfolding plot element.


The "Mentsch" music group notes some similarities with a Yiddish song written by Itsik Manger named "Vaylu". The song also shares some sonic similarities to the Yiddish folksong, Tumbalalaika.

on the 1964 album Chim Chim Cheree And Other Children's Choices. (#6 RPM AC Canada[3])

Burl Ives

on the 1965 album The John Coltrane Quartet Plays.

John Coltrane

The Lower Third, an early band, incorporated the song into their repertoire.[4]

David Bowie

on the 1966 album Goin Out of My Head.

Wes Montgomery

released on Italian series I giganti del Jazz.

Charlie Byrd

(on his 1968 album Thoroughly Modern Bing)

Bing Crosby

released a complete Album with Mary Poppins songs, Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins.[5]

Duke Ellington

The Quartet covered this song in 1965.

Howard Roberts

on the 1965 album Chim Chim Cher-ee and Other Happy Songs (#7 RPM AC Canada[6])

The New Christy Minstrels

covered the song for her first Capitol Records album Mrs. Miller - Greatest Hits (1966).

Mrs. Miller

The Tinseltown Players on the some various albums including Chim Chim Charee & Other Kiddie Favorites

on the 1969 album The Chipmunks Go to the Movies

Alvin and the Chipmunks

in German on 1965's Chim-Chim-Cheri

Rex Gildo

on the 1999 album, Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse.[8]

Mannheim Steamroller

Pete Doherty performed this song live at the Meltdown festival in 2007.

The Three D's covered it on a Capitol Records 45rpm 1964 recording

[9]

(as "Chim Cheree") on the 2009 album It Feels So Good When I Stop.

Joe Pernice

on the 2010 album Everybody Wants To Be A Cat.

Esperanza Spalding

(in Japanese on the 2011 album V-Rock Disney[10]

Plastic Tree

as a 2011 single,[11] with all UK proceeds going to Shelter (charity).

Turin Brakes

On 2013 album Disney - Koe no Oujisama Vol.3, which features various Japanese covering Disney songs, this song was covered by Takuma Terashima.

voice actors

in Amazon Women on the Moon.

David Alan Grier

in the album Act3.[12]

The Seldom Scene

An orchestral arrangement of the song was used in the 2021 advertisement "Chimney".[13]

Coca-Cola

as the first track of her cover album Watching from Above 2, released in 2019.

Kokia_(singer)

Parodies[edit]

The song was parodied by song parodist Allan Sherman (no relation to the Sherman Brothers), using the same song title. The parody pokes fun at the American merchandise seen on TV commercials.


Supporters of English football teams, Millwall, West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers, sing a version of the song which is a reference to each team's local rivals, West Ham, Aston Villa and Burnley, who all wear claret and blue shirts.


English comedian Tim Vine played on the lyrics to the song in the title of one of his stand-up DVDs, Tim Timinee, Tim Timinee, Tim Tim To You and on the cover it features Vine dressed up as a chimney sweep.[14]

Walt's Time: from before to beyond. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998.

Sherman, Robert B.