Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral
"Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's an Irish Lullaby)" is a classic American song that was written in 1913 by composer James Royce Shannon (1881–1946) for the Tin Pan Alley musical Shameen Dhu. The original recording of the song, by Chauncey Olcott, peaked at #1 on the music charts. The song was brought back to prominence by Bing Crosby's performance in 1944's Going My Way. Crosby's single sold over a million copies and peaked at #4 on the Billboard music charts.
Other versions[edit]
In 1976, Richard Manuel and Van Morrison sang the song, as "Tura Lura Lural (That's an Irish Lullaby)", during The Band's farewell concert The Last Waltz. "Come On, Eileen", a #1 U.K. chart single from the English band Dexys Midnight Runners, includes a chorus with the lines "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra Too-Ra-Loo-Rye, Ay / And you'll hum this tune forever." The song appeared on their 1982 album titled Too-Rye-Ay. The same line is also repeated in the song "Vagabond of the Western World" by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy from their 1973 album Vagabonds of the Western World. Steve Martin performed the song for comic effect in the film Housesitter. The song also featured memorably in a Season 2, Episode 8[15] cold open of Cheers, as the denizens of the bar sang the lullaby over the telephone to an infant Tortelli. Ed Asner's character, Lou Grant, also sang the lullaby to Mary Richards on her couch to help her get to sleep without using a sleeping pill in an episode of the final season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Damian McGinty's character performs the song in the film Santa Fake to comfort the widow Mrs. Ortega.
Others who have recorded the song include Bobby Darin, Connie Francis, Perry Como, The Ames Brothers, Regis Philbin, Jessi Colter, Slim Whitman, Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, The Irish Tenors, Rosemary Clooney, Kate Smith, Gene Autry, Frances Faye, John Gary, Kenny Loggins, and The Ennis Sisters.