The worldwide reach of the song “Chattanooga Choo Choo” is no secret to Chattanoogans who have been around for any length of time. We’ve all heard tales of people traveling in some remote part of the world who, upon mentioning where they are from, are suddenly serenaded by taxi drivers, sherpas, hotel clerks or waiters who launch into the famous opening line: “Pardon me, boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?”
Barry CourterThe song was introduced to the world 75 years ago by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in the movie “Sun Valley Serenade.” To commemorate the song, the Chattanooga Convention & Visitors Bureau created a nearly seven-minute documentary focused on the song and its history.
The song itself was written by Harry Warren (music) and Mack Gordon (lyric). It was the first song in history to be certified gold, representing more than 1 million in sales, though it actually topped out at 1.2 million by February of 1942. The Miller version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1996.
This is hardly the only hit song by Warren and Gordon, as they also wrote “At Last,” which was a hit for Miller in 1941, and a bigger smash years later by Etta James. Her version was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. They also wrote “You’ll Never Know,” which won an Academy Award in 1943 for Best Original Song from the “Hello, Frisco, Hello” soundtrack.
Nashville-based music historian Robert K. Oermann provides some historical perspective on not only the song but the love affair with trains Americans were having at the time. The short film also includes some archival footage of Miller and his orchestra performing the song.