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Song "720 in the Books": WGN connection?

D

DanStrassberg

720 IN THE BOOKS
(Harold Adamson / Jan Savitt / Johnny Watson)

Jan Savitt & His Orch. (Instr.) - 1939
Charlie Barnet & His Orch. (vocal: Mary Ann McCall)) - 1940
Casa Loma Orchestra - 1940
Claude Thornhill & His Orch. (Instr.) - 1950
Ella Fitzgerald - 1958

Also recorded by;
Al Caiola; Earl Bostic; George Gee; Don Neely

This song is almost 70 years old now, but WGN had been on the air for almost two decades in 1939 and probably had been on 720 for a decade or longer. Although I found a copy of the lyric on the Web, I did not see any reference to an explanation of the song title--a title that I find rather enigmatic. Does anyone know whether 720 in the song title refers to WGN? If so, how did the reference get into the song title and what does it mean?
 
It has nothing to do with WGN. Big Band musicians had large music books and songs were called up by the band leader by number, rather than name. It was easier to understand a number is a ballroom than a title and everyone knew where to find the music if you knew what number it was. No need to keep the books ordered alphabetically.
 
Arbitorn said:
Big Band musicians had large music books and songs were called up by the band leader by number, rather than name. In a ballroom, it was easier to understand a number than a title and everyone knew where to find the music if you knew what number it was.
Click to expand...

Thanks!
 
'Way back in the 60's or 70's I know I heard this played well after midnight on WGN more than once.
They never made any comments of references to the meaning of the title then.
I guess back then they figured everyone knew what was being referred to.
 
I know a guy who refused to play, "5-10-15-20-25 Years of Love" by the Presidents on another station in Buffalo because the "15-20" part would refer to WKBW.

The band most known for "720 in the Books" was Jan Savitt's.
 
Arbitorn said:
I know a guy who refused to play, "5-10-15-20-25 Years of Love" by the Presidents on another station in Buffalo because the "15-20" part would refer to WKBW.

The band most known for "720 in the Books" was Jan Savitt's.
Click to expand...

But as indicated in the information I quoted from the Web in my original post, other artists made many recordings of the song, both as an instrumental and a vocal. What that info missed about the Jan Savitt recording, however, is the odd name of the (male) vocalist: Bon Bon! I have to say this about that name: it IS memorable--once you know that Bon Bon was a guy.
 
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