What song makes Navin R. Johnson dance?

May 19, 2006 3:33 PM

This has been bugging me for years; someone has to know the answer. In "The Jerk" (Steve Martin, 1979), Steve Martin's character gets out of bed to snap his fingers and dance to a song on the radio he claims "speaks" to him. What is that song, and who performed it?

It sounds like Herb Alpert, but I can't find the right one.

As I remember, there are at least a couple different songs used in that scene, depending on which version of the movie you see (television, VHS, DVD, etc.). I'm interested in the VHS version, but any other insight is certainly welcome.

posted by sportbucket to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

Mod note: I think it's "Pick a Bale of Cotton," based on the parent's lines in the scene mp3.

From the IMDB soundtrack page:
Sung by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee
Words and Music by Huddie Ledbetter
Collected and adapted by John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax
posted by kirkaracha (staff) at 3:58 PM on May 19, 2006

Mod note: Here's a transcript of the movie; the lyrics of "Pick a Bale of Cotton" are right before his "this music speaks to me" line. Mr. Bad Ideas agrees.

The music in the scene sounds like the ABBA cover that's previewed here.

Huddie Ledbetter is Leadbelly (this page has two Real Audio samples).

Bonus: "He hates these cans! Stay away from the cans!" mp3
posted by kirkaracha (staff) at 4:20 PM on May 19, 2006

Response by poster: Hmm.. I'm pretty sure it's not "Pick a Bale of Cotton." That song is used to establish Navin's upbringing as a poor black child. The song he hears on the radio (the one I'm looking for) is introduced by the DJ as "music in a mellow mood" -- easy listening, smooth jazz -- very much unlike "Pick a Bale of Cotton."

Thanks for the help, though! The links to moviewavs.com are much appreciated.
posted by sportbucket at 4:32 PM on May 19, 2006

Yeah, I don't have the answer, but the music in question is white people's music, I think. That was the whole point; that he had found music he could relate to.
posted by bingo at 5:03 PM on May 19, 2006

The transcript is misleading, it leaves out a scene break. The "white people" music that he is listening to in bed is Montavani, I believe. I'll go take a look.
posted by Dunwitty at 5:36 PM on May 19, 2006

Yeah, it's Montovani. A quick scan around the web has other's mentioning it, although there's no definitive citation. I can't remember why I thought it was Montovani, I thought it was mentioned there in the movie, but the transcription doesn't seem to mention it.

Hope this helps - a more thorough Google-fu will probably take you farther.
posted by Dunwitty at 5:40 PM on May 19, 2006

It helps when you spell it correctly. :-) Google for:

"the jerk" mantovani

And you'll get hundreds of hits. One of them will probably tell you which arrangement he's hearing.

Mantovani is himself quite a story, and he died the year after "The Jerk" was released. See AllMusic.com for his story.
posted by Dunwitty at 5:48 PM on May 19, 2006

And finally: the reason I thought it was Mantovani was because on his Let's Get Small album, Martin uses the schtick "I was born a small black child... heard my first Mantovani record, had my cock shortened and became white."

So, while there is certainly the suggestion that this is the music he used in the movie, that itself is no lock. However, there are many references on the web to him using that music in The Jerk, but again, nothing definitive.

And that's it, I'm done.
posted by Dunwitty at 6:00 PM on May 19, 2006