| "The Trolley Song" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Judy Garland & Georgie Stoll Orchestra[1] | |
| B-side | "Boys and Girls Like You" |
| Released | October 1944 |
| Recorded | April 21, 1944[1] |
| Studio | Decca Studios, Los Angeles, California[1] |
| Length | 2:50 |
| Label | Decca 23361[1] |
| Composer(s) | Hugh Martin[2] |
| Lyricist(s) | Ralph Blane[2] |
"The Trolley Song" is a song written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and made famous by Judy Garland[3] in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis. In a 1989 NPR interview, Blane said the song was inspired by a picture of a trolleycar in a turn-of-the-century newspaper.[4] In 1974, he had said the picture was in a book he had found at the Beverly Hills Public Library and was captioned "'Clang, Clang, Clang,' Went the Trolley."[5]
Blane and Martin were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 1945 Academy Awards, for "The Trolley Song" but lost to "Swinging on a Star" from Going My Way.[6] "The Trolley Song" was ranked #26 by the American Film Institute in 2004 on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs list. The song as conducted by Georgie Stoll for Meet Me in St. Louis has a very complex, evocative arrangement by Conrad Salinger featuring harmonized choruses, wordless vocals, and short highlights or flourishes from a wide range of orchestral instruments. It was recorded on April 21, 1944 at Decca Studios on Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California.[1]
The song was used daily in Walt Disney Worlds’ Magic Kingdom theme park in Florida as one of the core musical soundtrack numbers for the dance performances during the Main Street trolley show. This show ceased during the global Covid pandemic and has not returned to the theme park.[citation needed]
