Hit song for
Fats Waller in
1935. Written by
Al Dubin and
Harry Warren, the song reached #8 on the charts, after debuting in the film
Broadway Gondolier, where it was sung by
Dick Powell.
Gotta get my old tuxedo pressed, gotta sew a button on my vest,
'cause tonight I've gotta look my best, Lulu's back in town.
Gotta get a half a buck somewhere, gotta shine my shoes and slick my hair,
gotta get myself a boutonniere, Lulu's back in town.
You can tell all my pets, all my Harlem coquettes,
Mister Otis regrets, that he won't be aroun'.
You can tell the mailman not to call, I ain't comin' home until the fall
and I might not get back home at all... Lulu's back in town.
Now a
jazz standard, it's not only been covered by vocalists (
The Four Freshmen,
Johnny Mercer,
The Mills Brothers,
Louis Prima,
Leon Redbone,
Teresa Brewer, and
Dan Hicks), but instrumentalists as well, including
Dave Brubeck,
Thelonious Monk,
Marian McPartland,
Oscar Peterson,
Lyle Ritz, and
David Grisman.