"Thou Swell" is a show tune, a popular song and a jazz standard.
The music was written by Richard Rodgers, with words by Lorenz Hart, for the 1927 musical A Connecticut Yankee. There are jazz vocal renditions by Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Blossom Dearie, Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Williams. Fats Waller and Billy May both recorded the song instrumentally.
An instrumental version was recorded in Oslo on April 29, 1954 by "Verden Rundt's" All Star Band (Rowland Greenberg (trp) - A. Skjold (trombone) - K. Stokke (alt) - K. Bergheim (tenor) - Knut Hyrum (baritone) - I. Børsum (bass) - Scott Lunde (piano) - K. O. Hoff (drums)). Arranger and conductor: Egil Monn-Iversen. It was released on the 78 rpm record Musica RA-9005. The B-side was "Perdido".
The lyric is notable, as indicated by the title, for its mix of old English and modern slang.
The music of the song is featured in the film All About Eve (1950). It is played on the piano at the party when Margo tells her friends to "fasten their seat belts".
Famous quotes containing the words thou and/or swell:
“Even Lust the Master of a hardned Face,
Blushes if thou beest in the place,
To darkness’ Curtains he retires,
In Sympathizing Night he rowls his smoaky Fires.
When, Goddess, thou liftst up thy wakened Head,
Out of the Mornings purple bed,
Thy Quire of Birds about thee play,
And all the joyful world salutes the rising day.”
—Abraham Cowley (1618–1667)
“Why now, blow wind, swell billow, and swim bark!
The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)