I Went to Your Wedding

For the song "I Went to a Wedding..." by Half Man Half Biscuit, see Saucy Haulage Ballads.

"I Went to Your Wedding" is a popular song written and composed by Jessie Mae Robinson and published in 1952.

The song is a report of a wedding, attended by the ex-lover of one of the parties being married, who obviously is still in love with the person to whom it is addressed. While the lines "You came down the aisle/ Wearing a smile/ A vision of loveliness" might suggest the song being directed to a female, the best-known versions of the song have been sung by female singers, presumably to male ex-lovers.

The biggest hit version was recorded by Patti Page. It was recorded on August 6, 1952, and issued by Mercury Records as catalog number 5899, with the flip side "You Belong to Me." It first entered the Billboard chart on August 22, 1952, lasting 21 weeks and reaching #1 on the chart. [1] "I Went to Your Wedding" also afforded Page a #1 hit in Australia.

Another version was recorded by the Sammy Kaye orchestra, on August 15, 1952, and issued by Columbia Records as catalog number 39856. The song was also recorded by Alma Cogan in the United Kingdom in 1952.

A country music version by Hank Snow peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1952.[2]

The song was then famously 'spoofed' by Spike Jones and his City Slickers later in the decade. The lines quoted above were altered thus: "You tripped down the aisle/ Fell flat on your (laughter) smile/ Your father was loaded too." The male ex-lover (Jones' vocalist) is in fact now interpreted to be glad to "get rid" of the bride! Ray Stevens covered the Spike Jones version in 2012 on the 9-CD project, The Encyclopedia of Recorded Comedy Music.

The French rendering of "I Went To Your Wedding," re-titled "Ton mariage," was recorded in 1953 by Lys Assia; Line Renaud and Tino Rossi also recorded versions.

Philippine singer Victor Wood performed and released a bilingual version of "I Went To Your Wedding" in which he alternated the original lyrics with Filipino ones. This particular cover became popular in the Philippines and gave some fame to the entertainer.

The song's melody is very similar to the old Russian song Po Donu gulyaet kazak molodoi (Young Cossak went near the Don).

See also

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Record Research.
  2. ↑ "I Went to Your Wedding". Allmusic. Retrieved August 24, 2011.
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