Hooked on Swing is an album produced by Larry Elgart in 1982 for K-tel International and released by RCA Records.
Origins K-tel scored a major success with the release in 1981 of Hooked on Classics, a classical crossover album recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Louis Clark. The album consisted of medleys of familiar themes in Western classical music. K-tel recorded a similar medley album of swing music in Australia, titled "Switched on Swing," and pitched it to RCA, which declined but suggested the concept be pursued with Larry Elgart. He agreed to produce a recording of swing medleys with a disco beat programmed on a drum machine. K-tel announced its plans for Hooked on Swing in May 1982, and the album, credited to Larry Elgart and His Manhattan Swing Orchestra, was recorded and released later that month. It contained six tracks of swing medleys by veteran arrangers Mike Abene, Dick Hyman, and Bobby Scott.
Reception and sales With a half million sales in the three months after the album was released, Hooked on Swing was RIAA-certified gold in July 1982. It rose to a high of No. 24 after spending nine weeks on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, and stayed on the chart for 37 weeks.
In July 1982, Billboard reported that "Larry Elgart's 'Hooked on Swing' collection is currently climbing the top 30. Hip industry insiders may think the medley craze is old hat, but evidently word hasn't filtered down to the public, which is still buying them in a big way."
In January 1985, Hooked on Swing was certified platinum, with a million sales.
The lead off track of the album, titled "Hooked on Swing," was released as a single, and began a climb up the music charts in June 1982. It spent nine weeks on the Billboard Top 50 Adult Contemporary chart, rising to No. 20 by July 27, 1982.
Sequel The success of Hooked on Swing prompted K-tel and Elgart to produce a sequel, Hooked on Swing 2, released in February 1983. It debuted at No. 161 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, rising as high as No. 127, and fell off the chart by June.
Hooked on Swing track listing TrackTitleTime1"Hooked on Swing"6:342"Hooked on Big Bands" 6:503"Hooked on a Star" 6:394"Hooked on Astaire” 6:355"Hooked on the Blue(s)"6:126"Hooked on Broadway"6:27
Full track listing Hooked On Swing In The Mood Cherokee American Patrol Sing, Sing, Sing I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm Johnson Rag Don’t Be That Way Little Brown Jug Opus Number One Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart Take the "A" Train String Of Pearls In The Mood (Reprise) Hooked On Big Bands Chattanooga Choo Choo 9:20 Special Frenesi Stompin’ at the Savoy Skyliner Moten’s Swing You’re Driving Me Crazy Bandstand Boogie Chattanooga Choo Choo (Reprise) Hooked On A Star New York, New York All Of Me They Can't Take That Away from Me Come Fly With Me I've Got a Crush on You Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week) Night And Day All The Way My Way This Heart of Mine Wee Small Hours Witchcraft All or Nothing at All Chicago My Kind of Town New York, New York (Reprise) Love and Marriage Hooked On Astaire Cheek to Cheek It's De-Lovely Change Partners Flying Down To Rio The Continental The Way You Look Tonight Top Hat, White Tie and Tails Puttin' On The Ritz Let Yourself Go Let's Face the Music and Dance Dancing In The Dark I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket Lovely To Look At Isn’t This A Lovely Day Shine On Your Shoes Let's Call the Whole Thing Off Hooked On The Blue(s) St. Louis Blues Blues in the Night Am I Blue Birth Of The Blues Wabash Blues Basin Street Blues St. Louis Blues (Reprise) Hooked On Broadway Lullaby Of Broadway Fanny Sound Of Music Hello Dolly Luck Be a Lady I Got TheSun in the Morning On the Street Where You Live People Will Say We're in Love One Tomorrow Mame Broadway 42nd Street Cabaret
Hooked on Swing 2 track listing TrackTitleTime1"Hooked on Dixie"6:472"Hooked on Swing 2" 5:553"Save the Last Dance for Me" 4:244"Hooked on the Roaring ’20s” 6:285"Swingin’ the Classics"4:506"Swing with Bing"5:24
Full track listing Hooked on Dixie South Rampart Street Parade Mack the Knife Everybody Loves My Baby Twelfth Street Rag Sweet Georgia Brown Muskrat Ramble Tiger Rag Struttin’ With Some Barbecue That's a Plenty Jazz Me Blues Royal Garden Blues There'll Be Some Changes Made Down by the Riverside Limehouse Blues Darktown Strutters' Ball Bill Bailey When The Saints Go Marchin' In Hooked on Swing 2 Let’s Dance Leap Frog Jersey Bounce Perdido Rockin' in Rhythm It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) Minnie the Moocher Christopher Columbus Tippin' In For Dancers Only Intermission Riff Woodchopper's Ball King Porter Stomp Let’s Dance—Reprise Save the Last Dance for Me Goodbye Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams In a Sentimental Mood Going Home Yesterdays Goodnight Sweetheart Hooked on the Roaring ’20s Charleston Button Up Your Overcoat Stumbling Ain't She Sweet Chicago Fascinating Rhythm Japanese Sandman Whispering Varsity Drag Black Bottom The Man I Love The Best Things In Life Are Free Charleston—Reprise Swingin’ The Classics Song Of India Carnival Of Venice Golden Wedding L'Arlésienne Suite Martha (Oh, So Pure) Humoresque Fantaisie-Impromptu Caprice No. 24 Prelude In C-Sharp Piano Concerto No. 1 Anitra’s Dance Sonata For Piano In C Swing with Bing Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day) White Christmas Swinging on a Star The Road To Morocco Pennies From heaven Just One More Chance I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store) In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? How Deep is the Ocean Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive The Bells Of St. Mary’s Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That’s An Irish Lullaby) Where The Blue Of The Night—Reprise
References