DISARMING THE FOOT
Before the field goal and karate kick, the foot was used for walking. Plenty of places to stroll: on beaches, along rivers, park paths, hiking trails, etc. Thoughts were shared or kept to oneself.
Poet Charles Olson declared, “A foot is to kick with.” Songwriter Lee Hazelwood wrote, “These Boots are Made for Walking.” But he meant stomping—on others (perhaps deserving of such vehemence).
Nevertheless, I have decided the foot has been weaponized and we must remember its old disarmed uses for hiking, sauntering, strolling, wandering and the like. So No marching today. No kick boxing. You’ll get your kicks from pure cirambulation.
I know I do. At Physical Therapy three times a week for a back rustier than the Tin Woodsman’s, my final exercise is to do around a dozen laps around my rehabilitation center. Now I even try taking walks around the block and feel blessed if I can keep moving and upright for ten minutes.
In honor of the miracale of partially restored mobility, I have assembled a medley of songs about walking—alone or with someone else. I promise there are no stalkers behind you and no creeps in front. The only creep you’ll hear is the sound of loafers, sandals or walking shoes. The way is your’s to take as you see fit or as you feel.
As you will hear, motives for mobility are many. And I’ve tried to pay homage to as many as possible. So there’s a lot og walking music here. Although the medley is pretty much chronological, I used a 1949 song by Irving Berlin as overture. The most popualr “walking” song ever is here in four versions. Sorry, but these are all fabulous.
Doris Day & Frank Sinatra, Let’s Take An Old-Fashioned Walk, 1949
Annette Hanshaw, Walking My Baby Back Home, 1931
Nick Lucas, Walkin’ My Baby Back Home, 1931
Nat “King” Cole with Billy May, Walking My Baby Back Home, 1952
Johnnie Ray with the Buddy Cole Trio, Walkin’ My Baby Back Home, 1952
Roy Fox (Denny Dennis, voc.), I’ve Got a Shoe, 1933
The Dorsey Brothers (Kay Weber, voc.), Let’s Take a Walk Around the Block (Harold Arlen/IraGershwon/ “Yip” Harburg), 1934
Jackie Paris, Let’s Take a Walk Around the Block, 1960 (Paris is one of my all-time favorite singers)
Helen Morgan, I’ve Got Sand in My Shoes, 1934
Connee Boswell with Victor Young, Sand in My Shoes, 1941 (a different far better-known song)
Leslie A. Hutchinson, Sand in My Shoes, 1941 (one of the greatest records of a great singer)
Una Mae Carlisle, Walkin’ by the River, 1941
Hot Lips Page, Walkin’ in a Daze, 1948
Tini Coles, Got Holes in My Shoes, 1949
The Four Knights, Walkin’ and Whistlin’ Blues, 1951
Les Paul, Walkin’ and Whistlin’ Blues, 1951 (different song than that by Four Knights)
The Gerry Mulligan Quartet, Walking Shoes, 1952
Johnny Smith, Walk, Don’t Run, 1954 (Up next is the superb 1957 cover by Chet Atkins, followed by the 1960 “hit” version by the Ventures)
Chet Atkins, Walk Don’t Run, 1957
The Ventures, Wa;l, Don’t Run, 1960
Willie Dixon, Walking the Blues. 1955
Roy Hamilton, You’ll Never Walk Aone, 1955 (I bought the 45 version)
Patsy Cline, Walkin’ after Midnight, 1957
The Diamonds, The Stroll, 1958
Fats Domino, I’m Walkin’ 1957
Fats Domino, Walking to New Orlean, 1959
The Swanee Quintet, New Walk, 1959
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Walkin’, 1962
Chet Baker, Walkin’, 1964
The Drifters, I’ve Got Sand in My Shoes, 1964
Dionne Warwick, Walk On By, 1964
Ella Fitzgerald, These Boots are Made for Walkin’, 1966 (this is a killer version)
Dr. John, I Walk on Guilded Splinters, 1968 (released as a 2-part mono 45)
Dr. John, Walking by the River, 2005
Rith Etting with Rube Bloom, What Do We Do on a Dew-Dew-Dewy Day, 1927 (okay, time to go back indoors)
Where is “Remember (Walking in the sand)” by the ShangriLa’s?