Lesson plan
Java Jive
Java Jive is a song written by Ben Oakland and Milton Drake in 1940 and most famously recorded that year by The Ink Spots, whose recording reached #17 on the U.S. Pop charts and is considered by many to be the definitive version. The song is also heard in the 1942 movie In This Our Life. The lyrics speak of the singer's love for coffee and tea, and also reflect the slang of that time, including a reference to "Mr. Moto", a Japanese film spy. The song originally featured the couplet "I'm not keen about a bean / Unless it is a 'cheery beery bean", as a pun on the song "Ciribiribin", but the Ink Spots' lead singer, Deek Watson, inadvertently sang it as "cheery cheery bean", and recordings by subsequent artists have generally either followed suit or changed it to "chili chili bean". The Manhattan Transfer performed the song on various occasions, including during their appearances on Camera Three (1974), The Mike Douglas Show (1974), and The Two Ronnies (1978), and the band recorded it for inclusion on their 1975 self-titled album. The song has been recorded several times over the years, notably by Guy Lombardo, The King Sisters, and Bluegrass Student Union.
Article summary
Java Jive is a song written by Ben Oakland and Milton Drake in 1940 and most famously recorded that year by The Ink Spots, whose recording reached #17 on the U.S. Pop charts and is considered by many to be the definitive version. The song is also heard in the 1942 movie In This Our Life. The lyrics speak of the singer's love for coffee and tea, and also reflect the slang of that time, including a reference to "Mr. Moto", a Japanese film spy. The song originally featured the couplet "I'm not keen about a bean / Unless it is a 'cheery beery bean", as a pun on the song "Ciribiribin", but the Ink Spots' lead singer, Deek Watson, inadvertently sang it as "cheery cheery bean", and recordings by subsequent artists have generally either followed suit or changed it to "chili chili bean". The Manhattan Transfer performed the song on various occasions, including during their appearances on Camera Three (1974), The Mike Douglas Show (1974), and The Two Ronnies (1978), and the band recorded it for inclusion on their 1975 self-titled album. The song has been recorded several times over the years, notably by Guy Lombardo, The King Sisters, and Bluegrass Student Union.
Key claims
No claims recorded.
Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
No sources recorded.
Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.