Sea Cruise

"Sea Cruise" is a song written and sung by Huey "Piano" Smith and His Clowns.

The recording was included on the 1971 Ace Records compilation Huey "Piano" Smith's Rock & Roll Revival!^[1]

Original

The song was initially covered by Frankie Ford in 1959, with a top-20 hit, using Smith's original backing track.^[2] Released on Ace Records, it sold over one million copies, gaining gold disc status.^[3] The single included ship's bell and horn sound-effects, as well as boogie piano, a driving horn section and a beat that anticipated ska music. The song has been included in several motion picture soundtracks, including Ski Patrol in 1990 and Out to Sea in 1997.^[4]

Recorded cover versions

It was later also covered by:

• Jackie Edwards released a ska version in 1964
• Herman's Hermits covered the song in 1965 on the album Introducing Herman's Hermits.^[5]
• The Hondells covered the song in the 1960s, as seen on a Scopitone film.^[6]
• Freddy Cannon covered it in a 1968 single released by "We Make Rock'N Roll Records" #1604^[7]
• Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets covered the song on their album, Good Rockin' Tonight (1971).
• The Houseshakers in Demolition Rock (1972) (available on CD Contours Of Rock 'n' Roll Raucous Records).
• Sha Na Na on The Night Is Still Young^[8] and Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll (both 1972).
• Jerry Lee Lewis in 1973 for his album The Session...Recorded in London with Great Artists.
• Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen covered the song in 1973.
• Johnny Rivers covered it in 1974 on the album Last Boogie in Paris.^[9]
• John Fogerty covered it on his self-titled 1975 solo album.^[10]
• Nicky Hopkins covered it in 1975 on the album No More Changes.^[11]
• The Beach Boys, recorded c. 1976 for initial inclusion on 15 Big Ones (released on the 1981 compilation album Ten Years of Harmony featuring a vocal by Dennis Wilson)^[12]
• Robert Gordon and Link Wray covered the song on their 1977 album Robert Gordon with Link Wray.
• Showaddywaddy covered the song on their 1979 album Crepes & Drapes.^[13]
• Billy "Crash" Craddock^[14] covered it in 1980 on the album Changes.
• Rico Rodriguez recorded an instrumental version in 1980 with The Specials.
• Glenn Frey recorded the song on his first solo album, No Fun Aloud in 1982, after having performed it with Eagles on the same year of their breakup, 1980.
• Anne Murray performed the song in her 1983 TV special Anne Murray: Caribbean Cruise.
• The Kidsongs Kids covered the song on their 1986 video "What I Want to Be!".
• Dion covered the song in 1990 on the album Adventures of Ford Fairlane.^[15]
• American R&B and boogie-woogie pianist and singer Little Willie Littlefield recorded a version for his 1997 album The Red One.^[16]
• Jimmy Buffett covered the song on the 1995 album Margaritaville Cafe Late Night Gumbo. It also appeared on M.O.M. - Music for our mother ocean - Vol 3 in 1999, and Jimmy's Live in Mansfield, MA CD released in 2004.
• Status Quo on their 1999 single, "The Way It Goes."^[17][18]
• Cliff Richard and The Shadows covered the song on their 2009 album Reunited. Cliff also covered it on his 1990 live album, From a Distance - The Event.
• Don McLean on his 1981 album, Believers.
• In 1976 actress Jill Clayburgh performed the song on Saturday Night Live (season one, episode 15), backed by the US Coast Guard’s a cappella group The Idlers.
• Yo La Tengo recorded the song for their covers album Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics.

References

Dion DiMucci
Albums	Born to Be with You
Singles	"Lonely Teenager" "Runaround Sue" "The Wanderer" "Lovers Who Wander" "Little Diane" "Love Came to Me" "Ruby Baby" "Come Go with Me" "Donna the Prima Donna" "Drip Drop" "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" "Shout" "Johnny B. Goode" "Abraham, Martin and John" "Purple Haze" "And the Night Stood Still" "Sea Cruise"
Book:Dion DiMucci