“Buttons and Bows” (1948) – Dinah Shore with her Happy Valley Boys * Written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans * 78: “Buttons and Bows” / “Daddy-O (I’m Gonna Teach You Some Blues)” * Label: Columbia
This catalyst for deep baby boomer nostalgia, with its child-friendly lyrics comparing the apparel of cowboys to city girls, first appeared in the 1948 film The Paleface. In a performance that nabbed the song an Academy Award, Bob Hope sang it to Jane Russell in a covered wagon while squeezing a concertina. On record, Dinah Shore gave it a female perspective and struck gold. Although writers Livingston and Evans had softened the more stereotypically Native American effects they intended to give it, “Buttons and Bows” still retains certain cinematic Indian sound signals, with its chant-like melody over minimum chord changes.