Underneath the Arches (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Underneath the Arches (disambiguation)

"Underneath the Arches" is a popular song written by Reg Connelly and Bud Flanagan in 1931.^{[citation needed]}

It was one of the most famous songs of the duo Flanagan and Allen, and was also later performed by Primo Scala, The Andrews Sisters, and Andy Russell in the United States. A well-known version in the United Kingdom was done by Max Bygraves.

According to a television programme broadcast in 1957, Bud Flanagan said that he wrote the song in Derby in 1927, and first performed it a week later at the Pier Pavilion, Southport.^[1] It refers to the arches of Friar Gate railway bridge.^[2]

The Primo Scala recording, with The Keynotes, was released by London Records as catalog number 238. The record first reached the Billboard charts on August 6, 1948 and lasted 16 weeks on the chart, peaking at #6. ^[3]

The Andrews Sisters' recording was released by Decca Records as catalog number 24490 (the flip side of their recording of You Call Everybody Darlin'). The record first reached the Billboard charts on August 27, 1948 and lasted 10 weeks on the chart, peaking at #10. ^[3]

The Andy Russell recording was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 15183. The record first reached the Billboard charts on October 1, 1948 and lasted 5 weeks on the chart, peaking at #21. ^[3]

The song is used in the television mini-series A Perfect Spy, based on the John le Carré novel, while father and son (the key figures) are running under arches near a British beach. It was also the signature tune for the Radio London Underneath the Arches programme.