You're Driving Me Crazy (song)

"You’re Driving Me Crazy" is a U.S. popular song composed (music and lyrics) by Walter Donaldson for the 1930 musical comedy Smiles. It was recorded the same year by Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians (with vocal by Carmen Lombardo) and became a hit. It was also recorded in 1930 by McKinney's Cotton Pickers and in 1931 by Rudy Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees and by Nick Lucas & His Crooning Troubadors. Nick Lucas's version, released on Brunswick, was a No. 7 hit: Brunswick 4987 (E-35404). The chords of "You're Driving Me Crazy" form the basis for Benny Moten's great "Moten Swing."

In 1931, cartoon character Betty Boop sang a sexy version of the song in the pre-code cartoon Silly Scandal. As Boop sang the song, her dress slipped down repeatedly, revealing a lacy bra and causing her to squeal. Later in the song, Betty was joined on stage by a line of mechanical dancing penguins who stomped out the beat in accompaniment to her singing.

"You're Driving Me Crazy" has become a standard that has been recorded by over 100 artists. The artists who have recorded the song include Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Tormé, Della Reese, Betty Carter, Django Reinhardt, Peggy Lee, and Lester Young. A version by The Temperance Seven made number one in the UK in 1961.

The song has also been performed in the movies including:


 * The 1931 Paramount Betty Boop cartoon Silly Scandal noted above.
 * Fleischer Studios 1931 cartoon called Screen Songs, with jazzy scat singing of "You're Driving Me Crazy" by various animals. There is a dancing lion which looks like Betty Boop, monkeys and other animals, including a Cab Calloway sound-alike.
 * The 2005 Oscar-nominated film Good Night, and Good Luck. "You're Driving Me Crazy" and other standards performed by Dianne Reeves.
 * The 2001 soccer/prison movie Mean Machine. "You're Driving Me Crazy" is performed by Bob Brozman on a soundtrack.
 * The 1991 film The Marrying Man starring Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin. "You're Driving Me Crazy" is performed by Alan Paul from Manhattan Transfer.

Recorded versions

 * Lorez Alexandria
 * Ray Algere
 * Steve Allen
 * Gene Ammons
 * Bill Allred
 * Ray Anthony
 * Colin Anthony
 * Louis Armstrong
 * Gene Austin
 * Chet Baker
 * Josephine Baker
 * Nan Bell
 * Betty Bennett
 * Blue Wisp Big Band
 * Jook Bourke
 * Ruby Braff
 * Les Brown
 * Bob Brozman
 * Vivian Buczek
 * Tony Burgos
 * Sonny Burke
 * Max Bygraves
 * Helen Carr
 * Barbara Carroll
 * Betty Carter
 * The Catalinas
 * The Chanters
 * Charlie & His Orchestra
 * Chris Clifton
 * Nat King Cole
 * Ken Colyer
 * Eddie Condon
 * Bob Crosby
 * Maurice Coyle
 * Doris Day
 * Joey Dee and the Starliters
 * Vic Dickenson
 * Tommy Dorsey
 * Billy Eckstine
 * Kurt Edelhagen
 * Les Elgart
 * Anita Ellis
 * Seger Ellis
 * Bill Evans
 * Al Fairweather
 * Georgie Fame
 * Eric Felten
 * Gracie Fields
 * Ella Fitzgerald


 * Erroll Garner
 * Ralph Gean
 * Jackie Gleason
 * Benny Goodman
 * Stéphane Grappelli
 * Buddy Greco (1953)
 * Parry Gripp
 * Lionel Hampton
 * Dick Haymes
 * Jeff Healey
 * Ted Heath
 * Duke Heitger
 * Fletcher Henderson
 * Earl Hines
 * Art Hodes
 * Johnny Hodges
 * Billie Holiday
 * Hoosier Hot Shots
 * Claude Hopkins
 * Helen Humes
 * Dick Hyman
 * Etta Jones
 * Clifford Jordan
 * Keynoters
 * Rebecca Kilgore
 * Ben E. King
 * Lee Konitz
 * Abbe Lane
 * Peggy Lee
 * Guy Lombardo
 * Nick Lucas
 * Humphrey Lyttelton
 * Rod Mason
 * Billy May
 * Les McCann
 * Jack McDuff
 * The McGuire Sisters
 * Dave McKenna
 * McKinney's Cotton Pickers
 * Jay McShann
 * George Melly
 * Glenn Miller
 * Joe Morello
 * Jaye P. Morgan
 * Lee Morse
 * Noble


 * Joe Pass
 * Tony Pastor
 * Art Pepper
 * Perez Prado
 * Professor Longhair
 * Quintet of the Hot Club of France
 * Sonny Red
 * Don Redman & His Orchestra (1939)
 * Della Reese
 * Dianne Reeves
 * Django Reinhardt
 * Nelson Riddle
 * Jimmy Rowles
 * Jane Russell
 * George Shearing
 * Dinah Shore
 * Zoot Sims
 * Frank Sinatra
 * Keely Smith
 * Valaida Snow
 * Jeri Southern
 * Muggsy Spanier
 * Squirrel Nut Zippers (1995)
 * Jess Stacy
 * Kay Starr
 * Curtis Stigers
 * Maxine Sullivan
 * Ralph Sullivan
 * Art Tatum
 * The Temperance Seven (1961)
 * Mel Tormé
 * Big Joe Turner
 * Rudy Vallée
 * Sarah Vaughan
 * Lukas Vesely
 * Fred Waring
 * Teddy Wilson
 * Phil Woods
 * Lester Young