Sleeve, Record, 45 RPM, Louis Prima, "Beep ! Beep !"
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https://iiif.si.eduView ManifestView in Mirador ViewerUsage Conditions May ApplyUsage Conditions ApplyThere are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.
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This 45 RPM record contains a single of Louis Prima's hit song, "Beep! Beep!," which was inspired by the flight of the first artificial satellite. Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. The distinctive beeping of its radio signal could be picked up using radios around the world.
Louis Prima, known as the "King of Swing," recorded this song during a period when he partnered with vocalist Keely Smith, who was also his wife at the time. The song uses a series of space-themed puns in the lyrics as the singer (Prima) imagines that his "baby is gone on a trip to the Moon." As he wonders "when she is coming down to Earth again," Prima laments that "all I hear from her is..." the sound of beeping.
The cultural reaction of Sputnik's flight included not only this song, but also drink and sandwich recipes -- and even the origins of the word "beatnik' to describe intellectuals influenced by the literary movement of the Beat Generation.
The record was donated to the Museum by Thomas and Henry Paone in 2019.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
MEMORABILIA-Popular Culture
Manufacturer
Capitol Records Dimensions
2-D - Unframed (H x W): 17.8 × 18.1cm (7 in. × 7 1/8 in.) Materials
Paper
Ink Inventory Number
A20190029001
Credit Line
Gift of Henry J. Paone
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.