Baltimore Oriole

‘Baltimore Oriole’ is the fifth song on George Harrison’s ninth solo album Somewhere In England.

Basically, I was more influenced in my growing-up period by things like The Ink Spots, Hoagy Carmichael, those kinds of singer, and Cab Calloway kind of music.

The music was written in 1942 by Hoagy Carmichael, with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster and Carmichael. The song was one of three of his songs to appear in the 1944 film To Have And Have Not, which also starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

Along with ‘Hong Kong Blues’, ‘Baltimore Oriole’ was one of two Carmichael songs on Somewhere In England.

As for Hoagy Carmichael, I’ve been nuts for him since I was a kid. I cut his ‘Hong Kong Blues’ on Somewhere In England, and there’s still a few more of his I wouldn’t mind doing, like ‘Old Rocking Chair’. Maybe one day – not just yet, but one day when I get a bit older – me and Eric [Clapton] can sing ‘Old rocking chair has got me…’