Boogie-woogie


What's the meaning of the phrase 'Boogie-woogie'?

A style of blues music, with close links to jazz forms like ragtime and stride, usually played on the piano.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Boogie-woogie'?

The origin of the term ‘boogie-woogie’ is uncertain. The most likely explanation is that it is a reduplication of ‘boogie’, which was the name given to a rent party in early 20th century USA. These parties were impromptu affairs, set up (pitched) to raise money to pay rent, at which a small entrance fee was charged. Brian Rust, in his exhaustive directory of recorded jazz music – ‘Jazz Records 1897-1942’, records this line from from a 1929 piece:

“We’re gonna pitch a boogie right here.”

The term boogie-woogie is first recorded in print as the title of Clarence ‘Pinetop’ Smith’s 1928 recording, Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie, which includes these lyrics:

I want all of you to know Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie
I want everybody to dance just like I say
And when I say ‘hold it there’
I want all of you … to stop
And when I say stop – don’t move
And when I say git it
I want all of you to do a boogie-woogie

See other reduplicated phrases.

Trend of boogie – woogie in printed material over time

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
Boogie-woogie

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