"Two Sleepy People" is a song that was written on September 10, 1938, by Hoagy Carmichael. The lyrics were written by Frank Loesser.

Background

The song "Thanks for the Memory," written for the February 1938 film The Big Broadcast of 1938 by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger, was performed by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross. It became very popular. Later, Carmichael and Loesser were asked to write a new song for a film titled Thanks for the Memory. They created "Two Sleepy People," which was also sung by Hope and Ross. The song describes a young couple in love who stay up until dawn because they do not want to say goodnight and separate.

The song became an immediate hit. The version performed by Fats Waller was the most popular. Other popular versions in 1938 included those by Sammy Kaye & His Orchestra (sung by Charlie Wilson), Kay Kyser & His Orchestra (sung by Ginny Simms and Harry Babbitt), Bob Crosby & His Orchestra (sung by Bob Crosby and Marian Mann), Hoagy Carmichael & Ella Logan, and Lawrence Welk & His Orchestra (sung by Walter Bloom). The version by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross remained popular in 1939.

Other notable recordings

The song has been performed and recorded by many artists, including Fats Waller, Al Bowlly, Bing Crosby and Marilyn Maxwell, Page Cavanaugh, Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRae, Art Garfunkel, Vince Jones, Seth MacFarlane, Julie London, Dean Martin and Line Renaud, Jean Sablon, Silje Nergaard, Jack Pleis, Carly Simon and John Travolta, Peter Skellern, Hank Jones, Helen Forrest (with Artie Shaw), and duets featuring Alice Babs and Ulrik Neumann, and Carsie Blanton. Another duet was performed by Seth MacFarlane and Norah Jones.

The song was also performed on the 1975 variety show Twiggy, which featured the famous model and Jeremy Brett, who later became well-known for his role as Sherlock Holmes.

The song was performed by Dorothy Lamour during the October 30, 1938 broadcast of the Chase and Sanborn Hour radio program.

It was recorded by Philip and Vanessa in 1974 and included on their album Two Sleepy People. This version reached the Breakers section of the UK Top 50 and was played on Top Of The Pops. It was also played on Capital Radio and reached number 17 on their chart.

The song was also performed in the episode "Elegant Iggy" of the TV series Taxi, at the end of Jim Ignatowski’s spontaneous musical performance. This version of the song is not included in the DVD release of the episode.