Drop Me Off in Harlem

"Drop Me Off in Harlem"
Song by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
Published1933 by Mills Music
RecordedFebruary 16, 1933
GenreJazz
SongwriterDuke Ellington
ComposerDuke Ellington
LyricistNick Kenny

"Drop Me Off in Harlem" is a 1933 song composed during the Harlem Renaissance by Duke Ellington, with lyrics written by Nick Kenny.

Background

A.H. Lawrence writes that the song originated from an off the cuff remark from Ellington. Nick Kenny had hailed a taxi, and offered to share it with Ellington. Kenny asked "Where to, Duke?", and Ellington replied "Drop me off at Harlem". Kenny then fashioned lyrics from Ellington's remark and presented him with them a few days later at the Cotton Club.

Recording

Drop Me Off in Harlem includes a number of solos. Ellington played a solo for piano in the introduction, followed by Lawrence Brown on trombone. There are several trumpet solos, performed by, in order: Arthur Whetsel, Freddie Jenkins, Whetsel, Cootie Williams, and then a clarinet solo by Barney Bigard.

Credits

Critical reception

Drop Me Off in Harlem has been widely praised. It has been described as beguiling, as well as speaking to the freedom that Black Americans found in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance.

Notable recordings

Notes

  1. 1 2 Lawrence, A.H. Duke Ellington and His World (New York: Routledge, 2003), 189.
  2. 1 2 Zirpolo, Mike (2020-05-22). ""Drop Me Off in Harlem" (1933) Duke Ellington; and (1984) from the film "The Cotton Club"". Swing & Beyond. Retrieved 2026-09-19.
  3. ↑ asdrupal (2010-07-28). "Drop Me Off In Harlem | Center for the Humanities". humanities.washu.edu. Retrieved 2026-09-19.

See also