Chim Chim Cher-ee - Wikipedia

1964 song by the Sherman Brothers For the album by Eric Alexander, see Chim Chim Cheree (album).

"Chim Chim Cher-ee"
Song by Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber
from the album Mary Poppins (Original Soundtrack)
Released	1964 (1964)
Label	Walt Disney
Songwriters	Richard M. ShermanRobert B. Sherman

"Chim Chim Cher-ee" is a song from Mary Poppins, the 1964 musical film,[1] and is also featured in the 2004 Mary Poppins musical.

It won Best Original Song at the 37th Academy Awards. In 2005, Julie Andrews included this song as part of Julie Andrews Selects Her Favorite Disney Songs.

Songwriters

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The song was written by Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman (the "Sherman Brothers"), who also won an Oscar and a Grammy Award for the Mary Poppins score.[1]

Inspiration

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The song was inspired by one of the drawings of a chimney sweep created by Mary Poppins screenwriter Don DaGradi. When the Sherman Brothers asked about the drawing, DaGradi explained the ancient British folklore attributed to "sweeps" and how shaking hands with one or touching their sleeve could bring a person good luck.[2] In their 1961 treatment, the Sherman Brothers had already amalgamated many of the P.L. Travers characters in the creation of "Bert". His theme music became "Chim Chim Cher-ee".

In addition to the "standard" version of the song which Bert sings to the children, he sings short snippets of the song to himself at various times, with different verses specific to an unfolding plot element.

The "Mentsch" music group notes some similarities with a Yiddish song written by Itsik Manger named "Vaylu". The song also shares some sonic similarities to the Yiddish folksong, Tumbalalaika.[according to whom?]

Covers

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• Burl Ives on the 1964 album Chim Chim Cheree And Other Children's Choices. (#6 RPM AC Canada)[3]
• John Coltrane on the 1965 album The John Coltrane Quartet Plays.
• The Lower Third, an early David Bowie band, incorporated the song into their repertoire.[4]
• Wes Montgomery on the 1966 album Goin Out of My Head.
• Charlie Byrd released on Italian series I giganti del Jazz.
• Bing Crosby (on his 1968 album Thoroughly Modern Bing).
• Duke Ellington released a complete Album with Mary Poppins songs, Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins.[5]
• The Howard Roberts Quartet covered this song in 1965.[citation needed]
• The New Christy Minstrels on the 1965 album Chim Chim Cher-ee and Other Happy Songs (#7 RPM AC Canada)[6]
• Mrs. Miller covered the song for her first Capitol Records album Mrs. Miller - Greatest Hits.
• The Tinseltown Players on the some various albums including Chim Chim Charee & Other Kiddie Favorites
• Alvin and the Chipmunks on the 1969 album The Chipmunks Go to the Movies
• Louis Armstrong on Disney Songs the Satchmo Way album.[7]
• Rex Gildo, in German on 1965's Chim-Chim-Cheri
• Mannheim Steamroller on the 1999 album, Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse.[8]
• Pete Doherty performed this song live at the Meltdown festival in 2007.
• The Three D's covered it on a Capitol Records 45rpm 1964 recording [9]
• Joe Pernice (as "Chim Cheree") on the 2009 album It Feels So Good When I Stop.
• Esperanza Spalding on the 2010 album Everybody Wants To Be A Cat.
• Plastic Tree (in Japanese on the 2011 album V-Rock Disney[10]
• Turin Brakes as a 2011 single,[11] with all UK proceeds going to Shelter.
• On 2013 album Disney - Koe no Oujisama Vol.3, which features various Japanese voice actors covering Disney songs, this song was covered by Takuma Terashima.
• David Alan Grier in Amazon Women on the Moon.
• The Seldom Scene in the album Act3.[12]
• An orchestral arrangement of the song was used in the 2021 Coca-Cola advertisement "Chimney".[13]
• Kokia, as the first track of her cover album Watching from Above 2, released in 2019.

Parodies

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The song was parodied by song parodist Allan Sherman (no relation to the Sherman Brothers), using the same song title. The parody pokes fun at the American merchandise seen on TV commercials.[citation needed]

Supporters of English football teams, Birmingham City, Millwall, West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers, sing a version of the song which is a reference to each team's local rivals, West Ham, Aston Villa and Burnley, who all wear claret and blue shirts. [14]

English comedian Tim Vine played on the lyrics to the song in the title of one of his stand-up DVDs, Tim Timinee, Tim Timinee, Tim Tim To You and on the cover it features Vine dressed up as a chimney sweep.[15]

References

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1. ^ a b Roberts, Daniel (2017). British Hit Singles Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-904994-10-7.
2. ^ Chimney Sweeps : A Touch of Luck From a Sooty Sleeve Los Angeles Times By CHARLES T. POWERS an. 7, 1989 12 AM PT. Accessed online August 6, 2022
3. ^ "RPM Magazine - March 29, 1965 - page 5" (PDF). Rpmimages.3345.ca.
4. ^ Morley, Paul (2017). The Age of Bowie. Gallery Books. p. 125.
5. ^ "Duke Ellington Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins". AllMusic. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
6. ^ "RPM Top 20 AC - August 23, 1965" (PDF).
7. ^ "Disney Songs The Satchmo Way". Spotify. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
8. ^ "Digital Music". Amazon.com.
9. ^ "The Three D's (2)". Discogs.com. 1964. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
10. ^ "Visual kei bands to take on Disney songs for 'V-ROCK Disney'!". tokyohive.com. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
11. ^ "Turin Brakes - Chim Chim Cheree". Chim Chim Cheree. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
12. ^ [1] Archived 2014-03-29 at the Wayback Machine
13. ^ Coca-Cola (November 16, 2021). "Coca-Cola | Chimney | Real Magic". YouTube. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
14. ^ "Fan Chants". Retrieved November 23, 2025.
15. ^ "Brand new stand-up DVD coming soon!". Tim Vine.com. June 24, 2016. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.

Further reading

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• Sherman, Robert B. Walt's Time: from before to beyond. Santa Clarita: Camphor Tree Publishers, 1998.

v t e P. L. Travers's Mary Poppins
Books	Mary Poppins Opens the Door (1943)
Characters	Mary Poppins
Films	Mary Poppins Mary Poppins Returns
Television	Mary Poppins, Goodbye
Musicals	Mary Poppins
Music	Mary Poppins: Original Cast Soundtrack "Sister Suffragette" "The Life I Lead" "The Perfect Nanny" "A Spoonful of Sugar" "Jolly Holiday" "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" "Stay Awake" "I Love to Laugh" "Feed the Birds" "Fidelity Fiduciary Bank" "Chim Chim Cher-ee" "Step in Time" "A Man Has Dreams" "Let's Go Fly a Kite" Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins Mary Poppins Returns: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack "The Place Where Lost Things Go"
Related	Saving Mr. Banks soundtrack accolades Susan Sto Helit "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious" Cheshire Crossing
Category

v t e Academy Award for Best Original Song
1934–1940	"The Continental" Music: Con Conrad Lyrics: Herb Magidson (1934) "Lullaby of Broadway" Music: Harry Warren Lyrics: Al Dubin (1935) "The Way You Look Tonight" Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics: Dorothy Fields (1936) "Sweet Leilani" Music and lyrics: Harry Owens (1937) "Thanks for the Memory" Music: Ralph Rainger Lyrics: Leo Robin (1938) "Over the Rainbow" Music: Harold Arlen Lyrics: E. Y. Harburg (1939) "When You Wish Upon a Star" Music: Leigh Harline Lyrics: Ned Washington (1940)
1941–1950	"The Last Time I Saw Paris" Music: Jerome Kern Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II (1941) "White Christmas" Music and lyrics: Irving Berlin (1942) "You'll Never Know" Music: Harry Warren Lyrics: Mack Gordon (1943) "Swinging on a Star" Music: Jimmy Van Heusen Lyrics: Johnny Burke (1944) "It Might as Well Be Spring" Music: Richard Rodgers Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II (1945) "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" Music: Harry Warren Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1946) "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" Music: Allie Wrubel Lyrics: Ray Gilbert (1947) "Buttons and Bows" Music: Jay Livingston Lyrics: Ray Evans (1948) "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Music and lyrics: Frank Loesser (1949) "Mona Lisa" Music and lyrics: Ray Evans and Jay Livingston (1950)
1951–1960	"In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" Music: Hoagy Carmichael Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1951) "High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin')" Music: Dimitri Tiomkin Lyrics: Ned Washington (1952) "Secret Love" Music: Sammy Fain Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1953) "Three Coins in the Fountain" Music: Jule Styne Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1954) "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" Music: Sammy Fain Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1955) "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" Music and lyrics: Jay Livingston and Ray Evans (1956) "All the Way" Music: Jimmy Van Heusen Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1957) "Gigi" Music: Frederick Loewe Lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner (1958) "High Hopes" Music: Jimmy Van Heusen Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1959) "Never on Sunday" Music and lyrics: Manos Hatzidakis (1960)
1961–1970	"Moon River" Music: Henry Mancini Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1961) "Days of Wine and Roses" Music: Henry Mancini Lyrics: Johnny Mercer (1962) "Call Me Irresponsible" Music: Jimmy Van Heusen Lyrics: Sammy Cahn (1963) "Chim Chim Cher-ee" Music and lyrics: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman (1964) "The Shadow of Your Smile" Music: Johnny Mandel Lyrics: Paul Francis Webster (1965) "Born Free" Music: John Barry Lyrics: Don Black (1966) "Talk to the Animals" Music and lyrics: Leslie Bricusse (1967) "The Windmills of Your Mind" Music: Michel Legrand Lyrics: Alan and Marilyn Bergman (1968) "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" Music: Burt Bacharach Lyrics: Hal David (1969) "For All We Know" Music: Fred Karlin Lyrics: Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin (1970)
1971–1980	"Theme from Shaft" Music and lyrics: Isaac Hayes (1971) "The Morning After" Music and lyrics: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn (1972) "The Way We Were" Music: Marvin Hamlisch Lyrics: Alan and Marilyn Bergman (1973) "We May Never Love Like This Again" Music and lyrics: Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn (1974) "I'm Easy" Music and lyrics: Keith Carradine (1975) "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" Music: Barbra Streisand Lyrics: Paul Williams (1976) "You Light Up My Life" Music and lyrics: Joseph Brooks (1977) "Last Dance" Music and lyrics: Paul Jabara (1978) "It Goes Like It Goes" Music: David Shire Lyrics: Norman Gimbel (1979) "Fame" Music: Michael Gore Lyrics: Dean Pitchford (1980)
1981–1990	"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" Music and lyrics: Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen (1981) "Up Where We Belong" Music: Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie Lyrics: Will Jennings (1982) "Flashdance... What a Feeling" Music: Giorgio Moroder Lyrics: Keith Forsey and Irene Cara (1983) "I Just Called to Say I Love You" Music and lyrics: Stevie Wonder (1984) "Say You, Say Me" Music and lyrics: Lionel Richie (1985) "Take My Breath Away" Music: Giorgio Moroder Lyrics: Tom Whitlock (1986) "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" Music: Franke Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz Lyrics: Franke Previte (1987) "Let the River Run" Music and lyrics: Carly Simon (1988) "Under the Sea" Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman (1989) "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)" Music and lyrics: Stephen Sondheim (1990)
1991–2000	"Beauty and the Beast" Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Howard Ashman (1991) "A Whole New World" Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Tim Rice (1992) "Streets of Philadelphia" Music and lyrics: Bruce Springsteen (1993) "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" Music: Elton John Lyrics: Tim Rice (1994) "Colors of the Wind" Music: Alan Menken Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz (1995) "You Must Love Me" Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice (1996) "My Heart Will Go On" Music: James Horner Lyrics: Will Jennings (1997) "When You Believe" Music and lyrics: Stephen Schwartz (1998) "You'll Be in My Heart" Music and lyrics: Phil Collins (1999) "Things Have Changed" Music and lyrics: Bob Dylan (2000)
2001–2010	"If I Didn't Have You" Music and lyrics: Randy Newman (2001) "Lose Yourself" Music: Eminem, Jeff Bass and Luis Resto Lyrics: Eminem (2002) "Into the West" Music and lyrics: Fran Walsh, Howard Shore and Annie Lennox (2003) "Al otro lado del río" Music and lyrics: Jorge Drexler (2004) "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp" Music and lyrics: Juicy J, Frayser Boy and DJ Paul (2005) "I Need to Wake Up" Music and lyrics: Melissa Etheridge (2006) "Falling Slowly" Music and lyrics: Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (2007) "Jai Ho" Music: A. R. Rahman Lyrics: Gulzar (2008) "The Weary Kind" Music and lyrics: Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett (2009) "We Belong Together" Music and lyrics: Randy Newman (2010)
2011–2020	"Man or Muppet" Music and lyrics: Bret McKenzie (2011) "Skyfall" Music and lyrics: Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth (2012) "Let It Go" Music and lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (2013) "Glory" Music and lyrics: John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn (2014) "Writing's on the Wall" Music and lyrics: James Napier and Sam Smith (2015) "City of Stars" Music: Justin Hurwitz Lyrics: Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (2016) "Remember Me" Music and lyrics: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (2017) "Shallow" Music and lyrics: Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt (2018) "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" Music: Elton John Lyrics: Bernie Taupin (2019) "Fight for You" Music: D'Mile and H.E.R. Lyrics: H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas (2020)
2021–present	"No Time to Die" Music and lyrics: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell (2021) "Naatu Naatu" Music: M. M. Keeravani Lyrics: Chandrabose (2022) "What Was I Made For?" Music and lyrics: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell (2023) "El Mal" Music: Clément Ducol and Camille Lyrics: Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard (2024)

v t e Burl Ives
Albums	Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger (1941) The Wayfaring Stranger (1944) The Return of the Wayfaring Stranger (1949) Historical America in Song (1950) Christmas Day in the Morning (1952) Down to the Sea in Ships (1956) Burl Ives Sings... For Fun (1956) Australian Folk Songs (1958) Little White Duck (1959) The Versatile Burl Ives! (1961) Songs of the West (1961) It's Just My Funny Way of Laughin' (1962) Sing of Faith and Joy (1963) America's Musical Heritage (1963) Animal Folk (1963) Scouting Along (1964) Pearly Shells (1964) Chim Chim Cheree (1964) Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) Have a Holly Jolly Christmas (1965) The Times They Are a-Changin' (1968) Christmas at the White House (1972) Christmas by the Bay (1977)
Singles	"Blue Tail Fly" "Foggy Dew" "The Wayfaring Stranger" "Lavender's Blue" "The Big Rock Candy Mountains" "Riders in the Sky" "On Top of Old Smoky" "The Wild Side of Life" "A Little Bitty Tear" "Funny Way of Laughin'" "Chim Chim Cher-ee" "A Holly Jolly Christmas"
Related	List of works by Burl Ives

Authority control databases	MusicBrainz work 2