Heigh-Ho - Wikipedia

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1938 song by Roy Atwell, Otis Harlan, Billy Gilbert, Pinto Colvig, Scotty Mattraw

"Heigh-Ho"
Six of the Seven Dwarfs (top center, right to left; Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, and Sneezy; Dopey cannot be seen) walking across a log while singing the song
Song by Roy Atwell, Otis Harlan, Billy Gilbert, Pinto Colvig, Scotty Mattraw
from the album Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Released	January 1938
Recorded	1937
Composer	Frank Churchill
Lyricist	Larry Morey

"Heigh-Ho" is a song from Walt Disney's 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, written by Frank Churchill (music) and Larry Morey (lyrics). It is sung by the group of Seven Dwarfs as they work at a mine with diamonds and rubies, and is one of the best-known songs in the film. It is also the first appearance of the seven dwarfs. The other Dwarf Chorus songs are "Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum" (the washing-up song) and "The Silly Song". The song is actually only sung by six dwarfs due to Dopey being completely mute.

The expression "heigh-ho" was first recorded in 1553 and is defined as an expression of "yawning, sighing, languor, weariness, disappointment". Eventually, it blended meanings with the similarly spelled "hey-ho". The phrase "hey-ho" first appeared in print in 1471, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, which says it has nautical origins, meant to mark the rhythm of movement in heaving or hauling.[1]

The song was recorded by Horace Heidt and his Brigadiers, with vocal chorus sung by The Kings and Glee Club, for Brunswick Records in January, 1938 (Brunswick 8074). The record made it to No. 4 on Your Hit Parade in April 1938 and stayed on the charts for 10 weeks.[2]

In Disney-related media

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Film, stage and television

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Donald Duck sings this song in "The Volunteer Worker" and "The Riveter".[3] In The Goodies final series special "Snow White 2" the trio and the dwarfs sing the song in the beginning.

In Gremlins, during the local movie theatre scene, the gremlins were watching the film, and singing along with the song.

The song was also featured in the 1979 stage adaption of the 1937 animated musical film. In the 1988 Disney animated film Oliver & Company, Tito sings "Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, it's off to work we go" when he is rescuing Jenny.[citation needed]

The song appears in the 2025 live-action remake of the original animated film, being extended and featuring new lyrics.[4][5]

Music

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The song appears, with altered lyrics, at the finale of Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland and Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, and is also used at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction. In 1955, Jack Pleis recorded it for his album, Music from Disneyland.

Los Lobos recorded a Spanish-language cover of this song for their 2009 album Los Lobos Goes Disney. On the 2011 album V-Rock Disney, which features visual kei artists covering Disney songs, Cascade covered this song.[6] Dave Brubeck's version of the song appears on the soundtrack to the 2013 film Saving Mr. Banks.

See also

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• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (soundtrack)

References

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1. ^ "Why has 'hey-ho' made a comeback?". tokyohive.com. September 2009. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
2. ^ Fragias, Leonidas (2017). Your Hit Parade Charts: 1935-1940. Arts & Charts.
3. ^ Mollet, Tracy (2017). Cartoons in Hard Times: The Animated Shorts of Disney and Warner Brothers in Depression and War 1932-1945. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 92–93. ISBN 978-1501328770.
4. ^ "'Snow White' trailer previews Evil Queen's 'Old Hag' form and Rachel Zegler's soaring singing". Entertainment Weekly.
5. ^ "Snow White 2025 live-action soundtrack: All the songs in the Disney remake | Radio Times".
6. ^ "Visual kei bands to take on Disney songs for 'V-ROCK Disney'!". tokyohive.com. Retrieved September 16, 2011.

v t e Disney's Snow White
Films	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Snow White (2025)
Other media	7 Wise Dwarfs All Together Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (musical) The 7D episodes Mirror, Mirror: A Twisted Tale
Attractions	Snow White's Enchanted Wish Snow White Grotto Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Characters	Snow White Evil Queen
Music	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) "One Song" "With a Smile and a Song" "Whistle While You Work" "Heigh-Ho" "The Silly Song" "Someday My Prince Will Come" Snow White (2025)
Video games	Disney's Villains' Revenge Kingdom Hearts series Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep χ Dark Road Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey Disney Princess: Magical Jewels Disney Magical World 2 Disney Magic Kingdoms Disney Mirrorverse Disney Dreamlight Valley
Related	61st Academy Awards ceremony Disney Princess Lego Disney Princess: The Castle Quest Lego Disney Princess: Villains Unite Once Upon a Time Once Upon a Halloween Descendants franchise Descendants Ralph Breaks the Internet Once Upon a Studio Snow White Cafe

Authority control databases	MusicBrainz work