How a subway map and a trash can created a legendary jazz standard
In short: When Duke Ellington lost the rights to his own music due to a 1940 licensing dispute, he turned to Billy Strayhorn to reinvent his band's repertoire. Strayhorn pulled a discarded draft from a trash can, transforming a subway direction into the iconic jazz standard Take the A Train.
The origins of Take the A Train trace back to 1939, when Duke Ellington hired Billy Strayhorn and provided him with directions to his home. These instructions, which advised Strayhorn to take the A subway service—a line that had recently expanded through Harlem and northern Manhattan—became the inspiration for the song's title. Strayhorn, a great admirer of Fletcher Henderson’s arranging style, composed the piece with a focus on the interplay between trumpets, trombones, and saxophones. Interestingly, the composition nearly vanished; Mercer Ellington recalled finding the sheet music in a trash can after Strayhorn discarded it, fearing it sounded too similar to Henderson's work.
The song's rise to prominence was born of necessity. In 1940, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) increased its licensing fees, effectively barring Ellington from playing his own compositions on the radio. To circumvent this, Ellington commissioned Strayhorn and his son, Mercer, to write a new book of music for the band. Take the A Train replaced Sepia Panorama as the orchestra's signature tune. Its structure, written in AABA form and based loosely on the chords of Exactly Like You, captured the sophisticated spirit of Harlem’s Sugar Hill, while Ray Nance’s trumpet solo on the 1941 commercial recording became so definitive that it is still frequently replicated note for note.
Over the decades, the song evolved through various interpretations and additions. While Strayhorn claimed to have written lyrics, the version most associated with the Ellington band was penned by Joya Sherrill in 1944. After hearing the tune on the radio, she wrote her own lyrics and, through her father’s connection to Ellington, successfully auditioned for the band. The song has since transcended its origins, appearing in films, video games, and radio broadcasts like the Voice of America Jazz Hour. In 1976, the original 1941 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, cementing its status as an essential piece of 20th-century American music.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Take the "A" Train
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/music-take-the-a-train.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Music · More in Music · Latest · A–Z · All topics
