Green Door

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1956 song by Jim Lowe

title: "Green Door" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1956-songs", "1956-singles", "1981-singles", "songs-written-by-marvin-moore", "bill-haley-songs", "gene-mcdaniels-songs", "skip-&-flip-songs", "shakin'-stevens-songs", "rockabilly-songs", "uk-singles-chart-number-one-singles", "number-one-singles-in-the-united-states", "billboard-top-100-number-one-singles", "number-one-singles-in-australia", "european-hot-100-singles-number-one-singles", "dot-records-singles", "epic-records-singles", "irish-singles-chart-number-one-singles"] description: "1956 song by Jim Lowe" topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Door" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1956 song by Jim Lowe ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

FieldValue
nameThe Green Door
coverGreen Door (Jim Lowe song).jpg
typesingle
artistJim Lowe with the High Fives
albumSongs They Sing Behind the Green Door
B-side(The Story of) the Little Man in Chinatown
releasedAugust 1956
length
labelDot
writerBob Davie, Marvin J. Moore
misc{{Extra chronology
artistJim Lowe
typesingle
prev_titleBlue Suede Shoes
prev_year1956
titleThe Green Door
next_titlePrince Of Peace
next_year1956
::

::callout[type=note] the song ::

| name = The Green Door | cover = Green Door (Jim Lowe song).jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Jim Lowe with the High Fives | album = Songs They Sing Behind the Green Door | B-side = (The Story of) the Little Man in Chinatown | released = August 1956 | format = | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre =

  • Rock and roll
  • pop | length = | label = Dot | writer = Bob Davie, Marvin J. Moore | producer = | misc = {{Extra chronology | artist = Jim Lowe | type = single | prev_title = Blue Suede Shoes | prev_year = 1956 | title = The Green Door | next_title = Prince Of Peace | next_year = 1956

"The Green Door" (or "Green Door") is a 1956 popular song, with music composed by Bob "Hutch" Davie and lyrics by Marvin J. Moore. It was first recorded by Jim Lowe, which reached number one on the US chart in 1956. The song has been covered by a number of artists, including a version by Shakin' Stevens in 1981.

Jim Lowe version

The song was first recorded by Jim Lowe, whose version reached number one on the US pop chart. The lyrics describe the allure of a mysterious private club with a green door, behind which "a happy crowd" play piano, smoke and "laugh a lot", and inside which the singer is not allowed. "Green Door" was backed by the orchestra of songwriter Davie, with Davie also playing piano, and by the vocal group the High Fives. The track was arranged by Davie, who added thumbtacks to the hammers of his piano and sped up the tape to give a honky-tonk sound. Released by Dot Records, the single reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts for one week on November 17, 1956, replacing "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley. Outside the US, Lowe's version reached No. 8 on the charts in the United Kingdom.

Charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (1956) | Peak position | US Best Sellers in Stores (Billboard) | US Rhythm & Blues Records (Billboard) | US Cash Box Best Selling Singles | US Cash Box Rhythm & Blues Top 20 | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | | | | | | | 5 | | | | | | | 2 | | | | | | | 12 | | | | | | ::

Lyrics

The singer cannot get any sleep each evening, due to the sound of the music coming from a private club, or possibly the singer is a G-man attempting to infiltrate the club. He tries to gain entry by knocking once on the green door, telling the person behind the door that he has been there before, only to have the door slammed immediately ("hospitality's thin there"). Then, through the keyhole, he says the possible secret password, "Joe sent me" (the password for Hernando's Hideaway), which only results in laughter as he is again denied admission to the club.

Possible inspirations

After the Great Chicago Fire, the Green Door Tavern opened in the city. During the Prohibition era in the United States, it was a popular place to get illicit libations. Because the door of the tavern was green, the color became a symbol for a speakeasy. During Prohibition, many restaurants painted their doors green to indicate the presence of a speakeasy.

Another suggestion about the song's origins is that it was inspired by an afterhours club in Dallas, Texas, to which lyricist Moore had been refused entry because he did not know the correct password.

At the time of the song's initial popularity in the 1950s, many believed it was inspired by a green-doored restaurant and bar called The Shack in Columbia, Missouri, where singer Jim Lowe had attended university. However long-time Shack owner Joe Franke doubts that theory.

An oft-repeated urban legend has developed, claiming that the song refers to London's first lesbian club, Gateways (1930–1985), which was in Bramerton Street, Chelsea. It had a green door and was featured in the film The Killing of Sister George. But aside from that there is no substantive connection between the 1950s American song and the British club.

Shakin' Stevens version

| name = Green Door | cover = File:Shakin' Stevens Green Door.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = Shakin' Stevens | album = Shaky | B-side = Don't Turn Your Back | released = | recorded = 1981 | studio = Eden Studios, London | venue = | genre = Rock and roll | length = | label = Epic | writer =

Welsh singer Shakin' Stevens covered the song in 1981 for his album Shaky. It became his second UK number 1, topping the charts for four weeks in August 1981.

Charts

Weekly charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (1981) | Peak position | Australia (Kent Music Report) | Denmark (Hitlisten) | Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) | Israel (IBA) | South Africa (Springbok Radio) | Zimbabwe (ZIMA) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 8 | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | 8 | | | | | | | | | 3 | | | | | | | | | 4 | | | | | | | | | 5 | | | | | | | | ::

Year-end charts

::data[format=table] | Chart (1981) | Position | Belgium (Ultratop Flanders) | Denmark (Hitlisten) | Germany (GfK Entertainment) | Netherlands (Dutch Top 40){{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/bijzondere-lijsten/top-100-jaaroverzichten/1981|title=Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1981 | Netherlands (Single Top 100) | New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | UK Singles | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 82 | | | | | | | | | | 21 | | | | | | | | | | 62 | | | | | | | | | | access-date=2 November 2020}} | 57 | | | | | | | | | 84 | | | | | | | | | | 18 | | | | | | | | | | 18 | | | | | | | | | ::

Certifications and sales

Other recordings

Cultural impact

"The Green Door" is the name of a letter written by David Berg, the former leader of the cult once called the Children of God, later renamed The Family. He used it as a metaphorical door to hell.

Behind the Green Door is a 1972 pornographic film starring Marilyn Chambers. In 1986, Behind the Green Door: the Sequel was released, and in 2012, New Behind the Green Door was released.

There are bars, taverns and saloons named The Green Door in many American locations, including Cheyenne, Wyoming; New York City; Park Hall, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois; and Lansing, Michigan.

Within the American intelligence community, "green door" is a slang verb and adjective, relating to the restriction of an individual's or organization's access to information and/or locations: "We green doored them," or "The situation has been highlighted by the 'Green Door' compartmentation and exclusion".{{citation |url = http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/Guideposts_for_the_United_States_Military.pdf |title = Intelligence Support to the Warfighter, in Guideposts for the United States Military in the Twenty-first Century |last = Faurer |first = Lincoln D. |date = 16 September 1999 |publisher = Air Force History and Museums Program |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20110609005127/http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/Guideposts_for_the_United_States_Military.pdf |archivedate = 9 June 2011

The song was featured in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, sung by Leonardo DiCaprio (playing the character of fictional actor Rick Dalton), during a segment on Hullabaloo.

The lyrics "Green door, what's that secret you're keepin get a full-page quote (with a smaller attribution text: "Marvin Moore - Lyrics to 'The Green Door) in the first internal page of The Immortal Hulk #10, a comic book published by Marvel Comics. In that issue (and other issues of the same comic), a particular green door is an integral part of the story.

References

References

  1. "The Green Door (song by Jim Lowe) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts".
  2. "Cash Box Best Selling Singles – Week ending November 3, 1956". [[Cashbox (magazine).
  3. "Cash Box Rhythm & Blues Top 20 – Week ending December 1, 1956". [[Cashbox (magazine).
  4. "History Of The Green Door Tavern In Chicago".
  5. "Jim Lowe: The Green Door". Michael Jack Kirby.
  6. Adam Daniels, [http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2007/08/09/shack-comes-back/ "The Shack comes back"] {{webarchive. link. (2012-05-27 , ''[[The Columbia Missourian]],'' 9 August 2007.")
  7. (2007-03-06). "Great lesbian songs? Here's my top five". The Guardian.
  8. (2006-09-08). "The truth behind The Green Door". The Guardian.
  9. Mitch Mitchell. (29 September 2006). "Doors of Perception" Film & Music letters: September 2006". [[The Guardian]].
  10. Kent, David. (1993). "Australian Chart Book 1970–1992". Australian Chart Book.
  11. (17 November 2018). "Danish Chart Archive - Singles 1979 - ____ (B.T./IFPI DK)".
  12. (13 August 2015). "Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1960: Artistit STEP - SUE".
  13. "Israel Singles Charts 1987-1995".
  14. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989".
  15. (December 2015). "World singles charts and sales TOP 50 in 58 countries: FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOODSHAKIN' STEVENS".
  16. "Jaaroverzichten 1981".
  17. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts".
  18. "Jaaroverzichten - Single 1981".
  19. "Top Selling Singles of 1981".
  20. (26 December 1981). "Chartfile Top 100". [[Record Mirror]].
  21. (8 May 1982). "IT'S SHAKIN' TIME DOWN UNDER".
  22. "FRANKIE VAUGHAN | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company".
  23. "Official Singles Chart Top 30, 07 December 1956 - 13 December 1956".
  24. (22 December 1956). "This was a phenomenal 1956 for Philips". Record Mirror.
  25. "Official Singles Chart Top 30, 30 November 1956 - 06 December 1956".
  26. "The Magnificent Malochi - Blues & Rhythm magazine".
  27. (2020-01-07). "Marines a pleno sol".
  28. link. (2008-05-22 , The Family, August 1973. Accessed 18 July 2008.)
  29. ''The Immortal Hulk'' #10 (December 5, 2018). Marvel Comics.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1956-songs1956-singles1981-singlessongs-written-by-marvin-moorebill-haley-songsgene-mcdaniels-songsskip-&-flip-songsshakin'-stevens-songsrockabilly-songsuk-singles-chart-number-one-singlesnumber-one-singles-in-the-united-statesbillboard-top-100-number-one-singlesnumber-one-singles-in-australiaeuropean-hot-100-singles-number-one-singlesdot-records-singlesepic-records-singlesirish-singles-chart-number-one-singles