29: "The Deadwood stage" - Doris Day
Written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster 1953
Part of 1000 Coolest, fifty of the greatest and most popular songs in history.
Martha Jane Cannary was a heavy-drinking frontierswoman, a famed fighter and buddy of Wild Bill Hickock. "Calamity Jane", named for her ability to leave chaos in her wake, has been played on film by Jean Arthur, Jane Russell, Ellen Barkin, and many more.
Her most famous film representation is in the 1953 musical makeover starring Doris Day. Jane's intriguing biographical details are glossed over. Heteronormative "wholesome romance" sees her swap boyish buckskin duds for girly pink frills, when we all know Jane wants to, um, share a sleeping bag with Adelaide Adams.
One thing that doesn't change: the rip-roaringly awesome songs. Day is a terrific singer and belts out "The Deadwood stage" with gusto. Listen to her and you can feel the wind whip through your hair, a trusty steed bouncing between your legs as dust flies up in clouds behind your hooves.
An absolute favourite on Radio 1's Junior Choice, where Ed Stewart and Tony Blackburn played a mixture of current pop and sing-a-longs aimed more at parents than their offspring. More recently, "Calamity Jane" has been translated into a touring theatre musical: as great as Carrie Hope Fletcher is, she ain't no Doris Day.
