"The Frim-Fram Sauce" is a jazz song written by Redd Evans and Joe Ricardel.[1] In 2002, journalist William Safire said frim-fram sauce was a variant of flim-flam or deceit[2] and "ussin-fay" was pig Latin for "fussing", meaning "playing about fretfully".[2] Safire quoted singer Diana Krall on the meaning of "shafafa": "'It's all about sex,' she replied innocently."[2]

The song was made famous by The King Cole Trio whose recording on October 11, 1945 (Capitol 224)[3] reached the Billboard charts with a peak position of No. 19.[4] "The Frim-Fram Sauce" was recorded by Ella Fitzgerald with Louis Armstrong in 1946 and many other artists have also made recordings[5] including Diana Krall who recorded the song for her albums Stepping Out (1993) and All for You: A Dedication to the Nat King Cole Trio (1996).

References

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  1. ^ Phares, Heather. "Diana Krall: Frim Fram Sauce". AllMusic. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c William Safire (2002-05-03). "Our lyrical language: William Safire on the symbiosis between the spoken and the sung". The Guardian (originally published in The New York Times 2002). Retrieved 2012-01-13.
  3. ^ "45worlds.com". 45worlds.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 37. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  5. ^ "The Frim Fram Sauce - Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.