“Elmer’s Tune” was the first hit for Duluth songwriter Sammy Gallop. Glenn Miller & the Modernaires recorded this version 80 years ago today — Aug. 11, 1941.

A few notes from the Wikipedia entry about the song:

Elmer Albrecht composed the music in the early 1920s. Dick Jurgens later arranged it for orchestra and named the song “Elmer’s Tune.” He recorded it as an instrumental that reached no. 8 in October 1941.

Glenn Miller hired Gallop to write lyrics for his version. The track features Ray Eberle on lead vocals and the Modernaires on backing vocals. It reached no. 1 for the week ending Dec. 13, 1941, in a 20-week chart run.