an empty lot in manhattan today

Work took me to New York City this week, and I was a little sad to see this sight out the office window in Manhattan -

That’s the former site of the grand Hotel Pennsylvania, built in 1919 but demolished in 2023.

the famous phone number

You know that hotel! You know its phone number! Well, I do, and anybody who’s ever played in a big band surely knows the number 736-5000 - which, of course, in the way phone numbers were pronounced in the mid-20th century, where you gave a two-letter exchange followed by the rest of the phone number, was PE6-5000, or of course Pennsylvania 6-5000.

That’s possibly the most famous hotel phone number in the WORLD, because in 1940, Glenn Miller’s band was playing at the hotel’s Cafe Rouge. Inspired by the phone number, Jerry Gray and Carl Sigman wrote a big band classic where the band sings the phone number.

Everybody played this song, although nobody sang the full lyrics - the band just shouted the phone number.

I stayed at that hotel about 10 years ago and wanted to bring home an appropriate souvenir - alas, although the hotel bragged about the phone number song, they didn’t seem to sell anything appropriate so the best thing I have is a photo of the telephone in the room, showing the number -

It’s sad to see that this piece of history has been torn down. Apparently the economics of the hotel business coupled with the pandemic was the last straw.

it used to be if you called the hotel, you heard the song. So I had to try again this week. Here’s the disappointing audio you hear if you call the number in 2025.

Pennsylvania 6-5000 Phone.mp3

the music

But the proper song will live forever!

Here’s the definitive version, by the Glenn Miller Orchestra (which is still touring, even though the great trombonist Glenn Miller died mysteriously in World War II.)

and a more up-tempo version by Brian Setzer’s Orchestra

and naturally a version from the Muppet Show

back in 1985 my favourite version

but my favourite version premiered 40 years ago this week. Ladies and gentlemen, from the University of Waterloo’s annual FASS show in February 1985, I give you the FASS Pit Band’s attempt at it.

listen here: Fass 1985 Version.mp3

(The band is singing “Pennsylvania 6-5000” the first time, and “885-1211” (the university phone number) the second time, and of course the iconic Ontario Pizza Pizza jingle “967-11-11” the third time.)

(Also in my memory it sounded GREAT, but maybe I shouldn’t listen to the recording.)

do you love singing phone numbers?

I love singing phone numbers. Want more of that? Have I got a blog post for you.