First performed by Louis Armstrong (1938).
First recorded by Ethel Waters (1938).
Hit versions by Al Donahue & His Orchestra (US #1 1938), Larry Clinton & His Orchestra (US #12 1938), Louis Armstrong (US #12 1939).
From the wiki: “‘Jeepers Creepers’ was written by Harry Warren, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer (Mercer claims to have first heard the expression from Henry Fonda), for the 1938 Warner Brothers movie Going Places. Louis Armstrong appears in the part of Gabriel, the trainer of a race horse named Jeepers Creepers. Jeepers Creepers is a very wild horse and can only be soothed enough to let someone ride him when Gabriel plays the song ‘Jeepers Creepers’ on his trumpet or sings it to him. Warren and Mercer would share an Academy Award nomination for Best Song in 1939.
“Although ‘Jeepers Creepers’ was written as a romance, the song has garnered a reputation for creepiness in recent years due to its use in the 2001 horror film Jeepers Creepers.”
Ethel Waters, “Jeepers Creepers” (1938):
Al Donahue & His Orchestra, “Jeepers Creepers” (1938):
Larry Clinton & His Orchestra, “Jeepers Creepers” (1938):
Louis Armstrong, “Jeepers Creepers” (1939):