February is fast approaching, so I’m going to put a link to this sheet music here in case anybody would like to celebrate their Groundhog Day by playing the “Pennsylvania Polka.”
The song was written by Lester Lee and Zeke Manners and “introduced by The Andrews Sisters” in the 1942 movie, “Give Out, Sisters,” though people these days might be more familiar with Polka King Frankie Yankovic’s version on the accordion. It’s the opening strains of Frankie Yankovic’s “Pennsylvania Polka” you hear over and over and over again in the classic Bill Murray movie, “Groundhog Day.” (And no, the Polka King is not related to Weird Al Yankovic.)
While accordion might best suit the occasion, this arrangement is lively to play on the piano— perfect for if you want to gather a group of your friends and belt out the song in sprightly voices. For good measure, “strike up the music” at 7:20AM. Preface your polka with “I Got You, Babe” and so much the better.
Ooh, wait, if you watch “Groundhog Day,” the piano solo scene in which Bill Murray shows off the fruits of his Groundhog Day piano lessons might inspire you to spend some time each day brushing up on your own rendition of Rachmaninoff’s “18th Variation from Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini .” This sheet music is for the classical version; but if you want liven things up with your own jazzy improvisations, here is a transcribed version of “Phil’s Boogie,” which is the first part of that piano solo.
Where to find it:
“Pennsylvania Polka”
by Lester Lee and Zeke Manners
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: sheet music for the “Pennsylvania Polka” available as a digital download at MusicNotes.com.
VINTAGE SHEET MUSIC: search for vintage sheet music versions of “Pennsylvania Polka” on eBay or on Amazon.
Publisher: Shapiro, Bernstein, and Co. (1942)
Status (2024): Out of Print
FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION:
featured in the movie
- selection of sheet music for Rachmaninoff’s “18th Variation from Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini” (MusicNotes)
- transcribed version of “Phil’s Boogie” arranged by Timothy Stapay (SheetMusicDirect)
- video of BostonPianoMan playing “Phil’s Boogie” (YouTube)
- sheet music for Sonny and Cher’s “I Got You, Babe” (MusicNotes)
- accordion solo version of “Pennsylvania Polka” (MusicNotes)
- Frank Yankovic Sheet Music and Accordion Books (polkas.org)
- selection of sheet music for “Almost Like Being in Love” by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, as well as this jazz arrangement
the stage musical
- songbook for the 2017 Broadway musical of “Groundhog Day,” with words and music by Tim Minchin. Tim Minchin’s official website has a deep dive into the songbook, as well as a page about the musical.
So Many Songbooks 