“Little Annie Rooney” was written in 1889 by English composer Michael Nolan and became a major hit in English music halls before reaching New York in the musical The Bowery Girl, where it was sung by the title character. The show opened on Broadway in 1895, and the song became extremely popular during the 1890s. Because there was no international copyright law at the time, Nolan earned no royalties, grew deeply resentful, and ultimately stopped composing music, an episode that inspired the Scottish phrase “she’s having an Annie Rooney.”

The lyrics make it clear that the Annie of the song and the Annie of the later comic strip are two different characters:
:A winning way, a pleasant smile,
:Dress'd so neat but quite in style,
:Merry chaff your time to wile,
:Has little Annie Rooney.
:Ev'ry evening, rain or shine,
:I make a call twixt eight and nine,
:On her who shortly will be mine,
:Little Annie Rooney.
:She's my sweetheart, I'm her beau;
:She's my Annie, I'm her Joe,
:Soon we'll marry, never to part,
:Little Annie Rooney is my sweetheart!

:The parlor's small, but neat and clean,
:And set with taste so seldom seen,
:And you can bet, the household queen,
:Is little Annie Rooney.
:The fire burns cheerfully and bright,
:As a family circle round each night,
:We form, and ev'ry one's delight
:Is little Annie Rooney.

:We've been engaged close on a year,
:The happy time is drawing near,
:I'll wed the one I love so dear,
:Little Annie Rooney.
:My friends declare I'm in a jest,
:Until the time comes will not rest,
:But one who knows its value best,
:Is little Annie Rooney.

All published appearances of Annie Rooney from before January 1, )-(95)}} are public domain in the US.

Some notable appearances are listed below:

* Little Annie Rooney (1889)

* The Bowery Girl (1895)

* The song’s title was later reused without connection in a 1925 silent film and inspired several comic strips, most notably Little Orphan Annie and the long-running Little Annie Rooney strip, published from 1927 to 1966.
* ''Little Annie Rooney'' ''(1931)'' is a short animated film that is part of the Fleischer Studios Screen Songs series. It is based on the popular song Little Annie Rooney and uses it in the soundtrack. It will enter the public domain on January 1, 2027.

*[https://www.fleischerallstars.com/little-annie-rooney.html Fleischer Allstars]
*[https://folksongandmusichall.com/index.php/little-annie-rooney/ Folk Song and Music Hall]
Category:Music Characters
Category:Female Characters
Category:Protagonists
Category:1889 Debuts
Category:Michael Nolan - Creator
Category:Fleischer Studios Characters
Category:Animated Characters
Category:Non-Powered Characters
Category:Musical theatre Characters