Now THAT was music !!
Chubby Checkers and the Andrews Sisters. Who could ask for anything more? And, guess what? Chubby is still dancing and asking “c’mon baby, let’s do the twist !”
I saw him recently on TV and although it was early morning I couldn’t resist his invitation. I found myself gyrating around the living room in time to his famous twistin’ music.
It got me thinking of the music of today...the rap songs and even the so-called serious stuff. I can’t understand half the words and the rhythm seems all wrong. I decided to prove my theory about the “better music days” and did some extensive research.
This is a small sampling of the music of my day…
1.) “Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey, a kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you? If the words sound queer and funny to your ear, a little bit jumbled and jivey, sing …mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy.”
2.) “Oh, the flat foot floogie with a floy, floy…..yeah, yeah, yeah, byah, oh, baby! ….flat foot floogie with a floy, floy, ….floy, floy, floy, yeah! Send me on out there!”
3.) “Cement mixer, putty, putty……a puddle o’ vooty, a puddle o’ gooty, a puddle o’ Scooby, a puddle o’ veet concrete. First you get some gravel, pour it on the vout. To mix a mess o’ mortar you add cement and water. See the mellow roony come out slurp, slurp, slurp.”
And of course we can’t forget this classic Andrews Sisters hit:
4.) “Hut-Sut Rawlson on the rillerah and a brawla, brawla sooit……..Now the Rawlson is a Swedish town, the rillerah is a stream, the brawla is the boy & girl, the Hut-Sut is their dream. Hut-Sut Rawlson on the rillerah,… etc., etc. ”
Hmmmm. I think I just lost the argument. I’ve decided to give the music of today another “look see”.
posted by Ginnie at 7:10 AM
14 Comments:
Don't bother on the current "music." The term is used advisedly!
The first one you recalled--Mairzy doats. My dad sang that to me as a child. Also "Skeeters am a humming on the honeysuckle vine".
Ah--yes, the good old days.
There have been a lot of silly tunes, but at least most of them had tunes -- a hummable melody. I hear very few modern, mainstream songs that make me want to hum along.
If you get a chance go see the Rolling Stones movie Shine a Light. It was great. I like just about all the "modern" music as well as classical. I don't like heavy metal though. But some of the rap is pretty good in terms of beat. I especially like Delta blues.
I remember all the songs you mentioned but in that same era there were many songs with lovely tunes and lyrics. It was the "Big Band" era and the radio show "Your Hit Parade"
Remember these?
I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You) - The Ink Spots
Sentimental Journey - Doris Day
I Don't Want To Walk Without You - Harry James
As Time Goes By -
Till Then - The Mills Brothers
Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me) - The Andrews Sisters
Long Ago (And Far Away) - Jo Stafford
That Old Black Magic
I bet I have you humming those songs right now. :)
I love all of them, including the ones Chancy mentioned.
I have been watching "So You Think You Can Dance" and they have at least one rap song per show. Some of them are good, catchy rhythms (even if the words are odd).
LOL- I remember my brother singing Mairzy Doats to my mother one night. I thought it was the funniest song I had ever heard! And I also remember that Hut Sut Rallson one! Great post! Haven't been around much lately (or, should that be Don't Get Around Much Any More)==Now I will have to play catch-up to see what other great things I've missed!
I know some of your remembered tunes but I would never be able to write them out with all the silly lyric and made up words.
Every period has such songs, remember Tutti Frutti http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutti_Frutti_(song)
Some of these songs like this one were designed to slip the sexual parts past our parents.
Hey I recall all those old tunes--do ya remember the one about..."and her bathing suit never got wet?" Turns out she was wearing her mother's. Yes it WAS a song, about 1945.
BUT, as a retired symphony violin player, I gotta tell you, what brought me here was Beethoven Pastorale.
Sober Steve E.
This post brought back a mind full of melodies from the past... most enjoyable. I agree with AC, totally. And can't I just picture you jiving around your living room!
I loved your previous post with its priceless picture and story. Bless the gift of memories!
Ginnie, Yes, I remember every one of those songs. But for anything current I have to make notes...and then I forget where the notes are.
I love the Andrews Sisters! I loved being in Air Cadets and being able to feel and look like them in my Air Force Uniform :) Pity I could not sing like them :(
Remember Kay Kysers's Three Little Fishs in an itti biti pool-they swam and they swam all over the dam -
Kyser had Harry Babbit, Jinny Simms and Isih Kabbibel singing with the band.
Corny but fun!!
I think we have a mondegreen here. I have always thought that it was
Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy
A kid will eat ivy too, wouldn't you?
the mairzy dotes part is the mondegreen I'm agreeing with you on the rest of it. Guess that wasn't clear.
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