You Oughta Be in Pictures

By Dana Suesse and Edward Heyman
1934

An iconic anthem of show business in the same vein as "Hooray for Hollywood", this song was composed by prolific musical virtuoso Dana Suesse, one of the rare woman standouts of the songbook era, and a person referred to in the press of the time as "the girl Gershwin". She and accomplished lyricist Edward Heyman purportedly wrote the song for an unproduced Columbia Pictures film, New York Town, but it was instead introduced on record by the legendary Rudy Vallee, who made it an instant classic and one of the songs most evocative of the 1930s.

Lyrics:

You oughta be in pictures, 
You're wonderful to see, 
You oughta be in pictures, 
Oh what a hit you would be!

Your voice would thrill a nation, 
Your face would be adored, 
You'd make a great sensation 
With wealth and fame your reward;

And if you should kiss the way you kiss, 
When we're alone, 
You'd make ev'ry girl and man 
A fan worshiping at your throne.

You oughta shine as brightly 
As Jupiter and Mars; 
You oughta be in pictures, 
My star of stars.

Recorded By:

Doris Day
The Boswell Sisters
Al Bowlly
Connie Francis
Joel Grey

The Love Bug Will Bite You

By Pinky Tomlin
1937

A somewhat obscure chestnut of the late 1930s, it nonetheless enjoyed a brief moment in the sun soon after being written by musician and actor Pinky Tomlin (pictured), also responsible for the similarly infectious "The Object of My Affection". Introduced by the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra, it might best be remembered today for being included in the Little Rascals short "Our Gang Follies of 1938", in which it's sung by Darla Hood. In the 1990s, it was even adapted into Norwegian by the a cappella group Bjelleklang.

Lyrics:

The love bug will bite you if you don't watch out
If he ever bites you, then you'll sing and shout
You'll go (da-dee-da-dee-da-dee da and whoa dee doe dee doe)
That's what love is all about

You can't eat, you can't sleep, you'll go crazy
You'll just la dee da dee la all day
If someone wants to know why you're crazy 
You'll answer (da da da doo with a ho ho hay-hay)

The love bug will bite you if you don't watch out
If he ever bites you, then you'll sing and shout
You'll go (da-dee-da-dee-da-dee da and whoa dee doe dee doe)
That's what love is all about

Recorded By:

The Mills Brothers
Fats Waller
Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians
Teddy Hill
Vera Lynn

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine

By Ballard MacDonald and Harry Carroll
1913

Having now seen the excellent Stan and Ollie for the second time, I'm in a Laurel and Hardy frame of mind, which brings me to this old chestnut identified closely with the boys thanks to the unforgettable performance of it in their 1937 classic Way Out West. By that point, however, the tune was already an oldie, having been inspired by the 1908 novel of the same name. The favorite song of poet Gertrude Stein, it was first recorded by Albert Campbell and Henry Burr. Thanks to an upsurge in Laurel and Hardy popularity in Britain during the 1970s, Stan and Ollie's version rocketed all the way to the #2 position on the UK singles chart in 1975.

Lyrics:

On a mountain in Virginia stands a lonesome pine
Just below is the cabin home of a little girl of mine
Her name is June and very, very soon she'll belong to me
For I know she's waiting there for me neath that lone pine tree.

In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia
On the trail of the lonesome pine
In the pale moonshine our hearts entwine
Where you carved your name and I carved mine.

Oh, June - like the mountains, I'm blue
Like the pine - I am lonesome for you
In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia
On the trail of the lonesome pine.

Recorded By:

Manuel Romain
Edna Brown and James F. Harrison
The Dinning Sisters
Rex Allen
The Diamonds

Yes! We Have No Bananas

By Frank Silver and Irving Cohn
1923

On January 1, for the first time in 20 years, a motherlode of intellectual property entered the public domain--books, songs, movies, etc. from 1923 are now available to use for free. Among them is this charming novelty song that was number one on the charts for five weeks in its original recording by Billy West. Interestingly, the melody has been identified by some as a combination of Handel's Hallelujah chorus, "My Bonnie", and a few other tunes. The lyric supposedly was written by Cohn as a tribute to a Greek fruit seller he knew who began every statement with, "Yes!" Despite not really being recorded much in the past 50 years, the song remains a part of popular culture, and has been referenced in The Simpsons, The Muppet Show, The English Patient and Mel Brooks' Dracula: Dead and Loving It ("Yes! We have Nosferatu. We have Nosferatu today!")

Lyrics:

There's a fruit store on our street
It's run by a Greek.
And he keeps good things to eat
But you should hear him speak!
When you ask him anything, he never answers "no".
He just "yes"es you to death, and as he takes your dough
He tells you
"Yes, we have no bananas
We have-a no bananas today.
We've string beans, and onions
Cabbageses, and scallions,
And all sorts of fruit and say
We have an old fashioned to-mah-to
A Long Island po-tah-to
But yes, we have no bananas.
We have no bananas today."

Business got so good for him that he wrote home today,
"Send me Pete and Nick and Jim; I need help right away."
When he got them in the store, there was fun, you bet.
Someone asked for "sparrow grass" and then the whole quartet
All answered
"Yes, we have no bananas
We have-a no bananas today.
Just try those coconuts
Those walnuts and doughnuts
There ain't many nuts like they.
We'll sell you two kinds of red herring,
Dark brown, and ball-bearing.
But yes, we have no bananas
We have no bananas today."

Yes, we are very sorry to inform you
That we are entirely out of the fruit in question
The afore-mentioned vegetable
Bearing the cognomen "Banana".
We might induce you to accept a substitute less desirable,
But that is not the policy at this internationally famous green 
grocery.
I should say not. No no no no no no no.
But may we suggest that you sample our five o'clock tea
Which we feel certain will tempt your pallet?
However we regret that after a diligent search 
Of the premises
By our entire staff
We can positively affirm without fear of contradiction
That our raspberries are delicious; really delicious
Very delicious
But we have no bananas today.

Yes, we gotta no banana
No banana
We gotta no banana today.
I sella you no banana.
Hey, Marianna, you gotta no banana?
Why this man, he no believe-a what I say.
Now whatta you want mister?
You wanna buy twelve for a quarter?
No? well, just a oneofadozen?
I'm-a gonna calla my daughter.
Hey, Marianna
You gotta piana
Yes, banana, no
No, yes, no bananas today
We gotta no bananas.
Yes, we gotta no bananas today.

Recorded By:

Eddie Cantor
Louis Prima
Benny Goodman
Spike Jones
Anthony Newley

Out of Nowhere

By Johnny Green and Edward Heyman (pictured)
1931

From the same team responsible for "Body and Soul" and "I Cover the Waterfront" came this song, which turned out to be Bing Crosby's first solo #1 hit when he recorded it for Brunswick Records in March 1931. It would continue to be closely associated with Bing, although it eventually became a widely recorded jazz standard. Interestingly, the harmonic progression of this tune can be found in several other compositions, including Gigi Gryce's "Sans Souci" and Alexander Courage's classic theme to the original Star Trek TV series. It is also a favorite of Woody Allen's, popping up in three of his films: 1993's Manhattan Murder Mystery (Coleman Hawkins version), 1997's Deconstructing Harry (Django Reinhardt version) and 1999's Sweet and Lowdown (Dick Hyman version).

Lyrics:

You came to me from out of nowhere 
you took my heart and found it free
Wonderful dreams, wonderful schemes from nowhere
Made every hour sweet as a flower to me

And if you should go back to your nowhere 
Leaving me with a memory
I'll always wait for your return out of nowhere
Hoping you'll bring your love to me

When I least expected, kindly faith directed
You to make each dream of mine come true
And if it's clear or raining, there is no explaining
Things just happened and so did you

You came to me from out of nowhere
You took my heart and you found it free
Wonderful dreams, wonderful schemes from nowhere
Made every hour sweet as a flower to me

Recorded By:

Dave Brubeck
Lena Horne
Ella Fitzgerald
Vic Damone
Art Tatum

I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire

By Bennie Benjamin, Eddie Durham, Sol Marcus and Eddie Seiler
1938

Although written before World War II, this love ballad became an anthem of separated wartime couples due to the fact that it wasn't recorded until just prior to the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, and due to its lyrics about "setting the world on fire". The song was introduced by Harlan Leonard and His Rockets, but the major number one hit came soon after from Horace Heidt. The Ink Spots (pictured) had a number-three hit with it, but it's this version that is perhaps best know today. Oddly enough, it inspired a 1988 recording by the heavy metal band Megadeth called "Set the World Afire".

Lyrics: 

I don't want to set the world on fire
I just want to start a flame in your heart

In my heart I have but one desire
And that one is you, no other will do

I've lost all ambition for worldly acclaim
I just want to be the one you love
And with your admission that you'd feel the same
I'll have reached the goal I'm dreaming of, believe me

I don't want to set the world on fire
I just want to start a flame in your heart

Recorded By:

Frankie Laine
Betty Carter
Vera Lynn
Fats Domino
Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians

Button Up Your Overcoat

By Ray Hernderon, B.G. DeSylva and Lew Brown
1928

Although Ruth Etting was the first to record this song, it was the version recorded a few months later by Helen Kane, the cutesy-voiced singer who inspired Betty Boop, that made the song a major hit. It would also be featured in the 1929 Broadway musical Follow Thru, as well as the film of the following year. Although it would always be identified as a song very much of the 1920s, it would be regularly brought back as a nostalgia piece by artists of later decades.

Lyrics: 

Listen, big boy
Now that you got me made
Goodness, but I'm afraid
Somethin's gonna happen to you

Listen, big boy
You gotta be hooked, and how
I would die if I should lose you now

Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Eat an apple every day
Get to bed by three
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Be careful crossing streets, ooh, ooh
Cut out sweets, ooh, ooh
Lay off meat, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum

Wear your flannel underwear
When you climb a tree
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Boop-boop-a-doop

When you sass a traffic cop
Use diplomacy
Just take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Beware of frozen funds, ooh, ooh
Stocks and bonds, ooh, ooh
Dockside thugs, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your bankroll

Keep the spoon out of your cup
When you're drinking tea
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Don't sit on hornet's tails, ooh, ooh
Or on nails, ooh, ooh
Or third rails, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum

Keep away from bootleg hooch
When you're on a spree
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me

Recorded By:

Sarah Vaughan
Paul Whiteman
Connie Francis
Johnny Mercer
Bing Crosby

Mean to Me

By Fred E. Ahlert and Roy Turk
1929

From the tail end of the Roaring '20s comes this sad, plaintive ballad with a clever lyric by Roy Turk which plays on the double meaning of the word "mean". It was introduced by Annette Hanshaw (pictured), considered in the early '30s to be the female equivalent of Bing Crosby. Ruth Etting also scored a major hit with it later that year. The melody would also be featured that year in the Krazy Kat cartoon "Ratskin", the first animated short produced by Columbia Pictures.

Lyrics: 

You're mean to me
Why must you be mean to me?
Gee, honey, it seems to me
You love to see me cryin'
I don't know why
I stay home each night
When you say you phone
You don't and I'm left alone.

Sing the blues and sighin'
You treat me coldly each day in the year
You always scold me
Whenever somebody is near, dear
I must be great fun to be mean to me
You shouldn't, for can't you see
What you mean to me

Recorded By:

Dean Martin
Robert Goulet
Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holiday
Anita O'Day

Only the Lonely

By Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn
1958

Although often remembered as the greatest vocal interpreter of popular song, Frank Sinatra also had a number of memorable songs written specifically for him, and this may have been the very most memorable. As he often did, the Chairman turned to close friends Van Heusen and Cahn to write for him a title song for his new ballad album in 1958, an album that would otherwise be filled with long-popular old chestnuts like "One for My Baby", "Willow Weep for Me" and "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry". This stark and wistful number was the perfect title track for what many consider Sinatra's greatest album--and one that has recently gotten a stellar new 60th anniversary re-release.

Lyrics: 

Each place I go only the lonely go
Some little small cafè
The songs I know only the lonely know
Each melody recalls a love that used to be

The dreams I dream only the lonely dream
Of lips as warm as may
That hopeless scheme only the lonely scheme
That soon somewhere you'll find the one that used to care

And you recall each fun time
Those picnics at the beach when love was new
It well could be the one time
A hopeless little dream like that comes true

If you find love hang on to each caress
And never let love go
For when it's gone you'll know the loneliness
The heartbreak only the lonely know

Recorded By:

Aretha Franklin
Shirley Horn
Iggy Pop
Tierney Sutton
Diana Krall

Say It Isn't So

By Irving Berlin
1932

This wonderful song was almost lost to the mists of time. Enduring a career downturn in the early 1930s, an unconfident Irving Berlin stuffed it away in a drawer, thinking it unworthy. Fortunately, one of his employees thought highly of it and brought it to the most established radio star in America, Rudy Vallee, who performed it on the air and made it an instant hit. The first studio recording was made by George Nelson and his Orchestra, and it soared to #1 on the charts. Ozzie Nelson would also have a top ten hit with it that same year. This song, along with "How Deep Is the Ocean", helped launch Berlin back to prominence.

Lyrics: 

Say it isn't so,

Say it isn't so,
Everyone is saying
You don't love me,
Say it isn't so.

Everywhere I go,
Everyone I know,Whispers that you're growing tired of me,
Say it isn't so.

People say that you,Found somebody new,
And it won't be long
Before you leave me,
Say it isn't true,

Say that everything is still okay,
That's all I want to know,

And what they're saying,

Say it isn't so.

Recorded By:

Connie Boswell
Joe Williams
Aretha Franklin
Stan Kenton
Dinah Washington

Mississippi Mud

By Harry Barris

1927

Harry Barris, composer of this joyous Roaring '20s tune, was a member of the Rhythm Boys, the vocal group that accompanied Paul Whiteman's orchestra and also included a very young Bing Crosby. The Rhythm Boys introduced the song with Whiteman's band, also featuring the legendary Bix Beiderbecke on cornet. It remained popular in later years, although with the original derogatory term "darkies" changed to "people". It appeared in an early episode of M*A*S*H, and has even proven a popular children's song, performed by The Muppets and Alvin & The Chipmunks.

Lyrics:

When the sun goes down, the tide goes out, 
The people gather 'round and they all begin to shout,
"Hey! Hey! Uncle Dud,
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud.
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud".

What a dance do they do!
Lordy, how I'm tellin' you
They don't need no band
They keep time by clappin' their hand
Just as happy as a cow chewin' on a cud,
When the darkies beat their feet on the Mississippi Mud.

Lordy, how they play it!
Goodness, how they sway it!
Uncle Joe, Uncle Jim,
How they pound the mire with vigor and vim!
Joy! that music thrills me!
Boy! it nearly kills me!
What a show when they go!
Say! they beat it up either fast or slow.

When the sun goes down, the tide goes out,
The people gather 'round and they all begin to shout,
"Hey! Hey! Uncle Dud,
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud.
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud".

What a dance do they do!
Lordy, how I'm tellin' you
They don't need no band
They keep time by clappin' their hand.
Just as happy as a cow chewin' on a cud.
When the darkies beat their feet on the Mississippi Mud.

Recorded By:

Dean Martin
Ray Charles
The Lennon Sisters
Eydie Gorme
Dinah Shore

There's No You

By Hal Hopper & Tom Adair
1944

A lush, gorgeous composition that helped catapult Jo Stafford's solo career. After leaving the Pied Pipers vocal group and becoming Capitol Records' first solo vocalist in '44, Stafford (or her arrangers) chose this beautiful song to be one of her very first recordings. Perfectly suited to her range and style, it became an instant standard thanks to her and has been recorded by numerous artists over the years since.

Lyrics:

I feel the autumn breeze, it steals 'cross my pillow
As soft as a will-o'-the-wisp and in its song
There is sadness because there's no you

The lonely autumn trees, how softly they're sighing
'Cause summer is dying, they know that in my heart
There's no gladness because there's no you

The park that we walked in, the garden we talked in
How lonesome they seem in the fall
Stormy clouds hover and falling leaves cover
Our favorite nook in the wall

In spring we'll meet again, we'll kiss and recapture
That summertime rapture we knew and from that day
Never more will I say, "There's no you"

Recorded By:

Duke Ellington
Frank Sinatra
Louis Armstrong
Coleman Hawkins
Stacey Kent

Ain't Misbehavin'

By Fats Waller, Harry Brooks & Andy Razaf

1929

Standard of the Day continues its fifth anniversary celebration this month with another signature tune, this time from the great Fats Waller. Fats claimed to have written the song while in prison, which partly inspired the title. He introduced it in 1929, and it was an instant hit, being recorded by several other artists in that year alone, and of course countless times over the decades since. It was the title tune for a 1978 Broadway musical based around Waller's songs, and was also performed by Leon Redbone during the first season of Saturday Night Live. It was also adopted as a theme song by comedian George Burns. More than any other, this song captured the irresistible charm and enthusiasm of the inimitable genius Fats Waller.

Lyrics:

No one to talk with, all by myself
No one to walk with, but I'm happy on the shelf
Ain't misbehavin', I'm savin' my love for you.

I know for certain the one you love
I'm through with flirtin', it's just you I'm thinkin' of
Ain't Misbehavin', I'm savin' my love for you.

Like Jack Horner in the corner
don't go nowhere, what do I care
Your kisses are worth waitin' for . . . Believe me.

I don't stay out late, don't care to go
I'm home about 8, just me and my radio
Ain't Misbehavin', I'm savin' my love for you.

Recorded By:

Billie Holiday
Ella Fitzgerald
Eartha Kitt
Django Reinhardt
Johnnie Ray

Yes Sir, That's My Baby

By Walter Donaldson & Gus Kahn
1925

An infectious tune that originated in the Roaring '20s, legend has it that the song was inspired by a visit composers Donaldson and Kahn made to the home of the immensely popular entertainer Eddie Cantor. When Cantor's daughter introduced her favorite wind-up toy, which produced a beguiling two-note melody, this led the two men to write the song based around those two notes. It was an instant hit, introduced by Ace Brigode, and has remained beloved ever since.

Lyrics:

Yes sir, that's my baby
No sir, I don't mean maybe
Yes sir, that's my baby now

Yes, ma'm, we've decided
No ma'm, we won't hide it
Yes, ma'm, you're invited now

By the way, by the way
When we meet the preacher I'll say

Yes sir, that's my baby
No sir, I don't mean maybe
Yes sir, that's my baby now


Recorded By:


Frank Sinatra
Ricky Nelson
Eddie Cantor
Lee Morse
Gene Austin

P.S. I Love You

By Gordon Jenkins & Johnny Mercer
1934

No, this is not the Beatles song. Years before the Fab Four were ever born, superb arranger/composer (and future Sinatra collaborator)
Jenkins and ingenious lyricist Mercer would team up to produce this utterly charming song about domestic bliss communicated over long distance. With a lyric that comprises a communication made to a significant other who is away from home, the number has a witty, quaint appeal that's easy to understand. It was introduced by none other than Rudy Vallee, but later enjoyed revivals in the 1940s, '50s and '60s. Most recently, the Bobby Vinton version was featured in an episode of Mad Men.

Lyrics:

Dear, I thought I'd drop a line
The weather's cool, the folks are fine
I'm in bed each night at nine
P.S. I love you.

Yesterday we had some rain
But all in all, I can't complain
Was it dusty on the train?
P.S. I love you.

Write to the Browns just as soon as you're able
They came around to call
And I burned a hole in the dining room table
Now let me think, I guess that's all

Nothing else for me to say
And so I'll close, but by the way
Everybody's thinking of you
P.S. I love you.

Recorded By:

Billie Holiday
Frank Sinatra
Bing Crosby
The Vogues
Nancy LaMott

Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning

By Irving Berlin
1918

Perhaps the song most associated with Berlin as a performer. He composed this strictly for his own amusement, after being drafted into the Army near the end of World War I. The song was so popular with the men, however, that his commanding officer used it for fundraising purposes, and before the end of the year, it appeared in the Zeigfeld Follies. Berlin himself performed it during the next World War, in the 1943 film This Is the Army.

Lyrics:

Oh! How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning,
Oh! How I'd love to remain in bed
For the hardest blow of all is to hear the bugler call:
'You've got to get up, you've got to get up,
You've got to get up this morning!'

Someday I'm going to murder the bugler
Someday they're going to find him dead
I'll amputate his reveille and stomp upon it heavily
And spend the rest of my life in bed!

A bugler in the army is the luckiest of men
He wakes the boys at five and then goes back to bed again
He doesn't have to blow again until the afternoon
If ev'rything goes well with me I'll be a bugler soon!

Oh! How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning,
Oh! How I'd love to remain in bed
For the hardest blow of all is to hear the bugler call:
'You've got to get up, you've got to get up,
You've got to get up this morning!'

Oh, boy! The minute the battle is over
Oh, boy! The minute the foe is dead
I'll put my uniform away and move to Philadelphia
And spend the rest of my life in bed!

Recorded By:

Arthur Fields
Alice Faye & Ethel Merman
Dick Robertson
Irving Berlin
Jessica Molaskey

How Deep Is the Ocean?

By Irving Berlin
1932

One of the rare Berlin tunes to debut on the radio and not on stage, this song was written at a particularly low point in the composer's personal and professional life, which may account for the bittersweet, melancholy yet hesitantly hopeful melody and lyric. It was introduced by the Paul Whiteman orchestra. I hope you enjoy it today, as our celebration of Berlin's 125th birthday continues...

Lyrics:

How can I tell you what is in my heart?
How can I measure each and every part?
How can I tell you how much I love you?
How can I measure just how much I do?

How much do I love you?
I'll tell you no lie
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?

How many times a day do I think of you?
How many roses are sprinkled with dew?

How far would I travel
To be where you are?
How far is the journey
From here to a star?

And if I ever lost you
How much would I cry?
How deep is the ocean?
How high is the sky?

Recorded By:

Frank Sinatra
Aretha Franklin
Ella Fitzgerald
Dexter Gordon
Eric Clapton

After You Get What You Want, You Don't Want It

By Irving Berlin
1920

Yesterday marked the 125th anniversary of the birth of Irving Berlin, and we're celebrating all week with spotlights on some of Berlin's most cherished tunes. This early smash hit for the Jewish-American songwriter was introduced by the popular vocal duo of Van & Schenck, whose recording spent six weeks at the number-two position on the charts. Just yesterday, on Berlin's 125th birthday, I picked up this record in an antique shop in its original 78 format, and it was a pleasure to listen to it at home in all its glory. You might also recognize this song from its use in the season 2 opener of HBO's Boardwalk Empire.

Lyrics:

Listen to me, honey dear 
Something's wrong with you I fear
It's getting harder to please you 
Harder and harder each year 
I don't want to make you blue 
But you need a talking to 
Like a lot of people I know 
Here's what's wrong with you...

After you get what you want, you don't want it 
If I gave you the moon, you'd grow tired of it soon. 
You're like a baby 
You want what you want when you want it 
But after you are presented 
With what you want, you're discontented 

You're always wishing and wanting for something 
When you get what you want 
You don't want what you get 
And tho' I sit upon your knee 
You'll grow tired of me 
'Cause after you get what you want 
You don't want what you wanted at all!

Recorded By:

Nat King Cole
Marilyn Monroe
Red Nichols
Van & Schenck
Joyce Breach

 

Let's Fall in Love

By Harold Arlen & Ted Koehler

1933

A major hit from the powerhouse duo of composer Arlen and lyricist Koehler (pictured, Koehler on the right), most popularly known for "Stormy Weather" and other early Cotton Club tunes. It was introduced by Eddy Duchin as a lilting ballad, but later turned into a swinging number when it became more of a jazz standard in the 1950s.

Lyrics:

I have a feeling, it's a feeling,
I'm concealing, I don't know why
It's just a mental, incidental, sentimental alibi
But I adore you
So strong for you
Why go on stalling
I am falling
Our love is calling
Why be shy?

Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we fall in love?
Our hearts are made of it
Let's take a chance
Why be afraid of it

Let's close our eyes and make our own paradise
Little we know of it, still we can try
To make a go of it

We might have been meant for each other
To be or not be
Let our hearts discover

Let's fall in love
Why shouldn't we fall in love
Now is the time for it, while we are young
Let's fall in love!

Recorded By:

Frank Sinatra
Ella Fitzgerald
Shirley Bassey
Diana Krall
Lee Wiley

 

 

Hello! Ma Baby

By Joseph E. Howard & Ida Emerson

1899

We all know it today from the classic 1955 Chuck Jones cartoon, "One Froggy Evening", but this song came into being nearly a half-century earlier. It was what was then known as a "coon song", meant to be sung in a stereotypically "black" style by white singers. The first to record it was pioneering recording artist Arthur Collins, and you can hear that right here. The lyric concerns a man whose only contact with his girlfriend is through the then-novel invention known as the telephone...

Lyrics:

Hello! ma baby
Hello! ma honey
Hello! ma ragtime gal
Send me a kiss by wire
Baby, ma heart's on fire!
If you refuse me
Honey, you'll lose me
Then you'll be left alone
Oh, baby, telephone
And tell me I'm your own!

Recorded By:

Arthur Collins
Joan Morris & William Bolcom
Beatrice Kay
Michigan J. Frog
Chet Atkins