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OT: Need a funny music hall song


pogo97

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I need a good, funny, ideally British music hall, song from the twenties or thirties (or before). I have some contenders but no obvious winner:

 

"The Lion and Albert" (barely a song)

"There are Fairies at the Bottom of the Garden" (not sure it's male-appropriate)

"Abdul Abulbul Amir" (American and a bit silly)

"Sitting on the Ice in the Ice Rink" (topic perfect but smarmy)

 

I've audited hundreds of songs in iTunes and the huge majority are either inappropriate or just awful! (Thought it is wonderful that I can do all this so quickly and comfortably.)

 

Any favourite songs your old grandad used to sing? It must have been written before August 1939 (I can research that).

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My grandpa used to sing "Cigarettes & Whiskey & Wild, Wild Women":

 

Cigarettes and whiskey

and wild, wild women

They'll drive you crazy

They'll drive you insane

 

Also covered by the Muppets with Peter Sellers. :thu: I've no idea what date of the song is, though.

 

yVw96wzmZC8

 

Come to think of it, the Muppet Show might be a good source of inspiration for these kinds of songs. They had a gift for finding obscure old songs.

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a fine song and a fine performance--goonish in the best way

 

believe it or not, I used to sing that song--I still have it written out in my old songbook

 

original is probably 1947--The Sons of the Pioneers; written by Tim Spencer (member of SOP)

 

[YOUTUBE]tP9dZqkyUX0[/YOUTUBE]

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I need a good, funny, ideally British music hall, song from the twenties or thirties (or before). I have some contenders but no obvious winner:


"The Lion and Albert" (barely a song)

"There are Fairies at the Bottom of the Garden" (not sure it's male-appropriate)

"Abdul Abulbul Amir" (American and a bit silly)

"Sitting on the Ice in the Ice Rink" (topic perfect but smarmy)


I've audited hundreds of songs in iTunes and the huge majority are either inappropriate or just awful! (Thought it is wonderful that I can do all this so quickly and comfortably.)


Any favourite songs your old grandad used to sing? It must have been written before August 1939 (I can research that).

 

 

 

I think these guys may have what you need....

 

http://windyridgemusichallrecordings.ithinkmusic.com/my-store/releases.php?page=4345

 

cheers,

 

em

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I think these guys may have what you need....




cheers,


em

 

 

+1 There's one on that list by Marie Lloyd called "A little bit of what you fancy does you good" that was popular for ages.

 

More Marie Lloyd titles

 

Along with Marie LLoyd, George Formby is another performer that might be worth Googling for suitable songs, although some of his better known hits are probably after the 1930s.

 

Chris

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I have no idea. But one of my great-great-grandfathers played the fiddle; I have it in a glass case.

 

wat like snow white? that's just weird man.

 

 

 

anyway, I had a grandad that used to say things like:

 

"smoke in the house, can't get a spoonful. What is it?"

 

and we'd go: :idk:

 

and finally he'd say:

 

"An egg!"

 

and we'd go :facepalm:

 

anyway, my other grandad is still fond of singing Mairzy Doats, but that's probably from the 40's too.

 

:wave:

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Our parlour wanted papering, and Pa says it was waste

To call a paperhanger in, and so he made some paste;

He bought some rolls of paper, got a ladder and a brush,

And with my mummy's nightgown on, at it he made a rush.

 

When Father papered the parlour, you couldn't see him for paste,

Dabbing it here! Dabbing it there! Paste and paper everywhere;

Mother was stuck to the ceiling, the children stuck to the floor,

I never knew a blooming family so 'stuck up' before.

 

The pattern was 'Blue Roses' with its leaves red, white, and brown,

He'd stuck it wrong way up, and now we all walk upside down;

And when he trimm'd the edging off the paper with the shears,

The cat got underneath it, and Dad cut off both its ears.

 

When Father papered the parlour, you couldn't see him for paste,

Dabbing it here! Dabbing it there! Paste and paper everywhere;

Mother was stuck to the ceiling, the children stuck to the floor,

I never knew a blooming family so 'stuck up' before.

 

Soon Dad fell down the stairs and dropp'd his paperhanger's can

On little Henrietta sitting there with her young man;

The paste stuck them together, as we thought t'would be for life,

We had to fetch the parson in to make them man and wife.

 

When Father papered the parlour, you couldn't see him for paste,

Dabbing it here! Dabbing it there! Paste and paper everywhere;

Mother was stuck to the ceiling, the children stuck to the floor,

I never knew a blooming family so 'stuck up' before.

 

We're never going to move away from that house any more,

For Father's gone and stuck the chairs and table to the floor;

We can't find our piano, though it's broad and rather tall,

We think that it's behind the paper Pa stuck on the wall.

 

When Father papered the parlour, you couldn't see him for paste,

Dabbing it here! Dabbing it there! Paste and paper everywhere;

Mother was stuck to the ceiling, the children stuck to the floor,

I never knew a blooming family so 'stuck up' before.

 

Now, Father's sticking in the pub, through treading in the paste,

And all the family's so upset, they've all gone pasty-faced;

While Pa says now that Ma has spread the news from north to south,

He wishes he had dropped a blob of paste in Mother's mouth.

 

When Father papered the parlour, you couldn't see him for paste,

Dabbing it here! Dabbing it there! Paste and paper everywhere;

Mother was stuck to the ceiling, the children stuck to the floor,

I never knew a blooming family so 'stuck up' before.

 

####.... Robert Patrick Weston [1878-1936] Melody: Fred J. Barnes [d.1917] (

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When Father papered the parlour, you couldn't see him for paste,

Dabbing it here! Dabbing it there! Paste and paper everywhere;

Mother was stuck to the ceiling, the children stuck to the floor,

I never knew a blooming family so 'stuck up' before.


 

Good one. :thu: You just took me back 50 years.

 

I remember my mother singing that song when I was a kid.....(geez was it really half a century ago... gulp....yep....). From memory, she sang "Pa" instead of "him" , so her version went "When Father papered the parlour you couldn't see Pa for paste" but it was definitely the same song.

 

This sounds like an original version, on Youtube.

 

 

Another song, apparently from the 20's, that also lasted in popularity for a long time was this one. Not quite as funny now.... !!

 

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Thanks for all the great leads. Very helpful. I'll check them out today.

 

I'll clarify my needs somewhat: It's August 1939 and the singer is doing a radio broadcast; he's singing this song for his 8-year-old son or daughter (I can change the gender depending on the song). Suggestive songs are out because the kid wouldn't get it.

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Good one.
:thu:
You just took me back 50 years.


I remember my mother singing that song when I was a kid.....(geez was it really half a century ago... gulp....yep....). From memory, she sang "Pa" instead of "him" , so her version went "When Father papered the parlour you couldn't see Pa for paste" but it was definitely the same song.


This sounds like an original version, on Youtube.


Billy Williams

 

My god! The man died in 1915 and the recording sounds superb! And pretty funny--not sure yet if it's the song thats funny or the delivery.

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