PLAYING WITH WORDS

One of the many great joys of human speech are the games and distortions we inflict upon our language, gobbledygook, gibberish, patter, puns or, more kindly, verbal felicity. Let’s explore some of these highways and byways in the search for amusement or even enlightenment. I make 10 selections:

(1)    Largo al Factotum from The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini sung by Vito Priante

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9fNzkEY9Ko&ab_channel=RoyalOperaHouse

This famous 1816 aria, on the joys of being a handyman, gives baritone Figaro some challenging, rapid tongue-twisters. It starts the opera with a bang.

(2)    Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen by the Sea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKZZL6uhaRk&ab_channel=VideosTimes2

From the sublime to the ridiculous, this childrens’ song enjoyed attention in the early 1950s and was lapped up – it would die a death today! Max Bygraves sang the British version.

(3)    Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins (1964) sung by Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZNRzc3hWvE&ab_channel=ItsMusicallyLyrical

My final selection from long-word songs aimed at juvenile audiences, including Julie’s sugary smile and Dick’s appalling cockney accent!

(4)    The Laughing Policeman by Charles Penrose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGOKi3nIDrc&ab_channel=VintageBritishComedy.

This comic song from the early 1920s was a staple of Children’s Choice, the Saturday morning brother to Housewives’ Choice, the daily BBC Light Programme request show. Penrose was a typical British Music Hall artiste of the old school.

(5)    Zip from Pal Joey by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (1940) sung by Rita Hayworth in the 1957 film version with Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=zip%2C+from+pal+joey+sung+rita+hayworth

Many American songwriters produced “patter” songs like this one with a dizzying array of contemporary references and wit by the bucket-load.

(6)    Boum by Charles Trenet

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=boum+song

Although ominous clouds were gathering, France in 1938 retained much of her carefree inter-war spirit and this cheerful song by esteemed Charles Trenet epitomises that spirit.

(7)    Well, did you Evah? by Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby from High Society (1956)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kq1JQUhwVQ&ab_channel=zaunschirmseppl  

Another patter song, by sophisticated Cole Porter, specially composed for the film. Both Sinatra and Crosby excelled themselves.

(8)    Doo Wah Diddy Diddy by Manfred Mann

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43vOAw2sAFU&ab_channel=DarrylHushaw

The Rock era ushered in some songs which had wholly nonsensical lyrics. The above effort is typical, originally an American tune, it became a 1964 hit for the British band Manfred Mann.

(9)    I am the Walrus by The Beatles

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=!+am+the+Walrus+the+beatles

Even worse than having nonsensical lyrics, some songs have totally incomprehensible ones and the above effort from 1967 is a case in point. I will not quote from the lyrics as they are a compound of Liverpudlian anarchy and LSD druggie visions wrapped up in humourless contempt for the audience. I liked the early Beatles but this kind of thing drove me screaming to the exit door.

(10) Let’s call the Whole Thing Off by George and Ira Gershwin sung by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 1937 musical Shall We Dance?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOILZ_D3aRg&ab_channel=wheel

Maybe the debate on language and pronunciation should be called off, but we will never forget this number with Fred crooning gently and both he and Ginger tap-dancing on roller-skates. What talent, what joie de vivre, what energy and what a boost to any drooping spirits!

 

SMD

3.04.21

Text Copyright © Sidney Donald 2021