FUN SONGS!

Happy June to all of you! I thought we needed to look at some fun songs. Not sure about playing these on the Dulcimer, but I bet we could pluck out the melody.

1. Hinky Dinky Parlez Vous. How many of you remember this one? The original version came from Mademoiselle from Armentieres in the 1830’s. And the original name was Inky Pinky which was a Scottish children’s name for parsnip and potato cakes. Hmmm. The song was considered risqué and should not be sung in polite company. Here's a link HERE.

The many possible lyrics are on this website, but be warned they are very risqué indeed! Then it was recorded by Four Sergeants in the album Bawdy Barracks Ballad as it became a WWI much loved tune. Here’s a link HERE

This is the version I remember most. It is still a fun song and the soldiers of WWI made up their own lyrics which were not so risqué. After looking into this one I had the tune stuck in my head most of the day.

2. Beans in My Ears. This one my mom sang to us when I was very young and we loved it as kids.

HERE is a link to listen: The main jest of this one is mommy telling us to not put beans in our ears. Go figure.

This was written by Len Chandler in 1964 and sung by the Serendipity Singers. However, many physicians complained it was inspiring children to put beans in their ears and was banned and blacklisted in many places. Ouch!

If you want to read more this is a link HERE. Still a fun song to sing.

3. My Mother Gave Me a Nickel. Another song my mom sang to us and we loved it too.

Now this was considered the Chewing Gum Song. It’s a fun little ditty with several verses.

Vs 1. My mom gave me a nickel to buy a pickle, I didn’t buy a pickle but bought some chewing gum

Vs 2. My mom gave me a dime to buy a lime, I didn’t buy a lime but bought some chewing gum

Vs 3. My mom gave me a quarter to tip the porter , I didn’t tip the porter but bought some chewing gum

Chorus: chew chew chew chewing gum, how I love chewing gum

Of course there are other versions, but this was how I remember my mom singing it.

At some point Bazooka became part of the song and was included in the lyrics. Not sure of the date when this transpired. The most accurate rendition of by Dean Martin’s recording on a MGM label and HERE is a link to listen to his version:

Just some fun tunes to reminisce about the past. I wonder what oldies you might be remembering right now? Would love to hear what they are.

This Thursday 6/2/2022 launches Quarantune 7.0. It is still an amazing event with about 17 countries 60 to 70 instructors and hundreds of attendees. I look forward to the concerts and taking just a few classes. I used to take a bunch, but it can be overwhelming and put you into overload. Hope to see some of you there!

Keep the Fun Music in the Air

NancyJ your Pres.