Origins: Jamie Boy

Subject: Origins: Jamie Boy
From: GUEST,cosmos42
Date: 20 Aug 15 - 12:01 AM

You people are absolutely amazing. I'm updating my Girl Scout camp song site, and you've already provided the origins to so many songs I'd been wondering about!

That being said, there's at least one that either goes by a different name in your database, or is still a mystery. I love this song, and would like to give credit where credit is due, of course.



These are the lyrics I know.

Chorus: Jamie boy, Jamie Boy
I see you walking by the water, the water
The shiny blue water
My Jamie boy, Jamie boy
I see you walking all alone
Why are you walking all alone?

Somebody
Should be walking with Jamie boy
Should be talking with Jamie boy
Somebody I know
A dubba, dubba, dubba, dubba

(chorus)

Can't you see (you see)
Who is eager to walk with you
And is eager to talk with you
Somebody I know
A dubba, dubba, dubba, dubba

(chorus)

It is I (is I)
Who is eager to walk (to walk) with you
And is eager to talk (to talk) with you
I love you so
A dubba, dubba, dubba, dubba

(chorus)


I learned this song back in the 80s at a California Girl Scout camp, but have encountered it at several other California camps as well.

There is a youtube video of some other people singing it. It's not quite the tune I know, but it's close enough for reference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD0_INyDgZA

Anyway, thank you in advance, and hopefully I can help in return!

Subject: RE: Origins: Jamie Boy
From: GUEST,#
Date: 20 Aug 15 - 12:40 PM

http://www.45cat.com/45_composer.php?tc=Joe+Shapiro%2C+Lou+Stallman

Subject: RE: Origins: Jamie Boy
From: GUEST,cosmos42
Date: 20 Aug 15 - 04:54 PM

Wow! That was fast! Thanks!

(in case that link goes away someday, I'll put the info in the thread for posterity - it basically says that Joe Shapiro and Lou Stallman composed it, and Kay Starr performed it)

Subject: RE: Origins: Jamie Boy
From: GUEST,cosmos42
Date: 20 Aug 15 - 05:11 PM

It's come a long way over the years! The version I know is so much slower (and didn't have a big band accompaniment...), and has slightly different words. Now I'm even more curious as to how it wound up in the Girl Scout camp circuit. (but I accept that I may never know).

Youtube video of the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uaQ1KiklJs

Subject: RE: Origins: Jamie Boy
From: Joe Offer
Date: 20 Aug 15 - 05:15 PM

# - links are great, but they tend to die. If you find good music information, please post both text and a link. I do my best to follow up and augment links with texts, but I find I just haven't had the time lately. I would say that half of our links that are over 5 years old, are dead. That means that information is no longer available, because somebody at Mudcat didn't take the time to copy-paste or paraphrase and post valuable music information.
Thanks.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Origins: Jamie Boy
From: GUEST,#
Date: 20 Aug 15 - 06:46 PM

'Jamie Boy' was composed by Joe Shapiro and Lou Stallman, released as a record in 1957 by Kay Starr.

Subject: RE: Origins: Jamie Boy
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 21 Aug 15 - 10:45 AM

Thanks for the info, Cosmos and #. I now remember hearing Kay Starr sing that song back in 1957. I found it irritating at the time. Now I realize that Kay Starr was probably 20 years too old to be singing it.

The young women singing it in your link, Cosmos, sound much more natural. Hearing them makes me realize that the song has charm.