Lyr Req: Baciare, Baciare (They Kiss While...)

Subject: Oh Johnny they kiss while whistlin'
From:
Date: 10 Jan 97 - 05:05 PM

For years I have been looking for the name of a song I used to hear on the radio in Montreal in the fifties or early sixties. I don't remember all the words, but it went something like this (the X's stand for syllables): "The boys and girls of XXX are XXXX XXX /And here's the reason why they're always happy as can be: Oh Johnny, oh Johnny, they kiss while they're whistlin'/Like this they go kissin'/Each day and night, oh/Johnny, oh Johnny, they etc. .I used to love this song as a kid. Can anyone help me track it down?"

Subject: Lyr Add: BACIARE, BACIARE
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 03:27 PM

Another nearly 10-year-old request bites the dust!

I suppose "baciare" could sound like "Oh, Johnny" if you have no idea you're hearing an Italian word.

Copied from http://www3.sympatico.ca/rr.rawlings/baciare.lyrics.htm, and edited by me:

BACIARE, BACIARE
Music by Josef Niessen, original German lyrics by Willy Dehmel
English lyrics by Bert Reisfeld

The boys and girls of Napoli are whistling merrily;
And here's the reason why they're always happy as can be:

CHORUS: Baciare, baciare, they kiss while they're whistling,
Like this they go whistling each day and night.
Baciare, baciare, who knows what we're missing
If we don't start kissing this way?

The boys and girls of Napoli just pucker up and smile,
'Cause kissing without whistling is considered out of style. CHORUS

Well, if the kids of Napoli can do it, why can't I?
Now, Honey, pucker up your lips and blow, why don't you try? CHORUS

[Recorded by Dorothy Collins, 1959.]

* * *

Original German lyrics:

Die Mädchen von Neapel sprechen nur von einem Mann;
Das ist der schwarze Tino, der so zärtlich pfeifen kann.

CHORUS: Baciare, baciare, wenn Tino so da sitzt,
wenn er seinen Mund spitzt, denkt man nur an
Baciare, baciare, sein Lied ist so herrlich,
und doch so gefährlich für mich.

Die Mädchen von Neapel sind dem Tino alle treu;
Und dass "Baciare" küssen heisst, das ist für sie nicht neu. CHORUS

Die Mädchen von Neapel lassen Tino nicht in Ruh',
Doch ich bin lieber still, denn ich gehöre auch dazu. CHORUS

Rough translation from German:

The girls of Naples speak only of one man;
That is the dark Tino, who can whistle so tenderly.

CHORUS: Baciare, baciare, when Tino sits there,
When he puckers his lips, you think of nothing but
Baciare, baciare. His song is so wonderful,
And yet so dangerous for me.

The girls of Naples are all faithful to Tino.
That "Baciare" means kissing is not news to them.

The girls of Naples won't leave him alone,
But I am so quiet, because I am his too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh Johnny they kiss while whistlin'
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 04 Nov 06 - 08:38 PM

I can't see how it works, meself... I mean, you could play quite a lot of musical instruments, but whistling, that would surely be a bit tricky.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Oh Johnny they kiss while whistlin'
From: Artful Codger
Date: 05 Nov 06 - 05:53 PM

Maybe they whistled with nose flutes.

But I think a computer analogy is helpful here: time-slicing like a single processor running multiple programs "concurrently".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Baciare, Baciare (They Kiss While...)
From: GUEST,Rodney Rawlings
Date: 26 Nov 10 - 12:28 PM

John Dixon, I hope you now realize you copied that from MY page!