Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli? / Ai Ai Paisano (Loesser)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli? / Ai Ai Paisano (Loesser)
From: GUEST,Krishna - restored from 20 Jan 2015, 12:19 P
Date: 07 Mar 15 - 10:31 PM

Indeed! Now THAT is a real emendation - gender neutral in accordance with our times, yet preserving the originally intended cynicism. That's the way I'll sing it from now on (and making sure I give you due credit before doing so)!
Best regards
Sundaram Krishna

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli? / Ai Ai Paisano (Loesser)
From: GUEST,Joe F - restored from 19 Jan 2015
Date: 07 Mar 15 - 10:30 PM

My Mudkittenhood dates back to 2001.

I might add that when I sing this song in company, I change "a woman's kiss" to "a lover's kiss". That preserves (indeed, IMO, improves) the cynicism, but distributes it equitably between the sexes.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli? / Ai Ai Paisano (Loesser)
From: GUEST,Krishna - restored from 19 Jan 2015
Date: 07 Mar 15 - 10:29 PM

Hi Joe F,
Thank you very much for your response and comments - the pleasure was all the greater as I was not sure of a reply as your earlier post dated back to 2009! I am trying to work out the guitar chords for the song and find that you are absolutely right - that emendation is indeed appropriate if sung in company.
Cheers and best wishes for the new year!
Sundaram Krishna

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli? / Ai Ai Paisano (Loesser)
From: GUEST,Joe F - restored from 15 Jan
Date: 07 Mar 15 - 10:27 PM

Ah, so! I have the DVD, but I did not notice that. Evidently, in the context of the movie, the repetition of "you" makes sense. Thank you for pointing that out.

However, in the old MIT Outing Club songbook, from which I first learned this song about 1960, the second "you" is indeed changed to "I", and that is a good idea if one is singing the song in company rather than watching the movie. Likewise, the last two verses, which are topical in the movie, are left out.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli? / Ai Ai Paisano (Loesser)
From: GUEST,Krishna - restored from 12 Jan 15
Date: 07 Mar 15 - 10:27 PM

Hi Joe F,
I'm posting this from India five years after your post of 11 Feb 2009 which I happened to see by sheer chance while Googling the net to find some material on the background of the song. TCM carried a run of the movie on TV many years ago which I had taped and watched the song again carefully. Regarding your emendation to the lyrics, in particular, to the stanza which starts with "I know a lady named Arabella Grose..", I noticed that Sheldon Leonard, who sings that verse, looks first at Spencer Tracy and then at Akim Tamiroff as he sings the phrase "you know her and you know her..." - so its clearly addressed to each of them in succession. So the emendation is not really required. I'm sure you must have managed to see the movie sometime during the intervening years - if not, I have cropped out that particular portion from the video and can mail it to you if you like (its only about 4 MB in size).
Best regards
Krishna Sundaram

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli? / Ai Ai Paisano (Loesser)
From: Joe_F
Date: 25 Oct 11 - 02:26 PM

News! Tortilla Flat is now available on DVD at Amazon.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ai Ai Paisano / Ay Ay Torelli (Loesser)
From: GUEST,David M.
Date: 14 Jul 11 - 02:53 PM

I know it's been years since you asked, but I have an mp3 of a woman singing it from a hootenanny in 1962.. Found this page when googling to try and find the name of it.

Email me at [e-mail] if you want a copy.

-David

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ai Ai Paisano / Ay Ay Torelli (Loesser)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 12:37 AM

Unfortunately, Frank Loesser misses a lot of the "Great American Songwriters" CD collections. It's too bad, because he was a terrific songwriter. I looked all around, and couldn't find a recording of this song.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ai Ai Paisano / Ay Ay Torelli (Loesser)
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Nov 09 - 10:44 PM

now how can i find the mp3

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli
From: Joe_F
Date: 11 Feb 09 - 08:51 PM

I should have mentioned what my emendation was.

You know her and you know her but I know her the most

should surely be

I know her and you know her but I know her the most.

Vintage male sexual vanity!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli
From: Joe_F
Date: 10 Feb 09 - 08:45 PM

In accordance with (whose law is it?), in correcting Old Climber's misspelling, I introduced one of my own. It is, of course,

La vida es asi.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 09:51 PM

I'm duly impressed, Joe. Great find!!
-Joe Offer-

Subject: ADD: Ai, Ai, Paisano (Frank Loesser)
From: Joe_F
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 08:13 PM

La vida est asi (that's the way life is).

It's by Frank Loesser. It is from the movie _Tortilla Flat_, after John Steinbeck's book of the same name. I have never managed to see it.

http://www.larryhosford.com/SC%20Lyrics/Ai,%20Ai,%20Paisano.htm has (slightly emended):

AI, AI, PAISANO!
(Frank Loesser)

I love Torelli, he's a friend of mine,
I love Torelli, I love him for his wine,
He's got my watch, his wine is in my belly,
If it was not for the wine, I would not love Torelli.
Ai, Ai, Paisano! La vida es asi.

You love Torelli, now that's a funny joke,
If Torelli was on fire he wouldn't give you smoke,
Not that I'm so handsome, but my eyes they have a shine,
If it was not for his wife, we would not get much wine.
Ai, Ai, Paisano! La vida es asi.

Listen amigos, I will ask you this,
Why is a glass just like a woman's kiss?
When it's full of wine it makes you blind a little bit,
When the wine is gone, you can see through it!
Ai, Ai, Paisano! La vida es asi.

I know a lady named Arabella Gross,
I know her, and you know her, but I know her the most.
When I drink a little drink, I make a little toast,
To your friend and my friend, Arabella Gross.
Ai, Ai, Paisano! La vida es asi.

Mrs. Morales got chickens in her yard,
If you'd like to get one it isn't very hard,
Smile for the senora, you'll get one for free,
If Danny feels like smiling nice, he'll get two or three.
Ai, Ai, Paisano! La vida es asi.

Danny is a lucky boy, I'm a friend of his,
I'm the one who saved him from a wife, and goats and cheese,
I give him all my good advice for only half his wine,
Danny is a lucky boy, he's a friend of mine.
Ai, Ai, Paisano! La vida es asi.

Oh you little squid, you ugly little squid,
I promised I would go to work, and that is what I did,
Oh you little squid, you homely little squid,
I bet your Mama thinks that you're a pretty kid.
Ai, Ai, Paisano! La vida es asi.

The old MIT Outing Club songbook has it, with some differences in detail (including the Yips) & the last two stanzas missing. The same version may be found in
http://outingclub-alpha.union.rpi.edu/cairn/vintage/1954_04.pdf

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli
From: GUEST,Old Climber
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 05:16 PM

I love Torelli, he is a friend of mine
I love Torelli, I love him for his wine
He has my watch, his wine is in my belly
If it was not for his wine, I would not love Torelli
Ay Ay paisano
Yip! La vida esta si   (?)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 01:36 AM

Titles can be deceiving. Do you remember anything of the song? A few phrases, perhaps?
-Joe-

Subject: Lyr Req: Ay Ay Torelli
From: GUEST,Old Climber
Date: 08 Feb 09 - 07:24 PM

We sang this in the 1960's, Torelli was a winemaker and a lover. Humorous song. Any lyrics?