A ... hit before your mother was born

Subject: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: Mo the caller
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 04:01 AM

Leeneia mentioned on another thread 'Let me call you sweetheart' and someone said 'I'm not that old, it was written in 1910'.
My mother was born in 1910, and I certainly know that song and many of that vintage. Yes, my mother was born a long, long, time ago.
Some of the bands I call with play 'singalong medleys' for waltzes or the Barn dance and it is noticeable that only the golden wedding parties etc join in.

My generation grew up with singing 'round the piano' at family parties. How many songs do the present generation know that are so much 'before their time'. Beatles songs perhaps. We get a response for When I'm 64. (1963). How about Your mother should know

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: Mo the caller
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 04:19 AM

So how many do you know that were a hit before your mother was born. Some that I've heard used

I Wouldn't leave my little wooden hut for you (a hit in 1905 but I knew if before Denis Norden doing a story about it in My Word)
Henery the eighth (1910)
Honeysuckle and the Bee (1901)

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: Mo the caller
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 04:28 AM

And I see a thread about Let him go Let him tarry has just been revived.

of course, all these songs seem well known until I look them up. It's only the chorus that i could join in with, the verses are a mystery.

Hang on the Bell Nellie (published 1870)

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 04:30 AM

A lot of the WW I songs are still remembered, and sung, likewise many music hall songs. So I guess when you think about it, we probably know a lot more pre mater songs than we realise.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: JennieG
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 08:29 AM

I know a lot of old songs. Back when I was a child and young teen television hadn't yet made its way to our town (large cities had it, country towns had to wait longer) but my mother would turn on the radio first thing in the morning and turn it off last thing at night. She played piano in her younger days and had a collection of sheet music from the late 1930s through the war years. Back in the late 1950s-early 1960s country town radio stations played current music, but also music of earlier days - 50s, 40s, 30s, even 20s and older, many of which were in my mother's music collection. It sunk in by osmosis, and many of the words are still there in my head.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: rich-joy
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 08:47 AM

Ah, this may be the place to ask my Family History question!

My maternal Grandfather died early in 1926 (from WWI service-induced TB). He always called my Grandmother "Sal" (and in his family she was known as "Sal" despite her name being Elizabeth or Betty).

My Mum said that he was very fond of music and literature and the name came from a popular song and she always assumed that it was "Sally of My Dreams". Trouble is, I had read that that particular song came out after he had died.

So, anyone have any suggestions as to what this special song could be???

Cheers, R-J (Down Under)

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 10:07 AM

One thing that passed on older songs in the UK, even in non singing families, was, heaven forfend, the Black and White Minstrel Show.

When it was broadcast in my childhood I never understood the point of blackface and just thought it a bit silly but I can still sing along with a host of vaudeville and music hall material.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: Mo the caller
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 11:32 AM

Sally in our alley? (Obviously not the Gracie Fields song from 1931.)

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: leeneia
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 04:20 PM

I don't know how to answer the question of how many old songs I know, because they are in my mind, but buried by daily life. I'm sure I know a lot of them, though.

Last night I watched most of a special about the Dean Martin show, and I recognized all of the songs except two. I didn't recognize that Beatles' song, though. When I was in high school, I didn't like them, and college was so difficult/interesting that I had no time for popular music of any kind.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: leeneia
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 04:26 PM

Rich-joy, how about "My Gal Sal" from 1905? This song was something of a hit. Here's a YouTube video with it being sung by the Mills Brothers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DLXn3gYOUI

There's another video nearby with all the words, but the singer is lackluster.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: JennieG
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 06:43 PM

There was a musical "Sally", first performed in 1920 - might be a bit late though?

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: rich-joy
Date: 02 Aug 20 - 08:11 PM

Thanks for those suggestions, Mo, Leeneia and JennieG!!

I guess it's sadly something I'll never know for sure, as we have almost no relatives left from his side of the family :(
She was a West Aussie nurse and he a returned soldier and they were married in 1922, had my Mum in 1923, her sister in 1925, then he died in 1926 - no pictures of them together and no idea how/when they met - but it was a love match!


However, I rather like this 1929 performance by the Mound City Blue Blowers of "I Ain't Got Nobody" / "My Gal Sal" :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfLs-jREjpk

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: GUEST,SINSULL
Date: 03 Aug 20 - 05:21 PM

Check out Joan Morris's recordings The Gay Nineties and Songs of the Civil War - a treasure trove.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Aug 20 - 05:32 PM

Mudcat has a thread, perhaps two threads for a Yale Glee Club song
that goes back to 1900, give or take a year, and is called
The Whizz-Fish Song.

The chorus begins:

"Shades of Izaak Walton!
Was that another bite?"

It's a jocular uptempo thing, and it seems that
the lyrics are 'suggestive,' as if the fish to be caught is,
well, something other than a fish.
It certainly gets toes tapping, if nothing else.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: Tiger
Date: 04 Aug 20 - 12:05 PM

Here are the ones from my list, all 100+ - I was surprised that some were THAT old, guess it creeps up on you.

I used to sing a lot of them to my father, and they brought tears to his eyes 'cause many were sung to him by HIS father.

Angel Band
Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms
A Bird in a Gilded Cage
The Blue-Tail Fly
By the Light of the Silvery Moon
Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
Clementine
Danny Boy
The Darktown Strutters' Ball
Darlin' Nelly Gray
The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady
The Faded Coat of Blue
Hard Times, Come Again No More
Harrigan
Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen
I've Got Rings on My Fingers
K-K-K-Katy
Let the Rest of the World Go By
Little Annie Rooney
Long Boy
Lorena
Macushla
The Man on the Flying Trapeze
Mary's a Grand Old Name
Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis
Mother Machree
My Gal Sal
My Grandfather's Clock
My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night
My Wild Irish Rose
No Disappointment in Heaven
Oh, Johnny! Oh, Johnny!
Old Black Joe
Old Folks at Home
The Old Rugged Cross
Old Uncle Ned
On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away
Put on your Old Grey Bonnet
Seeing Nellie Home
Shine On, Harvest Moon
Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is Calling
They All Had a Finger in the Pie
Till We Meet Again
Two Little Girls in Blue
Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
When You and I Were Young, Maggie
When You Were Sweet Sixteen
When You Wore a Tulip
Where the River Shannon Flows
The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: leeneia
Date: 04 Aug 20 - 12:49 PM

Thanks for the link, Rich-Joy. The singer has a good voice, and I loved the drummer with his suitcase and his whiskbrooms.

Tiger, that's a nice story. I'm impressed by your list.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 04 Aug 20 - 02:09 PM

"One thing that passed on older songs in the UK, even in non singing families, was, heaven forfend, the Black and White Minstrel Show."

.. and perhaps even more so,
the long running TV show "The Good Old Days"...

A weekly dose of ancient music hall songs watched with the family,
throughout my childhood and formative music listening years...

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: Mo the caller
Date: 22 Aug 20 - 07:43 AM

From another website, but perhaps Mudcat can help
"My Grandad used to sing O, o salomio"
"Now my memory's been piqued, I've been trying to find the Oh Salome-o thing that my grandad sang, and I can't. It's been driving me potty, but I did come across this website that I think you'd appreciate:
https://www.musichallcds.co.uk/music_ha ... tabase.htm
The Salome that's on here by Harry Roy isn't the right one - and the soldiers during the war had a naughty version that they sang instead.
"

I suggested Antonio by Florrie Ford but it seems not.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: JennieG
Date: 22 Aug 20 - 08:38 AM

Could it perhaps be "Oh, oh, Antonio"?

Oh, oh, Antonio

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: GerryM
Date: 22 Aug 20 - 08:40 AM

Mo, are you sure you're not thinking of "O sole mio", https://youtu.be/eQSNVBLTXYY

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: JennieG
Date: 22 Aug 20 - 08:41 AM

Sorry about that - cross posted! You have already said it wasn't Antonio, and I skimmed past.

"Oh, Salome" perhaps? My mother had the sheet music, I can still song some of it.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: Snuffy
Date: 22 Aug 20 - 10:08 AM

My parents were born 1921 & 1922.Between about 1950 and 1955 they often had social evenings with friends and neighbours at which there was lots of "community singing" where everyone joined in with the bits they thought they might know. My father ran the local football team, and often took me with him (to give my mum some respite!). At away matches there was always singing on the coach journeys there and back, so many songs were burned into my consciousness at an early age.

About 10/15 years ago I made a list of all the "oldies" I might still remember:

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: Snuffy
Date: 22 Aug 20 - 10:20 AM

As I was saying ...
About 10/15 years ago I made a list of all the "oldies" I might still remember. From After The Ball to Your Cheating Heart there were over 320 songs.
I would imagine that number now to be appreciably smaller, but don't intend to investigate in the immediate future.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: Mo the caller
Date: 22 Aug 20 - 03:22 PM

No she said it was not Oh Salome either.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: Mo the caller
Date: 22 Aug 20 - 03:44 PM

That link nudges Youtube into playing a series of very suggestive Harry Roy songs.

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: JennieG
Date: 22 Aug 20 - 08:28 PM

I am wondering if 'Salomio' was a misheard lyric - either deliberately or accidentally? People have often made up songs from lyrics they twist into something else; songs such "La Donna E Mobile" from 'Rigoletto' can sound like "Ta ra ra boom de ay".

Subject: RE: A ... hit before your mother was born
From: Mo the caller
Date: 23 Aug 20 - 04:52 AM

I suspect it was some sort of parody,but whether her grandfather made it up or if it was more widely known ???