ADD: Merry Minuet and REQ Story of Alice

Subject: Lyr Add: THE MERRY MINUET (Sheldon Harnick)
From: judy
Date: 21 Jan 98 - 07:44 PM

As I was looking up some other song, I came across The Merry Minuet which I learned from a Kingston Trio album. It had a few extras that I believe the Kingston Trio left out. To be totally correct Sheldon Harnick wrote in whistling where I have la, la's.
From the book "Songs of Peace, Freedom, and Protest" with notes by Tom Glazer

THE MERRY MINUET
by Sheldon Harnick

Sheldon Harnick, who wrote this charming little ditty, is better known for his music in "Fiddler on the Roof". It was once recorded by the Kingston Trio.


There are days in my life when everything is dreary
I grow pessimistic, sad and world weary
But when I am fearful and tearfully upset
I always sing this MERRY LITTLE MINUET

They're rioting in Africa
La,la la, la la, la la
They're starving in Spain
La,la la, la la, la la
There's hurricanes in Florida
La,la la, la la, la la
And Texas needs rain
La,la la, la la, la la

The whole world is festering with unhappy souls
The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles
Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch.
And I don't like anybody very much

In faraway Siberia
La,la la, la la, la la
They freeze by the score
La,la la, la la, la la
An avalanche in Switzerland
La,la la, la la, la la
Just got fifteen more
La,la la, la la, la la

But we can be tranquil and thankful and proud
For man's been endowed with a mushroom shaped cloud
And we know for certain that some lovely day
Someone will set the spark off, and we will all be blown away

They're rioting in Africa
La,la la, la la, la la
There's strife in Iran
La,la la, la la, la la
What nature doesn't do to us
La,la la, la la, la la
Will be done by our fellow man
La,la la, la la, la la

Does anyone have the words to another song on that same album about the story of Alice. It starts out like this:

This is the story of Alice,
Told without any malice
Alice was loved by Algernon
And there's no wondering
For Alice is very beautiful
Is beautiful, Is beautiful, Is beautiful
Except for one little thing:

Her eyes, surprise!
They're green and they're graphic
They light up in traffic

It then goes on to describe various parts of her in that manner. There's also a song about Algernon describing him. The end "song" indicates they got married and had a baby. I'm sure it needs a song describing the baby. judy

Subject: RE: ADD: Merry Minuet and REQ Story of Alice
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Jan 98 - 09:28 PM

Yep, here's The Ballad of the Shape of Things, although it has no attribution and it's called "Shape of My Love" in the database. Here's the poop (from "Their Words Are Music, by Lehman Engel, 1975):
"The Ballad of the Shape of Things," by Sheldon Harnick. Copyright 1950 and 1966 by Saunders Publications, Inc.

"The Merry Little Minuet," by Sheldon Harnick, copyright 1958 by the New York Times Music Corporation (Sunbeam Music Division).Judy, I'm a voracious consumer of songbooks, and I gotta know about your Tom Glazer book. Are you sure it isn't the one by Joe Glazer and Edith Fowke called "Songs of Work and Protest," formerly known as "Songs of Work and Freedom"? The titles are just too darn similar.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: ADD: Merry Minuet and REQ Story of Alice
From: judy
Date: 21 Jan 98 - 11:04 PM

Joe: thanks for the link, but that isn't quite the song I'm looking for. I do remember hearing that one somewhere; very renaissance sounding.

The book is different than the one you suggested:

"Songs of Peace, Freedom and Protest" collected and edited with notes by Tom Glazer

A Fawcett Crest Book, Fawcett Publications, Inc., Greenwich, Conn. P1740 $1.25

This book contains the complete text of the original hardcover edition

Copyright 1970 by Tom Glazer Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 70-114739

The first few songs in the index are: Abraham, Martin and John Acres of Clams (The Old Settlers' Song) Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round

judy

Subject: RE: ADD: Merry Minuet and REQ Story of Alice
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Jan 98 - 01:20 AM

Well, Judy, somehow the first part of my reply got lost, maybe when I tried to do it by copy-and-paste. My point was to subtly point Dick's attention to the fact that the Switzerland-Siberia verse you provided isn't in the database Harnick wrote another Kingston Trio song, "The Ballad of the Shape of Things," which is in the database, but isn't attributed to him and has an incorrect title.
Of course, Harnick is best known for "Fiddler on the Roof." Don't know about the Algernon song. I think I've heard it before, but can't remember where.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Lyr Add: THE STORY OF ALICE (Chad Mitchell Trio)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 Mar 03 - 01:13 PM

I think this is the second song Judy was looking for. Although the song is called "Pt. 1" I have been unable to find any evidence of a part 2.

Lyrics copied from http://w1.871.telia.com/~u87125667/lyrics/the_story_of_alice.htm

THE STORY OF ALICE, PT. 1
(Words, Larry Holofcener. Music, Jerry Bock. Copyright 1957 by Sunbeam Music)

This is the story of Alice,
Told without any malice.

Alice is loved by Algernon and there's no wondering,
For Alice is very beautiful, is beautiful, is beautiful, is beautiful,
Except for one little thing:

Her nose. It glows!
It's red and it's graphic.
It lights up in traffic.

But Alice is loved by Algernon and there's no wondering,
For Alice is very beautiful, is beautiful, is beautiful, is beautiful,
Except for one little thing:

Her hair. Despair!
You've heard of a crewcut.
She's got nothing to cut, etc.

Her voice. Rejoice!
Its cackle is chronic.
It's so cacophonic, etc.

Her tooth. Forsooth!
Now what could be droller?
A smile with one molar, etc.

Trala trala trala trala trala trala

[Although the transcription I found doesn't say so, I seem to recall this was sung as a cumulative song, with the list of defects getting longer in each verse.

[Recorded by the Chad Mitchell Trio on their LP "Blowin' in the Wind," 1962, which has been reissued as a CD by Folk Era. It was also recorded by Dinah Shore and is on the CD "Keeping Company with Dinah," 1999, where it is called "The Story of Alice."]

Subject: RE: ADD: Merry Minuet and REQ Story of Alice
From: SINSULL
Date: 30 Mar 03 - 01:22 PM

The flip side:
For Algie is quite a handsome lad.
A handsome lad, a handsome lad, a handsome lad
Except for one little thing.
His beard, it's weird
It's red and it's horrid
It grows from his forehead

His chin, Chagrin!
It's speckled and dotted
It's red and it's spotted

Subject: RE: ADD: Merry Minuet and REQ Story of Alice
From: GUEST,judye
Date: 19 Oct 04 - 02:16 PM

Subject: RE: ADD: Merry Minuet and REQ Story of Alice
From: GUEST,judye
Date: 19 Oct 04 - 02:21 PM

In the Story of Alice, what is the line about her ears? I can't make out the words when I play the album. Thanks. Judye

Subject: RE: ADD: Merry Minuet and REQ Story of Alice
From: JJ
Date: 20 Oct 04 - 08:27 AM

Interesting that the music for "Alice" is by Jerry Bock, the other author of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Judy got them both!

Subject: RE: ADD: Merry Minuet and REQ Story of Alice
From: GUEST,Phil
Date: 18 Jan 09 - 07:46 PM

Her ears, my dears!
She wears them in chignons, like two filet mignons.