Lyr Req: And They Called it Ireland

Subject: And They Called it Ireland
From:
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 07:45 PM

Can anyone help .... please!!!

This song keeps buzzing round in my head and YET, I cannot seem to find the lyrics or the actual name to the song.

Some of the lyrics are as follow:

.... they sprinkled it with stardust just to make the shamrock grow,

.... tis the only place you'll find it, no matter where you go,

the song ends with .... "and they called it Ireland"

It's a fairly common oldie but still I'd be very much obliged if someone could tell me the right title and where I might obtain the correct lyrics.

Thanks in advance for any efforts out there to help me.

Regards, Patricia

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: And They Called it Ireland
From: SINSULL
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 07:49 PM

Sure, a little bit of heaven fell from out the skies one day
And it landed in the ocean in a place not far away...

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: And They Called it Ireland
From: masato sakurai
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 09:18 PM

The lyrics are posted at the thread: Looking for lyrics.

There're two sheet music editions at the Levy Collection (Click on the titles below, and go on to next pages).

(1) Title: A Little Bit of Heaven (Shure They Call It Ireland). [A-flat minor; D-flat major]
Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Lyric by J. Keirn Brennan. Music by Ernest R. Ball.
Ernest R. Ball Publication: New York: M. Witmark & Sons, 1914.
Form of Composition: introduction and refrain
Instrumentation: piano and voice
First Line: Have you every heard the story of how Ireland got its name?
First Line of Chorus: Shure, a little bit of Heaven fell from out the sky one day
Performer: Sung By Mr. Chauncey Olcott in The Heart of Paddy Whack
Dedicatee: Dedicated to Rita Olcott
Advertisement: ads on inside front, inside back, and on back covers for M. Witmark & Sons stock
Plate Number: 13479-4
Subject: Pride
Subject: Patriotism
Call No.: Box: 153 Item: 072
(2) Title: A Little Bit of Heaven (Shure They Call It Ireland). [G minor; E-flat major]
Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Lyric by J. Keirn Brennan. Music by Ernest R. Ball.
Ernest R. Ball Publication: New York: M. Witmark & Sons, 1914.
Call No.: Box: 153 Item: 073

Three recordings at The Virtual Gramophone site: (1) Henry Burr/Columbia Stellar Quartet (1916); (2) George MacFarlane (1915); (3) Charles Harrison (1920).

~Masato

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: And They Called it Ireland
From: masato sakurai
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 09:29 PM

E-mail sent.

Printed sheet music is in The Saint Louis Blues and Other Song Hits of 1914 (Dover, 1990, pp. 42-46); the same edition as Levy's (1) above.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: And They Called it Ireland
From: Genie
Date: 31 Jul 02 - 09:41 PM

This song gets my US senior citizen clients all choked up every St. Patrick's Day. You can't beat it for Irish-American schmaltz. (Chords are fine, but I do it a capella.)

Thanks for the links, Masato.

Genie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: And They Called it Ireland
From: M.Ted
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 12:37 PM

A capella is even shmaltzier than playing chords, Genie--Seniors are great because the know how to respond to songs--play this song at a folk festival and the audience just gets confused--

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: And They Called it Ireland
From: Genie
Date: 01 Aug 02 - 04:53 PM

Well, technically, I guess, this is an Irish-American show tune, isn't it? Some folkies don't think show tunes can be "folk songs." The song should be in public domain, though, I'd imagine, given its publication date.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: And They Called it Ireland
From: GUEST,Ard Mhacha
Date: 02 Aug 02 - 06:51 AM

This song is pure tin-pan-alley, not a chance of it being sung at an Irish folk session. Ard Mhacha

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: And They Called it Ireland
From: Genie
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 03:37 AM

No surprise, AM. As I said, it's a show tune and it's Irish-American, not Irish. Two cultures separated by a common ancestry, so to speak.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: And They Called it Ireland
From: masato sakurai
Date: 03 Aug 02 - 09:54 AM

Levy's (2) (see my post above) is the first edition, published June 29, 1914. The Heart of Paddy Whack opened in New York City on Nov. 23, 1914. Ball, a composer, was born in Cleveland in 1878 and died in California in 1927. Brennan, a lyricist and singer, was born in san Francisco in 1873 and died in California in 1948. Ball composed "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" and "Mother Machree" (with Chauncey Olcott) too. Those pieces of info are from Fuld's Book of World-Famous Music.

~Masato