Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)

Subject: Lyr Add: AMAZIN' MAN (IDI AMIN)
From: Gurney
Date: 22 Aug 03 - 10:24 PM

AMAZIN' MAN

(Tuning and warming up from orchestra) OK. (Idi says) Right now, here we goin' again from the top. An' this time, de first violins, er, I want you to plug the instruments into, er, into the gas main, because, er, I'm not getting the sound I am liking. An' the wives what am forming the backing group, let, er, you come round to the front of me where I can keep my eye on you. Dat better. Right now, here we are going. Stop now. Stop now when I am telling you! Listen, stop! Shut up! (Gunshot) Thank you. Now, I am counting you in with the well-known counting things. Here we go. One, two ... Oh, no! What come after two? ... Five!

(Chorus, two contralto, two soprano:)
Idi, Idi, Idi Amin, most amazin' man, there's ever been.
He's the general, the president, the king of the scene,
Idi, Idi, Idi Amin.

(Idi:) Look at the history, it packed with men,
What rising to the top and getting chopped agen. (again)
No one fathoming the secret of the whole damn thing.
You got to give the population something to sing!

(Chorus)

(Idi:) Take Hitler, Stalin, Attilla the Nun,
No one got a good word for a single one.
Where these first-class geniuses all goin' wrong,
They never got the population singing along.

(Chorus)

Listen, would the world-famous Kampala Glee Club mind keeping in the damn background? What the hell goin' on here? It looking like some kind of musical coup to me. (Gunshot, soprano scream) That better. Three people more than enough for a quartet anyhow.

(Chorus, one soprano less.)

A modern leader gotta twist and shout,
Got tell the people let it all hang out.
If you don't want to vanish with a boot up the bum,
You gotta give the population something to hum.

(In the middle of this chorus) "You still crowding the star!" two gunshots, two screams, one contralto continues uninterruptedly. )

Hmm, that a pretty good voice you got there. That voice possibly taking you right to the top of the charts. Yes, sir, ma'am, every chance you getting to the number one spot on the Uganda hit parade with a voice like that. You could be the next Englebert Bassey! You could be the new Zulu! (Gunshot, scream) Pity, the world only needin' one new star, really.

(Idi sings:)
Idi, Idi, Idi Amin, the most amazin' man the world has seen,
I the general, the president, the king of the scene,
Idi, Idi, Idi Amin.
This chorus singin' a piece of cake! Let's go now!

Idi, Idi, Idi Amin, Wow wow, Idi, Idi, Idi Amin...
Listen to the falsetto goin' there! Not often a black man get that far up, you know.
Idi Amin, Idi Amin, Idi Amin, Idi, Idi Amin, Idi...
Don't forget the name there, folks!
IdiAminIdiAmin...
How I love the sound of it!
Idi Amin, Idi Amin. Ooh, Idi, Idi Amin, Idi AminIdiAmin...?
Who wrote the lyrics? This is poetry!
IdiAminIdiAminIdiAmin...(Fadeout, losing rhythm and key)

Copyright Allen Coren 1975, Transatlantic Xtra 1148
John Bird chanted the "Idi" part, Afro style orchestra, two soprano two contralto chorus, no credits. All done with an Afro accent, making "the" into "de." Hope you get some of the flavour of the number.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 22 Aug 03 - 11:24 PM

Thank You!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: harvey andrews
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 04:42 AM

You didn't notice who actually wrote this. Me and my mate Graham Cooper. We did it as a spoof on Amin's accordian playing and it was very funny, if I say so myself. Audiences loved it. I remember the opening;

I was polishin' de cannons on the presidential car,
When a voice from the sky said; "You gonna be a star"
etc.
The joke was meant to be a horrendous accordian solo in the middle.
However, our publishers gave it to Alan Coren who wrote the travesty published above, which is not funny at all. There were no killings in our version!Then he claimed a share and the copyright in his name!
it got a big push as a single but failed because it wasn't funny.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: Gurney
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 10:31 PM

Harvey, I searched the sleeve of 'The Collected Broadcasts...' and you and Graham never got a mention, ditto with the orchestra and chorus. I never heard you sing it, and I came to your gigs back then. My apologies, but I don't know what I don't know.

JOE OR CLONE, when/if you put the words on the DT, Harvey and Graham wrote the original.

It was memorable, and kind of funny, and a little worrying, as that bastard had death-squads.

A radio station in NZ here wanted to put it on air 3 days ago and eAdvertised for a copy. They got one from Czechoslovakia!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 11:15 PM

Under WHAT AUTHORITY are YOU (Mr. Gurney) authorizing a CLONE... or a Joe....or a max to validate a web-reference as ORIGINAL SOURCE MATERIAL? Harvey and Graham

GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!

Until - DOCUMENTED additional sources come in you MUST accept the offical documented sources.

I am SURE !!!! That Mr. Dick Greenhouse is an unbiased authority in the area of folk and quasi-folk documentation....

Harvey and Graham PLEASE send authentic documentation!

Until then.....the record should stand....as recorded and noted.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Hell! My great-mother's-uncle-in-las wrote "The Worms Crawl In" as he viewed his future-grand-dauther's-niece after three weeks in the parlor, because they could not find a bural-plot suitable for a blond-haired-jew.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 11:17 PM

Who the H.... is Harvey Andrews?

Sincerely,

Gargoyle

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 11:21 PM

Personaly,

I find the above lyrics HILARIOUSLY FUNNY!!

At the risk of compromising "your copy-right"....Mr. Harvey Andrews....PLEASE ....post your lyrics.

Sincerly,
Gargoyle

Opps, sorry, perhaps, Grahm should be cracked first before your responce!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: Gurney
Date: 23 Aug 03 - 11:57 PM

I knew Harvey back in the 70s. He is a very prolific songwriter, and I'm more interested in the truth than copyright protections. If Harvey says he wrote the original, I accept that. If he says his publishers gave it to Alan Coren, I accept that too. When he says Alan rewrote it and copyrighted that version, I accept that too. Gargoyle, What is your problem? Harvey didn't write the Alan Coren copyright version, he said so.
As to who he is, he's been around more than 30 years as a performer and songwriter and used to be based in the English Midlands. His songs range from the downright funny to the seriously powerful and you will never forget his performances. See him if you can.

Harvey, send the cheque. And I'd like the lyrics, too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Aug 03 - 12:31 AM

So...are there more "better" the "orginal" lyrics that can be posted by Harvy/Grahmn ...??????

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: Little Robyn
Date: 24 Aug 03 - 02:40 AM

Thanks Dave, that's the version I was looking for.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: GUEST,Fork Me
Date: 26 Nov 08 - 01:09 PM

I have a copy of the original single and the song is clearly credited to Coren/Andrews/Cooper. Pic here: http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=1548155

GEMA also credits all three. Just type amazin man in the search box here:

http://mgonline.gema.de/werke/

Hope those are DOCUMENTED and OFFICIAL enough for gargoyle.

(even if I am 5 years late on this discussion)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: GUEST,wroger
Date: 08 Jun 12 - 07:27 AM

I found an error:

(Chorus)

(Idi:) Take Hitler, Stalin, >>>Attilla the Nun<<<,
No one got a good word for a single one.
Where these first-class geniuses all goin' wrong,
They never got the population singing along.

(Chorus)


Fixed up version:>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

(Chorus)

(Idi:) Take Hitler, Stalin, >>>Nuttilla the Nun<<<,
No one got a good word for a single one.
Where these first-class geniuses all goin' wrong,
They never got the population singing along.

(Chorus)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Amazin' Man (Idi Amin)
From: GUEST,Wroger - While I am here....
Date: 08 Jun 12 - 07:30 AM

There is a keyboard board playing in the back ground, anyone one know anything about it? Or where I can get the sheet music from?