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29 Sep 08 - 08:49 PM (#2453364) Subject: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Artful Codger In "Down and Out in Paris and London" (1933), George Orwell supplied the text of "Unhappy Bella", a song he said was sung repeatedly over the course of two days by a pair of tramps, William and Fred, ex-fishermen from Norfolk. It begins: Bella was young and Bella was fair With bright blue eyes and golden hair; O, unhappy Bella! Her step was light and her heart was gay, But she had no sense, and one fine day She got herself put in the family way By a wicked, heartless, cruel deceiver. Orwell supplied four more verses, which can easily be found online. Does anyone know the "original" tune or additional history? The song was set for a Broadway show "Love Songs" (1990's?)--I'm not interested in that tune. The lyrics also appear in several rugby songbooks; what tune does the rugby crowd use? Thanks in advance... |
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29 Sep 08 - 08:58 PM (#2453369) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Charley Noble No, but it was one of the ditties Oscar Brand recorded IN HIS BARRACK ROOM BALLADS, and the lyrics are in the Oak publication (where's my brain?) THE PANIC IS ON! Cheerily, Charley Noble |
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30 Sep 08 - 05:36 PM (#2454197) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Gurney The dots, and words, are also in Jerry Silverman's '62 Outrageous Songs.' I fumbled my way through them enough to learn the song, once. |
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30 Sep 08 - 07:35 PM (#2454300) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Artful Codger Charlie: Could you whip up an ABC of the tune Brand sings? Do the liner notes indicate it's provenance, or whether it's his own? Gurney: The Silverman is out of print and pricey to get. Is the tune there worth the bother? Does he mention where it comes from? Could you send me a scan if I PM'd my addy? Tnx |
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30 Sep 08 - 07:35 PM (#2454301) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Charley Noble Gurney- I believe we're talking about the same Oak publication. Charley Noble |
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30 Sep 08 - 08:20 PM (#2454337) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Artful Codger Charlie: If so, then you would have that printed tune as well, no? |
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30 Sep 08 - 10:45 PM (#2454412) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Barbara I have that song in a copy of some bawdy song book of Oscar Brand, an Oak Publication. I think, however, the book I have -- somewhere -- is called Roll Me Over In the Clover. Has a purple and white paperback cover 8 x 10 or so, with a woodcut of a couple demo-ing the title, and is sorted into bawdy and in the back, really awful ones. If no one else ponies up the tune, I will have a shot at it in a couple days. I've sung this one of and on for years. Blessings, Barbara |
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01 Oct 08 - 12:05 AM (#2454456) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Artful Codger Hah, I actually have that one: the collection is titled just Roll Me Over, compiled by Harry Babad. The credits on that version of the song read "New words & music by Oscar Brand. © Copyright 1950 Oscar Brand, New York. However, the words are hardly new, simply altered in spots (not by much) with a verse missing. A case of tweaking for the sake of copyright, apparently (grrrasswipe). But no matter, since the text seems to demand a lighter treatment, so guess I'll concoct my own. Thanks to all! |
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01 Oct 08 - 01:22 AM (#2454470) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Gurney Charlie, dunno about the 'same', but the Silverman book is published by Oak, certainly. It has a picture of an early-victorian-looking young lady at the 'Bella' page, carrying a wooden bucket on her head, with a horn? beaker hooked onto the side of it. In F, credits say only "As sung by John Pearse." 5 verses. Codger, I've never attempted to send an attachment, let alone a graphic, and I will have to set up an old computer because my scanner only works on Windows98, but all is possible in time. PM me this weekend if someone doesn't beat me to it. I am in NZ. I used to have a program that printed music paper, but it seems to have gone. |
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01 Oct 08 - 01:28 AM (#2454474) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Gurney Codger, the Chord run is: Dm A7 Dm A7 Dm A7 Dm A7 F A7 Dm. F C A7, Dm A7, Dm C Bb A7 Dm [C][Bb] A7 Dm. |
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20 Dec 08 - 06:53 AM (#2520497) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Artful Codger I ended up writing my own oddly chromatic tune--came to me as I was waking up one morning. |
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20 Dec 08 - 09:10 PM (#2521028) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Joe_F It's on Brand's _Bawdy Songs and Backroom Ballads_, Vol. III. Here is the tune in solfa (scale -- minor -- is LTDRMFSltdrmfs; . means continuation for a beat): mltdt.rdtlr. Ml.dt.rdtld.. m..rmrdl.... mm.mmrdr.rr.r td.ddtlt.tt.. ltdtdrdrmr drm.mm.mm.mrmrdl......... I imagine that Brand got the words from Orwell, but that the tune is Brand's. N.B. He expands the last line (refrain) to "a mean and wicked, heartless, cruel deceiver". |
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21 Dec 08 - 10:11 AM (#2521341) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Artful Codger Yes, Joe, that tune is Brand's, according to the book Roll Me Over, which includes both words and music. The lyrics are also so close to Orwell's that I'm sure Orwell was Brand's source. |
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22 Sep 20 - 04:20 PM (#4072785) Subject: RE: Tune Req: Unhappy Bella From: Mrrzy Here are Brand's lyrics. Did anybody else notice the it was the bitch of a landlady who actually killed Bella, and not the dirty skunk? UNHAPPY BELLA Now Bella was young and Bella was fair With bright blue eyes and golden hair O unhappy Bella Her step was light and her heart was gay But she had no sense and one fine day She got herself put in a family way By a mean and wicked heartless cruel deceiver She went to his house but the dirty skunk Had packed his bags and had done a bunk O unhappy Bella Her landlady said Get out, you whore Don't cross my threshold or darken my door Poor Bella was put to affliction sore By a mean and wicked heartless cruel deceiver All night she tramped the icy snows What she suffered nobody knows O unhappy Bella And when the morning dawned so red Alas, alas, poor Bella was dead Sent in her youth to a lonely bed By a mean and wicked heartless cruel deceiver So thus you see, do what we will The fruits of sin are suffering still O unhappy Bella As into the grave they laid her low The men said Alas but life it is so But the women were chanting sweet and low It's all the men, they've done it again, the bastards. The mean and wicked heartless cruel deceivers. |