I sing this to my granddaughter. My son doesn't approve of American Musical Theater and discourages it. I just like the Cole Porter rhyming. The original book was by P.G. Wodehouse, so there you are. (That's pronounced "Woodhouse," by the way, which I never knew until about ten years ago.)
My parents were big on musicals & Broadway shows, so I grew up on that music in my pre-rock & roll days. The influence stuck because I can recall going to see a performance of South Pacific even when I was a High School senior. I think musicals also laid the foundation for appreciating a much broader range of music than most of my peers. Yes, I became an avid fan of rock & roll staples like the early Rolling Stones and many Top 40 acts, but also non-Top 40 rock like Buffalo Springfield, Pearls Before Swine, Velvet Underground, Them, etc. I also found myself purchasing Herb Alpert, Al Hirt, and folkie stuff. To this day I appreciate a very wide array of music (drives my wife and daughters nuts). But not bad for a guy who has zero musical talent himself (and I mean zero).
ReplyDeleteDare I mention NPR on this blog? Check out their musical section “What Makes It Great?” Two interviews this fall helped a non-musical guy like me appreciate, and understand a bit, classical Broadway song writing.
Check out Over the Rainbow:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94281015
And, Buddy Can You Spare a Dime?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96654742
Yes, my dad's music tastes are eclectic, to say the least! But I can attribute my love of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby, Danny Kay, the Monkeys, The Beatles' Sergeant Pepper album, and the Irish Rovers (among many others) all to his unabashed musical tastes. And how many people my age can claim to be that well-rounded in their cultural/musical exposures?
ReplyDeleteHeaven knows, musical theater is one of America's key cultural contributions. Still, my all time favorite rhyme is Gershwin:
ReplyDeleteFo' he made his home in/
Dat fish's abdomen.
Tough toenails to your son. American Musical Theater rocks. So does Wodehouse. I think you should get the entire Jeeves and Wooster series on DVD and show it over and over to your granddaughter until she quotes it to her father incessantly and he sees the light.
ReplyDeleteTee hee.
Please tell me what you think about the Wodehousian thing I blogged about today - and also the wonderful Jerome Kern song at http://halfirishrover.blogspot.com/2009/02/musical-monday-morning-way-you-look.html