Wain Wednesday 14

"The Cat Next Door"

by
Louis Wain

Musical Accompaniment:

"Love Thy Neighbor" - Bing Crosby (1934)

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR
Mack Gordon, Harry Revel
1934

Never treat others with scorn;
We're only here 'cause we're born.
Although you're way up,
You may not stay up:
Stop tootin' your horn!

Like most of the wealth you possess
High on the hill of success,
On friendship you never should frown:
You'll need the same friends
On the weary way down ...

Love thy neighbor,
Walk up and say, "How be ya?
Gee, but I'm glad to see ya, pal -
How's tricks? What's new?"

Love thy neighbor,
Offer to share his burden.
Tell him to say the word'n,
You will see him through.

'Specially if there should be
A beautiful girl next door;
Say to that girl next door,
"Now, don't think I'm bold
But my mother told me to ..."

Love thy neighbor,
And you will find your labor
A great deal easier, life'll be breezier
If ... you love thy neighbor.

Heed the wisdom of Der Bingle, lest you should end up like this.

Wain Wednesday 13

by

Louis Wain

(this installment especially for Trombonology)

Musical accompaniment:

Fats Waller & His Rhythm - "Scram"

Weasel On The Run

S. Weasel has new digs and his her own domain - Pretty classy there, Mr. Ms. Mustelid.

Now that I wrote "weasel on the run" in the post title, I somehow have the song "Fox on the Run" (by Sweet, from the mid-70s) stuck in my head. I can't even keep my carnivore tribes straight. Of course, the only weasel song I know is "Pop Goes the Weasel," which is a worse earworm and hardly a congratulatory number. Seems as though there's a dearth of mustelid music. There's also Zappa's "Weasels Ripped My Flesh," but it's not overly singable. At any rate, congrats on the new location, SW, and I love those excellent drawings!

Kitty Plays Piano!

Kitty Nora not only plays piano, but does so better than me. She starts with a little "Chopsticks"-style action, then begins to improvise. Swing it, kittycat!

(Found via Cute Overload)

Wain Wednesday 12

"Wooing"

by
Louis Wain

Musical accompaniment:

"I'm Yours" - Artie Shaw (1937)

Valentine's Day

I've edited this post to keep it on top until

the 14th. Scroll down to see

if I've actually had time to write something *new*.

It's coming, and there's not a darned thing we can do about it.

So ... which side are you on?



I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE
Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh
1928

Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid,
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
My luck is changing, it's gotten
From simply rotten, to something worse.

Who knows, some day I will win, too,
I'll begin to reach my prime.
Now, though, I see what our end is,
All I can spend is my time ...

I can't give you anything but love, baby;
That's the only thing I've plenty of, baby.
Dream a while, scheme a while, you're sure to find
Happiness, and I guess, all those things you've always pined for.

Gee, I'd like to see you lookin' swell, baby;
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
'Til that lucky day, you know darned well, baby -
I can't give you anything but love.

Ukulele Ike - I Can't Give You Anything But Love

Ella Fitzgerald & Her Orchestra - Taking A Chance On Love

Fats Waller & His Rhythm - Who's Afraid Of Love?

Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra - Lover

Fats Waller & His Rhythm - Believe It, Beloved

Bing Crosby - Like Someone In Love

Count Basie & His Orchestra - Exactly Like You

Benny Goodman & His Orchestra (v. Peggy Lee) - Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)

Doris Day - Somebody Loves Me

Jo Stafford & The Paul Weston Orchestra - Blue Moon

Mezz Mezzrow - Everybody Loves My Baby

The Leo Reisman Orchestra - Isn't This A Lovely Day?

Bing Crosby & Jimmy Dorsey - Too Marvelous For Words

Nat "King" Cole - Embraceable You

The Mills Brothers - I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm

Isham Jones & His Orchestra - My Baby Just Cares For Me

Judy Garland - You Made Me Love You



DOWN WITH LOVE
E.Y.'Yip' Harburg, Harold Arlen
1937

You, sons of Adam; you, daughters of Eve,
The time has come to take your love-torn hearts
Off your sleeve.
Look, look about you
What do you see?
Love-sick, love-lorn, love-wrecked, love-worn
Boo-hoo-manity!
There'll be no peace on earth until this curse
Is wiped off from this love-mad universe.
Are we mice or men? Can't you see the light?
Come, you fellow victims, let's unite!

Down with love,
With flowers and rice and shoes;
Down with love,
The root of all midnight blues.

Down with things
That give you that well-known pain;
Take that moon and
Wrap it in cellophane.

Down with love,
Let's liquidate all its friends;
Moons and Junes and roses and
Rainbow's ends.

Down with songs
That moan about night and day;
Down with love,
Yes, take it away, away!

Away, take it away
Give it back to the birds and the bees
And the Viennese.

Down with eyes romantic and stupid
Down with sighs, down with Cupid.
Brother, let's stuff that dove -
Down with love!

Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra - Down With Love

Jane Froman with Al Goodman - Boy! What Love Has Done To Me!

Fred Astaire & The Johnny Green Orchestra - A Fine Romance (A Sarcastic Love Song)

Johnny Long & His Orchestra - No Love, No Nothin'

The Mills Brothers - Loveless Love

Eddie Condon & His Orchestra - When Your Lover Has Gone

Ella Fitzgerald & Her Orchestra - You Don't Know What Love Is

Frank Trumbauer & His Orchestra - Love Ain't Nothin' But The Blues

Artie Shaw & His Orchestra - Easy To Love

Anita O'Day & The Will Bradley Orchestra - What Is This Thing Called Love?

Mary Martin - Most Gentlemen Don't Like Love

Bunny Berigan & His Orchestra - I Can't Get Started

Billie Holiday - Love Me Or Leave Me

Stan Kenton & His Orchestra - Willow, Weep For Me

Fats Waller & His Rhythm - You've Been Taking Lessons In Love

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - Mood Indigo

Eddie Cantor - Makin' Whoopee


I'll leave it to you to guess which camp I'm in.

Wain Wednesday 11

by
Louis Wain

Musical Accompaniment:

"Can't We Be Friends?" - Red Nichols & His Orchestra (1929)


CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS?
Paul James, Kay Swift
"THE LITTLE SHOW OF 1929"

I took each word she said as gospel truth
The way a silly little child would;
I can't excuse it on the grounds of youth,

I was no babe in the wild, wild wood.
She didn't mean it, I should have seen it,
But now it's too late.

I thought I'd found the girl of my dreams,
Now it seems, this is how the story ends --
She's gonna turn me down and say,
"Can't we be friends?"

I thought for once it couldn't go wrong,
Not for long! I can see the way this ends --
She's gonna turn me down and say,
"Can't we be friends?"

Why should I care,
Though she gave me the air?
Why should I cry, heave a sigh,
And wonder why?

I thought I'd found the gal I could trust,
What a bust! This is how the story ends --
She's gonna turn me down and say,
"Can't we be friends?"