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I just bought a Dick Robertson record on Brunswick called "I Faw down and go Boom". At the end of the record, he says he fell down and went Boom after putting his money in the stock market. I naturally thought that this record must have been recorded after October, 1929. So I looked up the record number and found that it was recorded in January or February of 1929 about eight months before the crash. I know many other bands did this song. Are the stock market references in all the versions?

Marc,

I don't know that it specifically predicted the Crash of '29, the song was penned & published in 1928 by the team of James Brockman, Leonard Stevens, and "B.B.B." ( B.B. Berman ), and was apparently a popular tune, recorded by many folks...

Among others, George Olsen and His Music for Victor: 12-27-1928: cat. # 21832 A, matrix # BVE-49022

http://victor.library.ucsb.edu/index.ph ... an_go_boom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGnrfZh6Ros ( no mention of the crash, other than Papa falling down when he reached for the light switch... )


Then in 1929 Eddie Cantor took a turn with it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxgR5ODc3F0


Here's the lyrics, with some commentary:

http://www.oocities.org/Cag03/NovIFaw.html




By 1933, Dick Robertson was recording this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S_fPtwodys


I think there were more than a few people who "saw it coming"(the Crash), but their warnings were not heeded.

The writers of this comic song could draw on for inspiration plenty of economic crises that occurred before the October 1929 crash, and these crises would be familiar to their listeners. The Panic of 1873, the Panic of 1893, the Panic of 1896, the Panic in 1901, the Panic of 1907… all of these caused widespread misery throughout the country. In 1921, there was another sudden and sharp devaluation of stock prices. That one is particularly relevant to phonograph collectors, since it caused so much financial distress for Columbia that they were forced to sell their UK operation and their profitable Dictaphone line. Victor, too, were left with a large stock of unsold phonographs and cabinets, and sales of their $.75 popular records declined as those who could still afford records more and more chose to purchase "dime store brands" instead.--Mark

It's been a long while since I studied it, and even then I wasn't into it very deeply, but if I remember correctly there was a micro-crash around September of 1928, followed by a larger tumble or two around April of '29 which presaged the first stage of the big one in September of that year. The Big One arrived with full force at the end of October, and the rest is history. So, given that the Olsen recording that Frank cites was made at the end of December '28 (was that the first?) it's possible that those lyrics were composed as a result of what had happened that fall. And as Frank notes, a lot of people saw it coming, but their concerns were pushed aside.

Hmmm...sort of like what happened just a few years ago...

After listening to several recordings of this song on Youtube, I see that most versions, like Harry Reser and Arthur Fields, omit the stock market references. But the words of the original song with the link supplied by Frank, show that the stock market lines are there toward the end, but the commentator incorrectly attributes the reference to the October '29 crash. This could not be as the song was written in 1928. The Dick Robertson version that I have is not on Youtube, but the Eddie Cantor version is there, which does reference the stock market, although this was recorded in February '29, months before the big one.

From March 1929, Ruth Etting gives us a dire warning in the bouncy little number "Button Up Your Overcoat".
"Beware of frozen ponds
Peroxide blondes
Stocks and bonds
You'll get a pain and ruin your bankroll"

The unregulated market caused a number of individuals to lose their shirts prior to the big crash at the end of 1929. Here is a great documentary, for those who need a refresher. It has wonderful period music too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EPTCm9RVRM

This song seemed to have been quite the rage and it seeped into popular culture and hung around a bit. It appeal to children, teens and adults. Anything can added to it, as long as It ended in that pratfall.

http://greenbriarpictureshows.blogspot. ... aving.html
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1929/1 ... _000192550

Editorializing Chicago's crime wars... Aww poor putty tat. They faw down, go...BOOOOOOM!
- 1945
see it all or go to 4:30 for the line...
http://www.trilulilu.ro/video-animatie/ ... me-twosome

James.

Torjazzer wrote:From March 1929, Ruth Etting gives us a dire warning in the bouncy little number "Button Up Your Overcoat".
"Beware of frozen ponds
Peroxide blondes
Stocks and bonds
You'll get a pain and ruin your bankroll"

The unregulated market caused a number of individuals to lose their shirts prior to the big crash at the end of 1929. Here is a great documentary, for those who need a refresher. It has wonderful period music too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EPTCm9RVRM

I LOVE Ruth's version of "Button-up your Overcoat!"


I think there was also a Laurel & Hardy short titled: "We faw down"... ?

De Soto Frank wrote: I think there was also a Laurel & Hardy short titled: "We faw down"... ?

See the 1st link above.

Here is a song that tips its hat (cashes in) with the phrase. This 1929 song, sung by Eddie Walters, uses the phrase at 1:33.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgt7w3x59wo

James.

De Soto Frank wrote:

Torjazzer wrote:From March 1929, Ruth Etting gives us a dire warning in the bouncy little number "Button Up Your Overcoat".
"Beware of frozen ponds
Peroxide blondes
Stocks and bonds
You'll get a pain and ruin your bankroll"

The unregulated market caused a number of individuals to lose their shirts prior to the big crash at the end of 1929. Here is a great documentary, for those who need a refresher. It has wonderful period music too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EPTCm9RVRM

I LOVE Ruth's version of "Button-up your Overcoat!"

As well you should. As a back-up band she had Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey (before they sold their souls to swing) Frank Signorelli and Eddie Lang.