The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Folks,

Time for some fun-how about a list of the longest song titles ever!

1) Who Takes Care of the Caretaker's Daughter? (While the Caretaker's Busy Taking Care)

2) (I Wanna Go Where You Go, Do What You Do,) Then I'll Be Happy

3) I Ain't 'En Got 'En No Time To Have the Blues

4) I've Got The Yes we Have No Bananas Blues

Regards,
John

John,

And number 5: "Everybody Loves My Baby, but My Baby Don't Love Nobody but Me"

Paal.

What about this one, by Raymond Scott?

"Dedicatory piece to the crew and passengers of the first experimental rocket ship express to the moon".

"Why Did You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You When You Know I've Been A Liar All My Life." Gene Kelly sings this one in a movie whose title I can't recall at the moment, as part of a song-and-dance vaudeville routine with an actress whose identity escapes me*. Other than that my recollection is perfect!

*[Later...Jane Powell, maybe?]

I think it is Jane Powell. I've got the MGM 78 of it home.

Here's another:

"Would You Rather Be A Colonel With An Eagle On Your Shoulder Or A Private With A Chicken On Your Knee?" Arthur Fields recorded this WWI tune and it was later revived in the 40s on Capital. I can't remember who, though!

Sean

I'd rather be a colonel with a chicken on my knee, but I guess that wasn't one of the choices

Folks,

9) The Band Played Home Sweet Home

10) Last Night On The Back Porch (I Loved Her Best Of All)

Regards,
John

I just got a funny record a couple days ago.

"Here I Go To Tokio" Said Barnacle Bill, The Sailor by: Carson Robinson

The other side isn't long but is a VERY interesting version of a classic we all know.

"1942 Turkey In The Straw" by: Carson Robinson

Has anyone heard this record before? If not, I will definitely have to put it on Youtube.

From Amusingfacts.com:

The song with the longest title is "I'm a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with my Honolulu Mama Doin' Those Beat-o, Beat-o Flat-On-My-Seat-o, Hirohito Blues" written by Hoagy Carmichael in 1945. He later claimed the song title ended with "Yank" and the rest was a joke.

You gotta love those songs whose titles are too long to put on the label of an old 45 rpm record. Okay, you don't have to love the song, but the titles are a howl.

The Guinness World Book of Records, acknowledged the world champion song title holder, to be "I'm a Cranky Old Yank, in a Clanky Old Tank, on the Streets of Yokohama with My Honolulu Mama, Doing Those Beat-o, Beat-o, Flat on My Seat-o, Hirohito Blues." According to lyricist Hoagy Carmichael, the original title was only "I'm a Cranky Old Yank", but the joke got out of hand after that.

The longest song title consisting of a single word, recognized as valid in the English language, is "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", from the 1960s movie, "Mary Poppins".

The word is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary as an unpublished song (1949) by Parker & Young, albeit with different spelling. Then as a published song in 1951 by Parker & Young.

But wait! OED also lists under our spelling, a song title by R.M. and R.B. Sherman, in 1964. This of course, gave rise to the great, one might even say "super..", well, just super Supreme Court debate over copyright infringement in 1967. Walt Disney studios won, "in view of earlier oral uses of the word sworn to in affidavits", and also because they wrote the entire movie lyrics and music, themselves.

My favorite song with a long title, though not the longest by any means (as has been amply demonstrated here), is "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal, You," as recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1932 (and several other times as well). The song was also featured in a period b/w movie cartoon, emanating from the lips of a gigantic, disembodied Louis Armstrong head in pursuit of a fleeing cartoon animal: an early example of surrealism?!