Monster Mash

By Leonard Capizzi and Bobby Pickett
1962

A Halloween staple ever since it was first recorded in the summer of 1962, "Monster Mash" might well be the song most associated with the spooky season to this day. Pickett, an aspiring actor and member of the band The Cordials, had been entertaining audiences with his Boris Karloff impression when bandmate Capizzi had the idea of building a novelty song around said impression. Born out of the dance fad craze of the era, the "Monster Mash" was intended to lampoon such popular dances as the "mashed potato". The original record went to number-one during Halloween week of 1962, and has been re-released several times, and even recorded by other horror icons Vincent Price and punk band the Misfits.

Lyrics: 

I was working in the lab late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise

He did the mash
He did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
He did the mash
It caught on in a flash
He did the mash
He did the monster mash

From my laboratory in the castle east
To the master bedroom where the vampires feast
The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
To get a jolt from my electrodes

They did the mash
They did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They did the mash
It caught on in a flash
They did the mash
They did the monster mash

The zombies were having fun
The party had just begun
The guests included Wolf Man
Dracula and his son

The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five"

They played the mash
They played the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a graveyard smash
They played the mash
It caught on in a flash
They played the mash
They played the monster mash

Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring
Seems he was troubled by just one thing
He opened the lid and shook his fist
And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist"

It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash
The monster mash
And it's a graveyard smash
It's now the mash
It's caught on in a flash
It's now the mash
It's now the monster mash

Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band
And my monster mash is the hit of the land
For you, the living, this mash was meant too
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you

Then you can mash
Then you can monster mash
The monster mash
And do my graveyard smash
Then you can mash
You'll catch on in a flash
Then you can mash

Then you can monster mash

Recorded By:

Bobby "Boris" Pickett
The Beach Boys
Vincent Price
The Misfits
Zacherley

Say It Isn't So

By Irving Berlin
1932

This wonderful song was almost lost to the mists of time. Enduring a career downturn in the early 1930s, an unconfident Irving Berlin stuffed it away in a drawer, thinking it unworthy. Fortunately, one of his employees thought highly of it and brought it to the most established radio star in America, Rudy Vallee, who performed it on the air and made it an instant hit. The first studio recording was made by George Nelson and his Orchestra, and it soared to #1 on the charts. Ozzie Nelson would also have a top ten hit with it that same year. This song, along with "How Deep Is the Ocean", helped launch Berlin back to prominence.

Lyrics: 

Say it isn't so,

Say it isn't so,
Everyone is saying
You don't love me,
Say it isn't so.

Everywhere I go,
Everyone I know,Whispers that you're growing tired of me,
Say it isn't so.

People say that you,Found somebody new,
And it won't be long
Before you leave me,
Say it isn't true,

Say that everything is still okay,
That's all I want to know,

And what they're saying,

Say it isn't so.

Recorded By:

Connie Boswell
Joe Williams
Aretha Franklin
Stan Kenton
Dinah Washington

Love's Old Sweet Song

By James Lynam Molloy and G. Clifton Bingham
1884

Before sound recording technology and the era of the popular standard, there was the era of sheet music and the Victorian parlour song, during which popular songs were written to be sung and performed in homes. One of the most enduring songs to emerge from that era was this tender, sentimental ballad from Irishman James Molloy, which has gone on to achieve folk song status. The lilting love song was especially popular with sailors, and even featured in James Joyce's classic novel Ulysses. It's referenced in the early 20th century song "Moonlight Bay" and its popularity endured well into the 20th century, even being commonly taught to schoolchildren.

Lyrics:

Once in the dear dead days beyond recall,
When on the world the mists began to fall,
Out of the dreams that rose in happy throng
Low to our hearts Love sang an old sweet song;
And in the dusk where fell the firelight gleam,
Softly it wove itself into our dream.

Just a song a twilight, when the lights are low,
And the flickering shadows softly come and go,
Tho' the heart be weary, sad the day and long,
Still to us at twilight comes Love's old song,
Comes Love's old sweet song.

Even today we hear Love's song of yore,

Deep in our hearts it dwells forevermore.
Footsteps may falter, weary grow the way,
Still we can hear it at the close of day.
So till the end, when life's dim shadows fall,
Love will be found the sweetest song of all.

Just a song a twilight, when the lights are low,
And the flickering shadows softly come and go,
Tho' the heart be weary, sad the day and long,
Still to us at twilight comes Love's old song,
Comes Love's old sweet song.

Recorded By:

John McCormack
Bing Crosby
Corrine Morgan
Clara Butt
The Mills Brothers

Body and Soul

By Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton
1930

The jazz standard of all jazz standards, "Body and Soul" actually began its life as a London concert hall number, written for British actress and singer Gertrude Lawrence. It was soon brought to Broadway for Libby Holman to sing in the revue Three's a Crowd. With its rich, complex melody from Green, it was immediately taken up by jazz bands, beginning with Louis Armstrong's, and has remained a top favorite ever since, known for its easy adaptability by improvisational musicians. Perhaps the most highly regarded of all jazz takes on this immortal tune is the recording by tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins.

Lyrics:

My heart is sad and lonely 
For you I sigh, for you dear only 
Why haven't you seen it 
I'm all for you body and soul 
I spend my days in longin' 
And wondering why it's me you're (ogling)

I tell you I mean it 
I'm all for you body and soul 
I can't believe it 
It's hard to conceive it 
That you turn away romance 
Are you pretending 
It looks like the ending 
And less I could have one more chance to prove, dear

My life a wreck you're making 
You know I'm yours for just the taking 
I'd gladly surrender myself to you body and soul 
My life a wreck you're making 
You know I'm yours for just the taking 
I would gladly surrender myself to you body and soul

Recorded By:

Billie Holiday
Billy Eckstine
Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse
Stan Kenton
Benny Goodman

The Frim-Fram Sauce

By Joe Ricardel and Redd Evans
1945

A fun novelty song of the post-World War II era that went on to become a jazz stand-by, this tune was created by Joe Ricardel, writer of "The Brooklyn Dodger Jump", with lyrics by Redd Evans, known for such songs as "Don't Go to Strangers" and "There, I've Said It Again". Evans had written a few songs specifically for the Nat King Cole Trio, and this was one of them. The song's playful lyrics have entertained fans for decades, full of nonsense words and involving a patron ordering a series of imaginary items from a restaurant menu. Although closely identified with Cole over the years, several others have tried their hand at it.

Lyrics:

I don't want French fried potatoes
Red ripe tomatoes
I'm never satisfied
I want the frim fram sauce with the Ausen fay
With chafafa on the side

I don't want pork chops and bacon
That won't awaken
My appetite inside
I want the frim fram sauce with the Ausen fay
With chafafa on the side

A fella really got to eat
And a fella should eat right
Five will get you ten
I'm gonna feed myself right tonight

I don't want fish cakes and rye bread
You heard what I said
Waiter, please serve mine fried
I want the frim fram sauce with the Ausen fay
With chafafa on the side

Recorded By:

Nat King Cole
Diana Krall
John Pizzarelli
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Les Brown

September in the Rain

By Harry Warren and Al Dubin
1937

One of a series of memorable songs the Warren/Dubin team would compose for Warner Bros. musicals in the 1930s, this one was written for the film Melody for Two, in which it was introduced by tenor James Melton. Immediately following the film's release, there were three commercial recordings made in 1937 alone: by Melton, Guy Lombardo and Pauline Byrns. A decade later, the song had a resurgence in popularity, by which point it had become a standard. It has since been recorded countless times, including by The Beatles, who included it in their failed audition for Decca Records.

Lyrics:

The leaves of brown came tumblin' down, remember
In September in the rain
The sun went out just like a dying ember
That September in the rain

To every word of love I heard you whisper
The raindrops seemed to play a sweet refrain
Though spring is here, to me it's still September
That September in the rain

Recorded By:

Frank Sinatra
Julie London
Jo Stafford
The Platters
Dinah Washington

Mississippi Mud

By Harry Barris

1927

Harry Barris, composer of this joyous Roaring '20s tune, was a member of the Rhythm Boys, the vocal group that accompanied Paul Whiteman's orchestra and also included a very young Bing Crosby. The Rhythm Boys introduced the song with Whiteman's band, also featuring the legendary Bix Beiderbecke on cornet. It remained popular in later years, although with the original derogatory term "darkies" changed to "people". It appeared in an early episode of M*A*S*H, and has even proven a popular children's song, performed by The Muppets and Alvin & The Chipmunks.

Lyrics:

When the sun goes down, the tide goes out, 
The people gather 'round and they all begin to shout,
"Hey! Hey! Uncle Dud,
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud.
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud".

What a dance do they do!
Lordy, how I'm tellin' you
They don't need no band
They keep time by clappin' their hand
Just as happy as a cow chewin' on a cud,
When the darkies beat their feet on the Mississippi Mud.

Lordy, how they play it!
Goodness, how they sway it!
Uncle Joe, Uncle Jim,
How they pound the mire with vigor and vim!
Joy! that music thrills me!
Boy! it nearly kills me!
What a show when they go!
Say! they beat it up either fast or slow.

When the sun goes down, the tide goes out,
The people gather 'round and they all begin to shout,
"Hey! Hey! Uncle Dud,
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud.
It's a treat to beat your feet on the Mississippi Mud".

What a dance do they do!
Lordy, how I'm tellin' you
They don't need no band
They keep time by clappin' their hand.
Just as happy as a cow chewin' on a cud.
When the darkies beat their feet on the Mississippi Mud.

Recorded By:

Dean Martin
Ray Charles
The Lennon Sisters
Eydie Gorme
Dinah Shore

That's Amore

By Harry Warren and Jack Brooks
1953

One of the all-time most recognizable signature songs and an anthem for Italian-Americans everywhere, this song was written specifically for Dean Martin, who introduced it in the Martin & Lewis vehicle, The Caddy. Just three days after the film's release, Martin recorded it for Capitol Records, and took it all the way to number 2 on the Billboard charts. Warren, who years earlier had had great success with songwriting partner Al Dubin, was this time hired by Jerry Lewis to write the song, along with British lyricist Brooks, who would later also write tunes for Lewis' 1960 comedy Cinderfella.

Lyrics:

In Napoli where love is king
When boy meets girl here's what they say...

When a moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine
That's amore
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
And you'll sing "Vita bella"
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay
Like a gay tarantella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool
That's amore
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet
You're in love
When you walk in a dream but you know you're not dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli
That's amore

Recorded By:

Dean Martin
Lou Monte
Domenico Modugno
Julius LaRosa
Connie Francis

They Didn't Believe Me

By Jerome Kern and Herbert Reynolds

1914

One of the most influential songs in the history of popular music, "They Didn't Believe Me" helped usher in a new era in musical comedy, and marked a significant break from the classical European songwriting tradition, making way for what became known as the Great American Songbook. When producer Charles Frohman was importing the successful London musical The Girl from Utah to the Broadway stage, he brought in the unknown Kern and Reynolds to punch it up with a few distinctly American numbers. This particular song helped make Kern into the first breakout star songwriter of the modern era. The composition, introduced on stage by Julia Sanderson and Donald Brian (pictured), featured plain, everyday language, as opposed to the flowery prose of previous love ballads; it also departed from the European waltz style, embracing the syncopation and ragtime flavor that was all the rage in American dance halls. It would have a profound impact on Broadway love ballads for the next half-century.

Lyrics:

Got the cutest little way
Like to watch you all the day
And it certainly seems fine
Just to think that you'll be mine
When I see your pretty smile
Makes the living worth the while
So I've got to run around
Telling people what I've found

And when I told them how beautiful you are
They didn't believe me, they didn't believe me
Your lips, your eyes, your cheeks, your hair
Are in a class beyond compare
You're the loveliest girl that one could see
And when I tell them
And I certainly am goin' to tell them
That I'm the man whose wife one day you'll be
They'll never believe me, they'll never believe me
That from this great big world you've chosen me

Don't know how it happened quite
May have been the summer night
May have been; well, who can say?
Things just happen any way
All I know is I said "yes"
Hesitating more or less
And you kissed me where I stood
Just like any fellow would

And when I told them how wonderful you are
They didn't believe me, they didn't believe me
Your lips, your eyes, your curly hair
Are in a class beyond compare
You're the loveliest thing that one could see
And when I tell them
And I certainly am goin' to tell them
That I'm the girl whose boy one day you'll be
They'll never believe me, they'll never believe me
That from this great big world you've chosen me

Recorded By:

Frank Sinatra
Johnny Hartman
Bing Crosby
George Sanders
Harry Belafonte

I'll String Along With You

By Harry Warren and Al Dubin
1934

From the powerhouse team of Warren & Dubin, also responsible for such classics as "I Only Have Eyes for You", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "With Plenty of Money and You" and "Lulu's Back in Town", this one was written for the 1934 Warner Bros. musical Twenty Million Sweethearts. During this time, Warren & Dubin had been teamed up to write songs for a series of Warner Bros. musicals starting with 42nd Street the previous year. "I'll String Along With You" was introduced in the film by Dick Powell, who croons it to Ginger Rogers. The first recorded release would come the same year from Ted Fio Rito and His Orchestra.

Lyrics: 

You may not be an angel 
'Cause angels are so few 
But until the day that one comes along 
I'll string along with you

I'm looking for an angel 
To sing my love song to 
And until the day that one comes along 
I'll sing my song to you

For every little fault that you have 
See, I've got three or four 
The human little faults you do have 
Just make me love you more

You may not be an angel 
But still I'm sure you'll do 
So until the day that one comes along 
I'll string along with you

Recorded By:

Diana Krall
Nat King Cole Trio
Doris Day
Morgana King
Patti Page

Please

By Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin
1932

One of the most iconic recordings of Bing Crosby, the 20th century's most important popular vocalist, "Please" was introduced by Crosby in the Paramount Pictures movies The Big Broadcast. It was Der Bingle's first starring role, and helped make him a national sensation. The song was a product of the successful movie songwriting team of Rainger & Robin, perhaps best known for writing "Thanks for the Memory" for Bob Hope in The Big Broadcast of 1938 some six years later. With an endearingly catchy lyric and utterly hummable melody, the song has been an inspiration to many, including John Lennon, who cited its wordplay as a direct influence on his early Beatles hit, "Please Please Me".

Lyrics: 

Oh, please
Lend your little ear to my pleas
Lend a ray of cheer to my pleas
Tell me that you love me too

Please
Let me hold you tight in my arms
I could find delight in your charms
Every night my whole life through

Your eyes reveal that you have the soul of
An angel white as snow
How long must I play the role of
A gloomy Romeo?

Oh, please
Say you're not intending to tease
Speed that happy ending and please
Tell me that you love me too

Recorded By:

Bing Crosby
Sarah Vaughan
Ray Coniff
Bucky Pizzarelli
Will Osborne and his Orchestra

Love Letters

By Victor Young and Edward Heyman

1945

Written by Victor Young for the film of the same name starring Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten, it first appeared as an instrumental only. It was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Song, losing out to Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic "It Might as Well Be Spring" from the movie State Fair. Soon after, Edward Heyman added lyrics, and the tender ballad was introduced on record by vocalist Dick Haymes, who accompanied composer Young's own orchestra. It has since been recorded by countless artists, including an unlikely rendition by the King of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Presley.

Lyrics: 

Love letters straight from your heart,
Keep us so near while we're apart,
I'm not alone in the night,
When I can have all the love you write,

I memorize every line,
I kiss the name that you sign,
And darling,
Then I read,

Again from the start,
Love letters straight from your heart.

Recorded By:

Elvis Presley
Dick Haymes
Alison Moyet
Ketty Lester
Peggy Lee

I Got Out of Bed on the Right Side

By Arthur Schwartz and Johnny Mercer
1952

One of several songs Schwartz and Mercer wrote for the M-G-M musical Dangerous When Wet, a vehicle for celebrity swimmer Esther Williams that also starred Fernando Lamas and William Demarest. One of the catchier tunes produced by the very productive Schwartz/Mercer teaming, it was even used twice more by M-G-M in two of the studios' Tom & Jerry short cartoons, "Baby Butch" (1954) and "Muscle Beach Tom" (1956). This was a common practice of the time, as studios looked to repurpose songs that they owned. Interestingly, half a century later, the song would also pop up in another cartoon Disney's "Phineas and Ferb". Although not as often recorded as many other Schwartz/Mercer compositions, its bouncy tune and clever lyric make it an instant classic.

Recorded By:

John Pizzarelli
Philip Chaffin
Joyce Breach
Esther Williams