Yes! We Have No Bananas

By Frank Silver and Irving Cohn
1923

On January 1, for the first time in 20 years, a motherlode of intellectual property entered the public domain--books, songs, movies, etc. from 1923 are now available to use for free. Among them is this charming novelty song that was number one on the charts for five weeks in its original recording by Billy West. Interestingly, the melody has been identified by some as a combination of Handel's Hallelujah chorus, "My Bonnie", and a few other tunes. The lyric supposedly was written by Cohn as a tribute to a Greek fruit seller he knew who began every statement with, "Yes!" Despite not really being recorded much in the past 50 years, the song remains a part of popular culture, and has been referenced in The Simpsons, The Muppet Show, The English Patient and Mel Brooks' Dracula: Dead and Loving It ("Yes! We have Nosferatu. We have Nosferatu today!")

Lyrics:

There's a fruit store on our street
It's run by a Greek.
And he keeps good things to eat
But you should hear him speak!
When you ask him anything, he never answers "no".
He just "yes"es you to death, and as he takes your dough
He tells you
"Yes, we have no bananas
We have-a no bananas today.
We've string beans, and onions
Cabbageses, and scallions,
And all sorts of fruit and say
We have an old fashioned to-mah-to
A Long Island po-tah-to
But yes, we have no bananas.
We have no bananas today."

Business got so good for him that he wrote home today,
"Send me Pete and Nick and Jim; I need help right away."
When he got them in the store, there was fun, you bet.
Someone asked for "sparrow grass" and then the whole quartet
All answered
"Yes, we have no bananas
We have-a no bananas today.
Just try those coconuts
Those walnuts and doughnuts
There ain't many nuts like they.
We'll sell you two kinds of red herring,
Dark brown, and ball-bearing.
But yes, we have no bananas
We have no bananas today."

Yes, we are very sorry to inform you
That we are entirely out of the fruit in question
The afore-mentioned vegetable
Bearing the cognomen "Banana".
We might induce you to accept a substitute less desirable,
But that is not the policy at this internationally famous green 
grocery.
I should say not. No no no no no no no.
But may we suggest that you sample our five o'clock tea
Which we feel certain will tempt your pallet?
However we regret that after a diligent search 
Of the premises
By our entire staff
We can positively affirm without fear of contradiction
That our raspberries are delicious; really delicious
Very delicious
But we have no bananas today.

Yes, we gotta no banana
No banana
We gotta no banana today.
I sella you no banana.
Hey, Marianna, you gotta no banana?
Why this man, he no believe-a what I say.
Now whatta you want mister?
You wanna buy twelve for a quarter?
No? well, just a oneofadozen?
I'm-a gonna calla my daughter.
Hey, Marianna
You gotta piana
Yes, banana, no
No, yes, no bananas today
We gotta no bananas.
Yes, we gotta no bananas today.

Recorded By:

Eddie Cantor
Louis Prima
Benny Goodman
Spike Jones
Anthony Newley

What'll I Do?

By Irving Berlin
1923

Another big '20s hit for the great Irving Berlin, introduced by Grace Moore and John Steel in his Music Box Revue show. Due to its strong connection to the era, Nelson Riddle incorporated the tune into his Oscar-winning score for the 1974 Robert Redford adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

Lyrics:

Gone is the romance, that was so divine.
It's broken and cannot be mended.
You must go your way, and I must go mine,
But now that our love dreams have ended...

What'll I do
When you are far away,
And I am blue--
What'll I do?

What'll I do
When I am wondering who
Is kissing you--
What'll I do?

What'll I do with just a photograph
To tell my troubles to?

When I'm alone
With only dreams of you
That can't come true,
What'll I do?

Recorded By:

Maude Maggart
Nancy Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Chris Botti and Paula Cole
Chet Baker

I Cried for You

By Gus Arnheim, Arthur Freed & Abe Lyman
1923

A classic vaudeville-inspired '20s standard, introduced by Lyman's own orchestra (pictured). It was instantly popular, hitting the top 20 twice with two different bands in its first year. The melody is inventive, with an octave that lets a singer show what they've got; and the gloating lyric is that of a spurned lover wishing ill upon her ex. Sinatra breathed new life into it for his 1957 Joey Lewis biopic The Joker Is Wild.

Lyrics:

I cried for you,
Now it's your turn to cry over me.
Every road has a turning,
Thats one thing you're learning.

I cried for you--
What a fool I used to be.
Now I've found two eyes
Just a little bit bluer,
I've found a heart
Just a little bit truer.

I cried for you,
Now it's your turn to cry over me.

Recorded By:

Billie Holiday
Bing Crosby
Bunny Berigan
Harry James
Count Basie