"Willie Can" | |
---|---|
Song | |
Genre | Country and western |
Songwriter(s) | Boudleaux Bryant |
"Willie Can" Is a popular hit song written in 1955 by the American country and western songwriter Boudleaux Bryant and his wife Felice Bryant. [1] [2] [3] It reached the charts in 1956 in the US with the Mitch Miller version (#30) [4] and in the UK with Alma Cogan's (#13). [5]
The song, in a lighthearted vein, gives a list of activities and kindnesses the woman singer would wish to have in a lover and husband.
It was recorded by:
The song lists the things the female singer requires of her suitor. These vary between versions but in full are:
To cook, save a dollar bill, sew, give a girl a thrill, ride a black-eyed stallion, fight a bear, love, braid her hair, do the things she asks him , dance , prance, take her to the fair, say he cares, dig a hole to China, climb a tree, kiss and kiss her, do the things she asks him (and do them true), run, catch a honey bee, sing and sing to her, try to swim the Channel, fly a kite, be bold, hold her , squeeze her tight, run , sing , sing to her.
The Beverley Sisters version adds:- crossing a burning desert and crossing the sea.
The list is broken up by a chorus which runs:
Willie can, Willie can, Willie can, fair ladyIf Willie takes a shine to you
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1958.
Mitchell William Miller was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor and artists and repertoire (A&R) man. Miller was one of the most influential people in American popular music during the 1950s and early 1960s, both as the head of A&R at Columbia Records and as a best-selling recording artist with an NBC television series, Sing Along with Mitch. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester in the early 1930s, Miller began his musical career as a player of the oboe and English horn, making numerous highly regarded classical and popular recordings.
Alma Angela Cohen Cogan was an English singer of traditional pop in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed the "Girl with the Giggle in Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era.
Felice Bryant and Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant were an American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team. They were best known for songs such as "Rocky Top," "We Could", "Love Hurts", and numerous hits by the Everly Brothers, including "All I Have to Do Is Dream", "Bye Bye Love", and "Wake Up Little Susie".
"Little Things Mean a Lot" is a popular song, with lyrics by Edith Lindeman and music by Carl Stutz, published in 1953. Lindeman was the leisure editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Stutz, a disc jockey from Richmond, Virginia. Stutz and Lindeman are also known for writing Perry Como's 1959 hit, "I Know".
"Ricochet" is a popular song. The credits show it to be written by Larry Coleman, Joe Darion, and Norman Gimbel, without apportioning the work on the lyrics and music, in 1953. In fact, since Coleman and Darion wrote "Changing Partners" the same year, with Darion as lyricist and Coleman as composer, while Gimbel wrote the English lyric for "Sway" the same year, it can be concluded that Coleman wrote the music and Darion and Gimbel the lyrics.
"The Yellow Rose of Texas" is a traditional American song dating back to at least the 1850s. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Many versions of the song have been recorded, the most popular of which was by Mitch Miller, whose version reached No. 1 in the United States in 1955. Its popularity made it an unofficial state song of Texas.
"All I Do Is Dream of You" is a popular song. The music was written by Nacio Herb Brown, the lyrics by Arthur Freed. The song was published in 1934. It was originally written for the Joan Crawford film Sadie McKee (1934) when it was played during the opening credits and later sung by Gene Raymond three times. It was also sung in the film by Earl Oxford in a show. The song is also featured in the films Singin' in the Rain, A Night at the Opera, The Affairs of Dobie Gillis, and Crimes and Misdemeanors.
"On the Street Where You Live" is a song with music by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner from the 1956 Broadway musical My Fair Lady. It is sung in the musical by the character Freddy Eynsford-Hill, who was portrayed by John Michael King in the original production. In the 1964 film version, it was sung by Bill Shirley, dubbing for actor Jeremy Brett.
"Don't Fence Me In" is a popular American song written in 1934, with music by Cole Porter and lyrics by Robert Fletcher and Cole Porter. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
"Somebody Loves Me" is a popular song, with music written by George Gershwin, and lyrics by Ballard MacDonald and Buddy DeSylva. The song was published in 1924 and featured in George White's Scandals of 1924.
"Let's Fall in Love" is a song written by Harold Arlen (music) and Ted Koehler (lyrics) for the film Let's Fall in Love and published in 1933. In the film, it is heard during the opening credits and later sung by Art Jarrett and chorus, and by Ann Sothern.
"Chantez, Chantez" is a popular song written by Irving Fields (music) and Albert Gamse (lyrics), which in 1957 was a Top 30 hit single for Dinah Shore.
"Hey Joe!" is a 1953 popular song written by Boudleaux Bryant. It was recorded by Carl Smith for Columbia Records on 19 May 1953 and spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the US country music chart, marking Bryant's first no. 1 record. He later wrote songs with his wife Felice for The Everly Brothers. The song was first published in New York on July 17, 1953 as "Hey, Joe".
"The Story of My Life" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was published in 1957. It was recorded by Marty Robbins and reached number one on Billboard's country chart in 1958, and it became a number one hit song for Michael Holliday in the UK.
"Mona Lisa" is a popular song written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston for the Paramount Pictures film Captain Carey, U.S.A. (1949), in which it was performed by Sergio de Karlo and a recurrent accordion motif. The title and lyrics refer to the renaissance portrait Mona Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1950.
"Bird Dog" is a song written by Boudleaux Bryant and recorded by the Everly Brothers. It was released in 1958 and was a no. 1 hit on the Billboard Country Chart for six weeks. The song also hit no. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, as well as peaking at no. 2 for three weeks on the R&B charts.
"Song for a Summer Night" is a song written by Robert Allen and performed by Mitch Miller and His Orchestra and Chorus. It reached #8 on the U.S. pop chart in 1956.
Join Bing & Sing Along is a long-playing vinyl album issued first by RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-2276) and immediately thereafter by Warner Bros. Records (W/WS-1363) in 1960. The album consists of twelve medleys of 33 old songs in a singalong format. Bing Crosby sings on all of the tracks except those marked with an asterisk. The chorus and orchestra is conducted by Jack Halloran and their tracks were pre-recorded on November 9 & 13, 1959 with Crosby over-dubbing his vocals. Orchestral arrangements were by Bob Thompson.
"Dungaree Doll" is a song written by Sherman Edwards and Ben Raleigh and performed by Eddie Fisher featuring Hugo Winterhalter and His Orchestra and Chorus. It reached #7 in the U.S. in 1956.