Prattling before the Pratfall

Eric and I were up on the roof this afternoon. He was taking in the view and I was cleaning the gutters, after tossing the Xmas tree over the stone wall in the back yard. So, even though Christmas is over (and you’ve maybe had your fill of Ross Bagdasarian) I’m inspired to play Carol’s favorite Chipmunk Christmas song, “Up On The House-top.”

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/UpOnTheHouseTop.mp3,http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/UpOnTheHouseTopSlow.mp3]

I was going to save this for next year, but who knows how long I’ll be able to keep up this blog? This one doesn’t have David Seville in it, so the half-speed version is particularly enjoyable.

We’ll go nuts here one more time with Ross Bagdasarian and the chipmunks. I usually don’t bother with “official” Web sites, because they’re often long on hype and short on useful information, but Ross Jr.’s is an exception. It has plenty of hype, but it’s also a must-see for the fascinating story of his dad’s winning gamble on the purchase of a home tape recorder in 1958. Click the picture or here to go there.

The song that saved Ross from financial ruin was “The Witch Doctor.” It’s on the audio player, followed by a half-speed version that will play automatically.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/WitchDoctor.mp3,http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/WitchDoctorSlow.mp3]

Bagdasarian later re-recorded “The Witch Doctor” in a chipmunk version. It’s in stereo, making it possible for me to isolate the right channel with the chipmunks, as you’ll hear in the second cut.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/WitchDoctorRemake.mp3,http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/WitchDoctorRemakeSlow.mp3]

Something I don’t know is which came first in 1958 — “The Witch Doctor,” or Sheb Wooley’s “The Purple People Eater.” I’ll have to count on my Pop Musicologist best buddy, Dennis F. Rogers, for assistance on that question. To spare you from listening to the entire song run at half speed, I’ve spliced a couple of the parts with the chipmunk voice.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/PurplePeopleEater.mp3,http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/ShebWooley.mp3]

What’s interesting to me is that the slowly-spoken voice (I’ll assume it was Sheb’s) doesn’t work very well when sped up. The trick isn’t as easy as Bagdasarian made it sound. Also, Ross had a unique voice anyway. Somehow, he just sounded like a nice guy you’d want to know. Sort of like Tom Hanks, come to think of it.

Once again let’s look back at the fun Ross Bagdasarian post. Super son Eric gave me a fun idea. How about hearing what David Seville’s voice sounded like sped up, when he wasn’t speaking s-l-o-w-l-y as he did when performing as the chipmunks? Sure. Whhhhhhhhyyyyyy not?

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/ChipmunksFast.mp3]

As you can hear, speaking normally wouldn’t have worked. How many times did Ross have to practice doing those voices slowly to get the speed to come out just right? I don’t believe infinitely variable tape decks were available back in those days, so all he could do was go from 7.5 ips to 15 ips.

I found a brief video clip of Bagdasarian as David Seville and the Chipmunks. It’s from a 1960 Ed Sullivan show appearance, although that date seems a year too late to me. The puppets are performed by Lou Burin.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JAN07/Bagdasarian.flv 400 300]

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Movies/Wordpress/JAN07/TheSingingNun.flv 320 240]

One more song in French! The most famous and successful French language song in America wasn’t French. It was Belgian. The Singing Nun’s Dominique was #1 when JFK was assassinated.

The short video above has the real Singing Nun, from the Ed Sullivan show one month before The Beatles made their first appearance. Jeanine Deckers of Belgium took the name “Soeur Sourire” when she took her vows. Here’s the song, then the lyrics.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Sounds/Wordpress/JAN07/Dominique.mp3]

Dominique, oh Dominique
Over the land he plods along
Never looking for reward
He just talks about the Lord,
he just talks about the Lord,
he just talks about the Lord

At a time when John Lackland
Over England was the king
Dominic was in the backland
Fighting sin like anything

Now a heretic one day
Among the thorn forced him to crawl
Dominic with just one prayer
Made him hear the good Lord’s call

Without horses or fancy wagon
He crossed Europe up and down
Poverty was his companion
As he walked from town to town

To bring back the straying liars
And the lost sheep to the fold
He brought forth the Preaching Friars
Heaven’s soldiers brave and bold

One day in the budding Order
There was nothing left to eat
Suddenly two angels walked in
With a load of bread and meat

Dominic once in his slumber
Saw the Virgin coat unfurled
Over Friars without number
Preaching all around the world

Grant us now oh Dominic
The grace of love and simple mirth
That we all may help to quicken
Godly love and truth on earth

In 1966, Debbie Reynolds starred in the movie “The Singing Nun.” The lyrics were in English and had not much to do with the actual song. This recreation of Ed Sullivan presenting “Sister Ann” is at least semi-factual.

[flv:http://www.dograt.com/Video/JAN07/SingingNun.flv 320 138]

Hmm. How about a TV show where the nun does something crazy — I dunno, how about flying? — instead of singing?