REMASTERED CLIP - 1973 (All About Shirley TV Special)
Shirley recorded and released 'Johnny One Note' on her 1966 LP titled, 'Shirley Bassey - I've Got A Song For You'.
ABOUT Johnny One Note:
"Johnny One Note" is a 1937 show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes in Arms, where it was introduced by Wynn Murrary. Judy Garland sang it in the film version, released in 1939. The musical contained more great songs Shirley Bassey has also performed: "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Where Or When" and "My Funny Valentine".
The 'Babes In Arms' story is about a group of vaudevillians who want to revive their old fashioned form of entertainment by doing a roadshow. "Johnny One Note" is sung as a bedtime story. A kind of fairy tale about a very ego-centred singer who is so very loud that nobody can hear the soprano. This lady singer asks her godmother to put a spell on Johnny, so that the next time he wants to impress everybody by holding his note as long as possible he has to held it forever.
Shirley Bassey wrote about "Johnny One Note":
I don't always recognize the right songs for me the first time I hear them. For a long time I was asked to do 'Johnny One Note', but I couldn't do it for many, many years. Then one day Eddie Fisher's musical director just sat at the piano and said, 'This is a good song for you', and started playing 'Johnny One Note'. The way he played it, I got so excited, but I said 'I can't do this song'. 'Why not?' he asked. 'Well, when I was discovered, the girl whose place I took in the show, she had a big hit with this song and I've never been able to touch this song.' 'Well, try it,' he said. And I was amazed when I opened my mouth: this voice came out singing this song as though it was mine. So, after all those years - it was about ten years, I believe - when we actually got down to it, it was a piece of cake.
LYRICS:
Johnny could only sing one note
And the note he sang was this: aaaahh
Poor Johnny One Note
Sang out with Gusto A
nd just overloaded the place
Poor Johnny One Note
Yelled willy-nilly
Until he was blue in the face
For holding one note was his ace
Couldn't hear the brass
Couldn't hear the drum
He was in a class
By himself, by gum
Poor Johnny One Note
Got in Aida indeed a great chance to be brave
He took his one note
Howled like the North Wind
Brought forth wind that made critics rave
While Verdi turned round in his grave
Couldn't hear the flute
Or the big trombone
Everyone was mute
Johnny stood alone
Cats and dogs stopped yapping
Lions in the zoo
Were all jealous of Johnny's big thrill
Thunderclaps stopped clapping
Traffic ceased its roar
And they tell us Niag'ra stood still
He stopped the trainwistles
Boatwhistles
Steamwhistles
Copwhistles
All whistles bowed to his skill
Sing Johnny One Note Sing out with gusto
And just overwhelm all the crowd
Aaaahh
So sing, Johnny One Note out loud
Sing, Johnny One Note
Sing -
Johnny -
One Note -
Out loud
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