Post 365: 'DAISY BELL' - A BICYCLE MADE FOR TWO

As someone who is interested in both old-time popular music and vintage bicycles, I enjoy the 123-year-old song Daisy Daisy because the lady is offered a chance to ride on a tandem (‘a bicycle built for two’).

You probably know how the song starts: 

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do! 

I'm half crazy all for the love of you. 

It won't be a stylish marriage: 

I can't afford a carriage.

But you'd look sweet upon the seat 

Of a bicycle built for two. 

The song, actually called Daisy Bell, was written (both words and music) by Harry Dacre – the pen name of Frank Dean.

Harry Dacre and his own bicycle.

Harry was English but he visited the United States, complete with his bicycle, in about 1891. Apparently at immigration he was charged import duty on the bicycle and a friend told him he was lucky it was not a bicycle built for two, because he would then have had to pay double duty. Those words gave Harry the idea for the song.

It was composed in America and published in London by the company Francis, Day and Hunter in 1892.

Very shortly afterwards it was published by their partners Harms and Co in New York.

The English music hall singer Katie Lawrence was then working in America. She liked the song, brought it back to England, and made it so famous that it has become one of the best-known songs of all time.

It is possible that Harry Dacre used the name ‘Daisy’ as the lady of his song in tribute to the lovely 'Daisy' Greville, Countess of Warwick. She was an early advocate of women’s rights and she also cycled – in ‘modern’ clothes. (She was involved in many scandals in later life – but that’s another story.)

'Daisy' Greville

Harry tried writing a sequel - Fare You Well, Daisy Bell, but it did not achieve success. However, he hit the jackpot again when he wrote I’ll Be Your Sweetheart - another beautiful and deceptively simple melody in 3/4 time, like Daisy Bell.

Harry died in 1922.

What has all this to do with traditional jazz? Not a lot; though I have occasionally heard a traditional jazz band play Daisy Bell; and several play I'll Be Your Sweetheart, especially adapted into 4/4 time.

Post 142: A HAUNTING MELODY - 'LAURA' AND DAVID RASKIN

Some tunes are described as ‘haunting melodies’; and I have been wondering what gives a tune a ‘haunting’ quality.

I think the answer is that is has to be the kind of tune that defies expectations and yet – after being heard a few times – implants itself in our minds.

A prime example of a haunting tune is Laura, composed by David Raskin in 1945.

For ease of discussion, let’s consider it in the key of C. The first thing we notice is that the opening bar involves the extremely unlikely combination of A, B and C. (A minor the harmony, B the note being played, C the key [and the chord we might normally expect]).

Having started in that weird way, the tune continues in the same vein. In its 32 bars, it gets through an astonishing range of chords. No matter how simple the version of chords you try to use, you are unlikely to get away without using at least Am7 (sometimes with flattened 5th), D7, G, Gdim, Gm7, C7, F7, Fdim, Fm7 (sometimes with flattened 5th), Bb7, Eb major 7, Eb7, Em7, Bm, E7, G7, and C (C - the home chord - surprisingly being used only with the final note).

How’s that for a tune of 32 bars? Can you think of any other popular song with such changes? No wonder the tune is VERY rarely attempted: it’s too difficult! It is almost as if Raskin set himself the task of writing a tune that used pretty well every possible chord in the chromatic scale.

Strangely, though, you find the chord changes – as you work through each sixteen bars – are based subtly on the familiar circle of 5ths – starting with A (in the form of minor 7th rather than usual 7th).

What makes it sound so ‘haunting’ is that the chords are not the conventional 7ths. Minors, diminisheds and major 7ths are preferred to normal 7ths and the melody note often adds a 9th to the chord, as indeed on the very first note.

Also, the second half copies the first only for 8 bars and then – although keeping the rhythmic pattern of the first sixteen bars, introduces a slightly different upward arpeggio and harmony.

FIRST SIXTEEN ENDING:

SECOND SIXTEEN ENDING:

You will not be surprised to hear that Raskin (who died in 2004) was a classically-trained composer. The son of an orchestral conductor, he studied composition at the University of Pennsylvania and later was tutored by Arnold Schoenberg. Raskin wrote over 100 film scores. Laura was based on the theme for the 1944 film of the same name. Lyrics for it were provided by the great Johnny Mercer.

Post 141: 'MOONGLOW' - A TEASINGLY BEAUTIFUL TUNE

At the request of a member of a little band in which I sometimes play, I added Moonglow to my repertoire.

This catchy tune was written in 1934 by Hudson, Delange and Mills.

As ever, I used a Mini Filofax page. I wrote it out in the Key of G. I kept the chord structure simple, though I am aware that more subtle changes would have been possible.

What strikes me about this tune is the way it cleverly teases the listener and thus achieves its striking effects. For example, the first bar of melody sounds like an anacrusis but in fact it really is the first bar proper. Also, the first two bars are based on the chords of C major and C minor respectively, even though the tune is actually in G.

In its principal 8-bar melody, Moonglow uses a simple two-bar theme three times. You could hardly devise anything less complex. But look at the changing harmonies and you find the first B natural is harmonised against C minor, the next one against A major (making in effect A9th) and the third B natural is played against a D major (making in effect a D6th). The final two bars of the eight (all on the melody note of G - again seemingly very simple) are played over the beautifully shifting harmonies of G, G diminished, A minor 7th and G again. What a super effect that achieves.

And what about the Middle Eight? They start with a G7. Fair enough. Surely that will lead smoothly into C major?

Oh no it doesn't. We descend exquisitely through F#7th and F7th to E7th! And the next four bars go (as we might expect) from A7th to D7th - but there is yet another surprise: we slide through C major 7th on the way!

Mastering this tune with the band should not be difficult. There are only 16 bars essentially to learn, even though you have to play 32. I'm already thinking of the pleasure those teasingly beautiful harmonic games will give.