Love
Repertoire principally for weddings and other forms of espousement.
Please note:
- All these street organ arrangements for my modifed Topsy 3 are home-made. Contact me if you want a custom arrangement - whether a modification of a number below or something new - for your own street organ, musical box, barrel piano, or whatever.
- The MP3s below use Virtual Studio Technology: this is NOT the real sound, and someone needs to sing!
- Lyrics or translations can be displayed live on a screen, karaoke-style.
| Title | Artist | La | Year | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gacela del amor imprevisto | Lorca / Sans Rancune / The Singing Organ-Grinder | es | 1998 | Lorca as universal revolutionary instead of reinventor of the Castilian romance: La sangre de tus venas en mi boca, / tu boca ya sin luz para mi muerte (reggaecito cojito con tango) |
| Copla del viudo del submarino | Juan Antonio Canta | es | 1996 | From the last Andalusian avant-gardist: En el fondo del mar tengo yo / Una novia en silencio / Un poquito de pescaito frito / Me trae su recuerdo Video, possibly from another time or person: |
| Te quiero | Juan Antonio Canta | es | 1996 | Macabre ballad of frustrated love from the great farewell album of the last Andalusian surrealist, Las increíbles aventuras de Juan Antonio Canta, set to a marionettish accompaniment. |
| Miss van Houten's Coffee Shoppe | Martin Newell | en | 1995 | Great number from the wild man of Wivenhoe's Off White Album. |
| Mooi was die tijd | Corry Konings | nl | 1990 | |
| I can get along without you | Chas and Dave | en | 1989 | Great ballad from the kings of London pub rock |
| Ik verscheurde je foto | Koos Alberts | nl | 1984 | One of the greatest laments in the Dutch repertoire: I tore up your photo / Your letters I've burnt / In my heart I'm weeping / Though I pretend I weren't. |
| Rainbow connection | Paul Williams / Kenneth Ascher | 1979 | As sung by Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Movie. With the pop sonnet by Erik Didriksen. | |
| You're the reason our kids are ugly | Lorretta Lynn, Conway Twitty | en | 1978 | |
| Aan de Costa del Sol (tingelingeling) | Trad. German-Italian / Johnny Hoes / Zangeres Zonder Naam | nl | 1975? | Waltz, apparently stolen from Trentino in the Tyrol - see the links. |
| An hini a garan | Trad. vannetais / Alan Stivell | br | 1973 | Her man has emigrated in search of work. |
| Love me tender | Elvis Presley | en | 1970 | |
| Huilen is voor jou te laat | Corry en de Rekels | nl | 1970 | |
| Darling, will you marry me twice? | Ivor Cutler | en | 1967 | Cartesian doctrine in micro format. |
| Rhythm of the rain / Ritme van de regen | The Cascades / Rob de Nijs | nl en | 1962 | Also on the soundtrack of Quadrophenia. |
| De blinde soldaat / The blind soldier | Zangeres Zonder Naam | nl | 1961 | A soldier back from the front can't see his new-born son because he has lost his sight. |
| Crazy | Patsy Cline | en | 1960 | För Sveriges största gitarrist, Tom Coskeran. Done as a waltz |
| Strange | Patsy Cline | en | 1960 | Strange how you stopped loving me ... when she came along. |
| As long as he needs me | Lionel Bart | en | 1960 | Great torch song from Oliver. |
| Manhã de carnaval | Luiz Bonfá / Antônio Maria / Perry Como | en | 1959 | Bossa nova recounting significant parts of my life: I'll sing to the sun in the sky, / I'll sing till the sun rises high. |
| What a difference a day makes | Dinah Washington | en | 1959 | |
| Elube (Mi Churri, gran perrito/My doggie, big little doggie) | Ndirande Pitch Crooners / The Singing Organ-Grinder | en | 1958 | The original song in Nyanja (Malawi) is about a girl, but it scans like a dog biting its tail, and so my English version is a homage to all the little doggies out there. |
| Till there was you | Meredith Willson / Beatles / Peggy Lee | en | 1957 | Sophie Tucker never sang it. |
| The hippopotamus song | Flanders & Swann | en | 1957 | Mud, mud, glorious mud, / Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood. |
| De crocus en de hyacint | Dorus / Tom Manders | nl | 1957 | |
| Chella llà | Renato Carosone / Marino Marini | it | 1956 | |
| Tulpen uit Amsterdam / Tulips from Amsterdam | Ralf Arnie / Van Aleda / Max Bygraves | nl en | 1956 | Typically Dutch: a German waltz about Turkish flowers. Virtual excerpt: |
| When you are old and grey | Tom Lehrer | en | 1953 | On request only. Virtual excerpt: |
| I hold your hand in mine, dear | Tom Lehrer | en | 1953 | I press it to my lips / I take a healthy bite / From your dainty fingertips. |
| How much is that doggie in the window | Bob Merrill / Patti Page | en | 1953 | The one with the waggly tail. Lita Roza's version was Maggie Thatcher's favourite song. |
| South of the border | Gene Autry / Patsy Cline | en | 1950 | Bolero |
| Capri-Fischer / Fishermen of Capri (Bella, bella Marie) | Rudi Schuricke / Gerhard Winkler / Ralph Maria Siegel | de en | 1949 | Wenn bei Capri die rote Sonne im Meer versinkt: Lola sings this tango in Fassbinder's Wirtschaftswunderbar, but the version by Gracie Fields is also rather special. |
| Enjoy yourself (it's later than you think) | Guy Lombardo / Prince Buster / Specials | en | 1949 | Because when you kiss a dollar bill, it doesn't kiss you back. |
| Diep in m'n hart | Jaap Valkhoff / Ernst van ’t Hoff / Willeke Alberti | nl | 1944 | Slow foxtrot |
| My girl's pussy | Robert Crumb & his Cheap Suit Serenaders | en | 1940 | Often it goes out at night, returns at break of dawn / No matter what the weather's like it's always nice and warm. |
| Hawaii | Mary J. Muckle / Anon / The Singing Organ-Grinder | en | 1940 | There are three words that sweetly blend, / That on the heart are graven; / A precious soothing balm they lend– / They’re Mother, Home and Hawaii! |
| Begin the beguine | Cole Porter / Les Paul | en | 1940 | Beguine |
| Rose, Rose, I love you / Shanghai Rose / May Kway / 玫瑰玫瑰我愛你 | Chen Gexin / Yao Lee / Wilfrid Thomas / Frankie Laine | en | 1940 | Mandarin pop classic. Allegedly the only major popular music chart hit in the United States written by a Chinese composer. Video, possibly from another time or person: |
| Perfidia | en | 1940 | Bolero | |
| Lydia, the Tattooed Lady | Yip Harburg / Harold Arlen / Groucho Marx / The Muppets | en | 1939 | From At the Circus. Appears as Todd's new ringtone in Breaking Bad. |
| Leaning on a lamp-post | George Formby | en | 1937 | Surprisingly well-known on 21st century London streets. |
| Pennies from heaven | Arthur Johnston / Johnny Burke / Bing Crosby | en | 1936 | You'll find your fortune falling all over the town / Be sure that your umbrella is upside down. |
| Nobody loves a fairy when she's 40 | Arthur Le Clerq / Tessie O'Shea | en | 1935 | |
| Утомлённое солнце (Weary sun)/To ostatnia niedziela (This is the last Sunday) | Jerzy Petersburski / Zenon Friedwald / Iosif Alvek / Pavel Mikhailov | ru | 1935 | Polish tango about failed love, also done in a Russian, Black Sea-ish version. Featured in Yuriy Norshteyn's stunning Tale of Tales. Video, possibly from another time or person: |
| Isle of Capri / C'est à Capri | Will Grosz / Jimmy Kennedy / Lew Stone | en nl fr | 1934 | Sometimes with lyrics featuring the River Lea / Lee in East London: Twas on the banks of the Lea that I met her / Under the shade of an old apple tree / Now I can still hear the sirens around me / As I lie bleeding in A and E. |
| Love is the sweetest thing | Al Bowlly / Ray Noble | en | 1932 | |
| It's only a paper moon | Harold Arlen | en | 1930 | |
| Mijn kleine groene cactus | Comedian Harmonists / Gerrit Bellers | nl de | 1930 | Dutch text by Gerrit Bellers: Bloemen en planten, zoals chrysanten, / Of rozen, tulpen en narcissen, / Willen de mensen, zo zijn hun wensen, / Ik hoef ze niet, ik kan ze missen. |
| I can't give you anything but love | McHugh-Fields | en | 1928 | |
| Barnacle Bill the sailor | Hoagy Carmichael / Bix Beiderbecke / Tex Morton / Betty Boop | en | 1927 | It's only me from over the sea / I'm all dressed up like a Christmas tree. With interludes featuring Benny Hill alla turca and the Beautiful Blue Danube (it's brown). Virtual excerpt: Video, possibly from another time or person: |
| I'm living alone and I like it | Sophie Tucker | en | 1920 | |
| Five foot two, eyes of blue | Henderson | en | 1920 | Foxtrot |
| K-K-K-Katy | Geoffrey O'Hara | en | 1918 | |
| Le pont Mirabeau | Guillaume Apollinaire / Léo Ferré | fr en | 1912 | |
| Frankie and Johnny were lovers | Frank Crumit / Hughie Cannon | en | 1904 | She done him wrong. |
| She moved through the fair | Trad. / Alan Stivell | en | 1900s | One of the most beautiful songs around. Stivell's version famously floated the melody over the accompaniment. |
| Daisy bell | Harry Dacre | en | 1892 | Love on a tandem: But you'd look sweet / Upon the seat / Of a bicycle built for two. |
| Zwei blaue Augen / Twee blauwe ogen / The two blue eyes of my sweetheart (Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen) | Gustav Mahler / Dutch translation: Jan Rot / English: T.E. Clark | de nl en | 1885 | Auf der Strasse stand ein Lindenbaum, Da hab' ich zum ersten Mal im Schlaf geruht! |
| Erev-Yonkiper nokhn halbn tog / 'Twas on the eve of Yom Kippur | Anon | en yi | 1880 | Yiddish ballad of forbidden love between a Goy & a Yid, Singing Organ-Grinder's translation: 'And now is come the time of love: / Say unto me but yea or nay.' / 'Lov'st thou me yea, or lov'st me nay, / We must now part, my parents say.' Whereupon he shoots her. |
| The best of Tristan und Isolde | Wagner / The Singing Organ-Grinder | 1880 | Wagner was a big country and western fan. | |
| To a lady that desired me I would beare my part (sic) | Richard Lovelace / The Singing Organ-Grinder | en | 1649 | First use of 'serenade' in English: What, though 'tis said I have a voice; / I know 'tis but that hollow noise / Which (as it through my pipe doth speed) / Bitterns do carol through a reed. |
| When that I was and a little tiny boy (Hey, ho, the wind and the rain) | William Shakespeare / John Harle | 1601 | Feste the Fool's closing song from Twelth Night. Version of Elvis Costello's version of the traditional version sung by Alfred Deller. | |
| Sweetest love, I do not goe | John Donne / Ralph Steadman / The Singing Organ-Grinder | en | 1600? | It cannot be / That thou lov'st me, as thou say'st, / If in thine my life thou waste, / That art the best of me. |
| A frog he would a wooing go | Trad. | en | 1548 | Fate |
| Come on chaps | Trad | en | Teasing/bragging song: Blackpool is the place for me, / a fishing from the rock. / I never use my fishing line, / I always use my... / Dainty little fingers... |
Update: 2023/03/06