Tuesday, January 25, 2011

"Yes Sir, That's My Baby"

A Thousand Renditions
Orignal sheet music cover for
"Yes Sir, That's My Baby", by Sidney Leff

Yes Sir, That's My Baby

Lyrics: Gus Kahn
Music: Walter Donaldson


Yes sir, that's my baby
No sir, I don't mean maybe
Yes sir, that's my baby now

Yes, ma'm, we've decided
No ma'm, we ain't gonna hide it
Yes, ma'm, you're invited now

By the way, by the way
When we walk up to the preacher I'll say

Yes sir, that's my baby
No sir, I don't mean maybe
Yes sir, that's my baby now

By the way, by the way
When we run into the preacher I'll say

I'll say yes sir, that's my baby
No sir, I don't mean maybe
Yes sir, that's my baby now

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A few days ago, I posted a video from my music and film archives where the two (now fairly unknown) actors, Jason Robards and and a young Barry Gordon, sang "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" - Gordon playing the ukulele with great flourish - from the 1965 movie A Thousand Clowns. The song is an old one, composed in 1925 by Walter Donaldson, with lyrics by Gus Khan. I looked up other versions to this song, since a good melody is here to stay. And it's surprising that such simple (circular) lyrics found their way to so many singers. Here's some of what I found:

- Pianola roll - 1920s
- Ace Brigode, band leader in the 1925, made it a hit
- Gene Austin in 1925
- Bennie Krueger (with the saxophone), 1925
- Eddie Cantor, 1930
- Charleston version
- The Sensations, 1955
- Ricky Nelson, rockabilly in 1960
- Frank Sinatra sings it in in his inimitable style in 1966. He also sang it with his daughter Nancy
- Unlikely Frank Sinatra fan (home video)
- Another lounge singer (Buddy Greco in Las Vegas)
- Date with Soul, 1960s - why so slow?
- Ruth Brown, 1969
- The Wiyos...?  "vaudevillian ragtime-jugband-blues and hillbilly swing" , 2007
- Marimba band
- Dixie
- Polka featuring the ...accordion
- Aka: Kuess mich Schnucki-Putzi in German
- Swedish wedding band
- Four [English] Blokes Singing American Barbershop Quartet style with full-on American accent. (Better stop listening halfway!)
- These barbershop quartet kids are much better, but the recording isn't that good
- Jenison Male Chorus
- Curtain Call, mall girls quartet (with mall fashion sense) - good, notwithstanding first visual impression
- Seattle Jazz Singers
- Cecil Young Quartet , 1952 (Progressive Jazz)
- Ukulele amateur (amateur in the original sense - "lover of"), with a...kazoo? - very good (voice too)
- Baritone ukulele - who knew?
- Baritone Banjolee
- Babies!
- Ringo the Racoon (The baby is in the eyes of the beholder.)

- Here is more from a list on Wikipedia

Murray and Nick singing "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" in
A Thousand Clowns