Spanking in Song Lyrics
Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2015 10:26 pm
I guess this qualifies as "Literature". So how many songs are there that mention spanking? Well, we've mentioned "Bianca" elsewhere, a number from the stage version of Kiss Me Kate (everyone knows about the famous spanking scene, right?) - Cole Porter actually rhymes "Bianca" (Katherine's younger sister) with "Spank-A"! (If you don't remember the song from the movie, it's not senility - the song didn't make it into the screen version).
Here's a couple of others, not from Broadway but Tin Pan Alley:
1. Rockin' Chair (Hoagy Carmichael) - "Old rockin' chair's got me, cane by my side, fetch me some gin, son, 'fore I tan your hide"
2. Small Fry (Frank Loesser/Hoagy Carmichael) - "seems I ought to take you 'cross my knee, you ain't the biggest catfish in the sea."
Interestingly, Carmichael more often wrote his own lyrics than most composers, although his most famous songs are those with lyrics by others (Stardust, Georgia on My Mind, etc.). The spanking reference in Rockin' Chair, which isn't serious, was his own, while that in Small Fry was Frank Loesser's (who most often wrote music as well as lyrics).
If I can think of any others, I'll post them here.
Here's a couple of others, not from Broadway but Tin Pan Alley:
1. Rockin' Chair (Hoagy Carmichael) - "Old rockin' chair's got me, cane by my side, fetch me some gin, son, 'fore I tan your hide"
2. Small Fry (Frank Loesser/Hoagy Carmichael) - "seems I ought to take you 'cross my knee, you ain't the biggest catfish in the sea."
Interestingly, Carmichael more often wrote his own lyrics than most composers, although his most famous songs are those with lyrics by others (Stardust, Georgia on My Mind, etc.). The spanking reference in Rockin' Chair, which isn't serious, was his own, while that in Small Fry was Frank Loesser's (who most often wrote music as well as lyrics).
If I can think of any others, I'll post them here.