Bei Mir Bistu Shein
"Bei Mir Bistu Shein" | |
---|---|
Yiddish show it appeared in. New York, 1932. | |
Song | |
Language | Yiddish |
English title | "To Me You're Beautiful" |
Written | 1932 |
Composer(s) | Sholom Secunda |
Lyricist(s) | Jacob Jacobs (Yiddish) Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin (English) |
"Bei Mir Bistu Shein" (
Neil W. Levin, a scholar of Jewish music, has contended that "Bei Mir Bistu Shein" is "the world's best-known and longest-reigning Yiddish theater song of all time."[3] Echoing these sentiments, writer Stephen J. Whitfield has further posited that the song's popularity and influence in pre-war America epitomizes how "a minority [immigrant] culture" can transform the popular arts of a large democratic nation.[4]
History
Yiddish original
Sholom Secunda was a
"Jake, a shoe factory worker who is fired for union organizing activity is in love with the owner's daughter, Hene. In response to her concern about the endurance of his commitment to her, he sings Bay mir bistu sheyn to her at some point in the first act. Despite a series of predictable attempts to thwart the marriage, they are, of course, wed in the end."[3]
The song itself featured only fleetingly in this original musical production and was performed as a lovers duet by
When I Would If I Could closed after one season, Secunda attempted to sell the publishing rights of the song, even taking a plane to California to promote it to popular entertainer Eddie Cantor who demurred saying: "I can't use it. It's too Jewish."[4][9] In dire financial straits, Secunda sold the rights in 1937 to the Kammen Brothers Music Company for a mere US $30 (equivalent to $636 in 2023), a modest sum which he split with his partner Jacobs.[10] In light of the later global success of the song, by making that 1937 sale Secunda and Jacobs forfeited earning as much as $350,000 in royalties (equivalent to $7,418,056 in 2023).[11]
English version
There are conflicting versions regarding the origins for the English version of the song.
A competing origin story claims that bandleader
Hitherto dismissed as mere imitators of the
Global phenomenon
The song quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. Within thirty days of the Andrews Sisters' version of "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen," had all put out competing recordings.
Soon after, the song appeared in Hollywood films such as and others had all recorded the song.
From the 1940s to 1960s, additional covers were performed by a younger generation of artists which included Ramsey Lewis,[3] Louis Prima (with Keely Smith),[17] The Crew-Cuts,[17] and June Christy.[17]
Over time, the song grossed approximately $3 million (equivalent to $63,583,333 in 2023), with its original creators Secunda and Jacobs missing significant royalties. In February 1961,
The revamped 1961 musical focuses on a "a rabbi and his two sons and a matchmaker and his daughter. One of the rabbi's sons is in love with the matchmaker's daughter."[11] Their desired marriage eventually occurs, but not before the usual romantic misunderstandings and complexities.[11] In his later years, shortly before his death, Secunda purportedly expressed dismay that he would be remembered solely for writing the song.[3]
Other countries
Nazi Germany
In 1938, the song was a smash hit in Nazi Germany under its Germanized title "Bei mir bist du schön".[3] According to contemporary journalist Michael Mok, the song was likewise immensely popular among the German diaspora in America where pro-Nazi sympathizers in Yorkville ale-houses often chorused the tune under the mistaken impression that it was "a Goebbels-approved" ballad.[5] Initially assumed to be an uncontroversial song in a southern German dialect, an uproar occurred when its Jewish provenance was abruptly discovered and widely publicized by the press.[33][3] Following this embarrassing discovery, as "any music by composers of Jewish ancestry was forbidden under the Nazi regime," the song was promptly banned by state authorities in Germany.[3]
Later during
Poland
In 1938 two separate Polish-language versions appeared in Poland. The first one, with lyrics by Andrzej Włast, "Ty masz dla mnie coś", was sung by Mieczysław Fogg. The other one, with lyrics by Zenon Friedwald, "Czy wiesz, mała miss?", was performed by top Polish crooners of the pre-war era, Adam Aston, Albert Harris and Mieczysław Fogg, and by less known artists, such as Henryk Wróblewski and Edward Zayenda.
In post-war Poland Agnieszka Osiecka wrote new Polish lyrics, "Ty masz w sobie coś".
Soviet Union
There have been several parody songs to the tune in the
In the late Soviet period, a version came out under the name "In the
Parodies
- "The Bear Missed the Train," was written by the Smith Street Society Jazz Band in 1964 and became a favorite on Jean Shepherd's radio program.[44]
- "The Ballad of Shane Muscatel" is a humorous song written by Tom Constanten. Set amidst a fictional Old West rivalry between wine vintners and beer brewers, it tells of the titular oenophile's wanderings. The narrative's final verse includes the punchline, "Buy a beer, Mr. Shane".[45]
- Shasta Beverages ran commercials for Shasta Root Beer, during the 1970s, where a dusty cowpoke entered a saloon, asking "Barkeep, whadya got that's real good", and everyone in the bar breaks out in song to answer, "Root beer, Mr. Shane".[46]
References
Citations
- ^ Gottlieb 2004, p. 57.
- ^ Nimmo 2007, pp. 73–74; Esterow 1961, p. 22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Levin 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Whitfield 2001, pp. 1–2.
- ^ a b c d e Mok 1938.
- ^ Secunda 1982, pp. 133–134.
- ^ Secunda 1982, pp. 127–129; Esterow 1961, p. 22.
- ^ a b Levin 2010; Esterow 1961, p. 22.
- ^ Secunda 1982, p. 144.
- ^ Secunda 1982, pp. 144–149; Mok 1938; Esterow 1961, p. 22.
- ^ a b c d e Esterow 1961, p. 22.
- ^ a b c d e Nimmo 2007, p. 73.
- ^ Secunda 1982, p. 198.
- ^ a b Secunda 1982, p. 148.
- ^ Hersch 2016, p. 27.
- ^ Nimmo 2007, p. 328.
- ^ a b c d e f Secunda 1982, p. 150.
- ^ Nimmo 2007, pp. 73–74.
- ^ Nimmo 2007, p. 76.
- ^ Nimmo 2007, p. 76; Secunda 1982, p. 150.
- ^ Hersch 2016, p. 133.
- ^ Whitfield 2001, pp. 1–2; Nimmo 2007, p. 76; Secunda 1982, p. 150.
- ^ Smith 2011, p. 1563.
- ^ Levin 2010; Mok 1938.
- ^ Rust & Debus 1973, p. 387.
- ^ Lerski 2003, p. 279.
- ^ Hersch 2016, pp. 118, 133.
- ^ Seiler 1997, p. 41.
- ^ Szwed 2006, p. 192.
- ^ Secunda 1982, p. 150; Van Delden 2019, p. 350.
- ^ Secunda 1982, p. 150; Levin 2010.
- ^ Hot Sardines 2014.
- ^ Hersch 2016, p. 51.
- ^ Dash 2012.
- ^ Steinbiss & Eisermann 1988.
- ^ Petit 2012; Dash 2012.
- ^ Bergmeier & Lotz 1997.
- ^ Petit 2012.
- ^ a b Secunda 1982, p. 151; Starr 1994, p. 190.
- ^ Secunda 1982, p. 151; Levin 2010.
- ^ Secunda 1982, p. 151.
- ^ Starr 1994, pp. 183–184.
- ^ "Гандельман, Павел Моисеевич"
- ^ Bergmann 2005, p. 203.
- ^ "The Ballad of Shane Muscatel". AllMusic. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ Shasta Root Beer 1976.
Works cited
- Bergmann, Eugene B. (2005). Excelsior, You Fathead!: The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd. Lanham, Maryland: ISBN 1-55783-600-0. Retrieved March 29, 2019 – via Google Books.
- Bergmeier, Horst J. P.; Lotz, Rainer E. (1997). Hitler's Airwaves: The Inside Story of Nazi Radio Broadcasting and Propaganda Swing. New Haven, Connecticut: ISBN 978-0-300-06709-5. Retrieved March 29, 2019 – via Google Books.
- Dash, Mike (May 17, 2012). "Hitler's Very Own Hot Jazz Band". Smithsonian Institution. Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- Esterow, Milton (October 23, 1961). "'Bei Mir Bistu Schoen' at the Anderson". The New York Times. New York. p. 22. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
- Gottlieb, Jack (2004). Funny, It Doesn't Sound Jewish: How Yiddish Songs and Synagogue Melodies Influenced Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Hollywood. Albany, New York: ISBN 978-0-8444-1130-9. Retrieved March 29, 2019 – via Google Books.
- Hersch, Charles B. (2016). Jews and Jazz: Improvising Ethnicity. Milton Park, United Kingdom: ISBN 978-1-317-27039-3. Retrieved March 29, 2019 – via Google Books.
- Lerski, Tomasz (2003). Poland's First Recording Company (in Polish). Karin. ISBN 978-8-391-71890-2– via Google Books.
- Levin, Neil W. (2010). "Bay Mir Bistu Sheyn: To Me You're Beautiful". Milken Archive of Jewish Music. Volume 13: Great Songs of the American Yiddish Stage. Santa Monica, California: Milken Family Foundation. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- Mok, Michael (January 26, 1938). "Composer of 'Bei Mir' Tells How He Had to Split $30 Fee: Got Only That Sum for Rights to Old Song That In New Dress is Sweeping U.S. — And $15 Went to Lyricist". Newspapers.com.
- Nimmo, Harry Arlo (2007) [2004]. The Andrews Sisters: A Biography and Career Record. Jefferson, North Carolina: ISBN 978-0-7864-3260-8. Retrieved March 29, 2019 – via Google Books.
- Rust, Brian; Debus, Allen G. (1973). The Complete Entertainment Discography, from the Mid-1890s to 1942. New York City: ISBN 978-0-87000-150-5– via Google Books.
- Petit, Élise (2012). "Charlie and his Orchestra". Music and the Holocaust. London, United Kingdom: World ORT. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
- Secunda, Victoria (1982). Bei Mir Bist Du Schön: The Life of Sholom Secunda. United States: Magic Circle Press. ISBN 978-0-913660-15-7. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
- Seiler, Paul (1997). Zarah Leander: Ich Bin Eine Stimme (in German). Berlin, Germany: ISBN 978-3-548-35711-9– via Google Books.
- Shasta Beverages. "Shasta Root Beer Commercial (1976)". YouTube. Archivedfrom the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2020.
- Smith, Jessie Carney (2011). Encyclopedia of African American Popular Culture. Santa Barbara, California: ISBN 978-0-313-35797-8– via Google Books.
- Starr, S. Frederick (1994). Red and Hot: The Fate of Jazz in the Soviet Union 1917-1991. ISBN 978-0-87910-180-0– via Google Books.
- Steinbiss, Florian; Eisermann, David (April 18, 1988). "Wir haben damals die beste Musik gemacht". Der Spiegel (in German). Hamburg, Germany. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- Szwed, John (October 19, 2006). Crossovers: Essays on Race, Music, and American Culture. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: ISBN 0-8122-1972-4.
- The Hot Sardines (August 7, 2014). "New Album Out October 7 on Decca Records". HotSardines.com. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
- Van Delden, Ate (November 29, 2019). Adrian Rollini: The Life and Music of a Jazz Rambler. Jackson, Mississippi: ISBN 978-1-4968-2517-9– via Google Books.
- ISBN 978-1-58465-171-0. Retrieved March 29, 2019 – via Google Books.
External links
- Yiddish Wikisource has original text related to this article: Lyrics in Yiddish (in the Hebrew script)
- History of Bei Mir Bistu Shein featuring archival film clips on YouTube(in Russian)
- The Andrews Sisters sing Bei Mir Bistu Shein with new English lyrics (1937) on YouTube
- Lyricist's granddaughter tells "The Real Story of Bei Mir Bistu Shein" (2011) on YouTube