Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Soccer Countries, US Pop Songs With European Ladies: Part Three

         Bon Soir Dame: The Sandpipers.  Video by 65Seasons.

UP TO 800 VIEWS, 45 CHATS/COMMENTS

The names of the participating countries in the current World Cup Soccer tournament remind me of 1950s song titles with names of cities in Europe and lovey dovey foreign phrases.

Rich and Famous

Once upon a time only the wealthy and famous could afford to fly in an airplane so the sophisticated minimum flew in style with men in dark suits, ties, bowler hats and the ladies wearing  formal dresses, high-heels, fancy hats and gloves.

Commercial Aviation


When commercial aviation took off in the U.S. the scenario changed.  Companies like Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed started making large multi-engine passenger planes.  The cost of flying plummeted and the fellow on the street could finally afford a plane ticket.  (Remember an Old John Wayne movie made in 1954 called, The High and the Mighty?)

As people travelled more often, exchanging visits across countries became a norm and names of famous cities were promoted in songs and movies to exploit the situation.   Many of these 1950s songs became hits on the US and UK pop charts and even in the Malayan Peninsula (which included Singapore then) and other parts of Asia.

Songs with Country Names

Some of these titles were, Brazil, Africa, Wonderful Copenhagen, April in Portugal, Isle of Capri, Lisbon Antigua, I Love Paris,  Tulips from Amsterdam, Marjoca Isle of Love and Three Coins in the Fountain.  When folks tire of these places they learnt foreign phrases like, Ariverdeci Roma while the more polite ones, Vaya Con Dios.

Songs with Foreign Phrases

Then tourists started learning simple foreign phrases and  picked up cultural activities from their travels.  Lifestyles were exchanged as many times as exotic music and dances.  The lyric writers penned phrases like,  Bon Soir Dame, Inamorata, Besame Mucho, That's Amore, C'est Si Bon, Jambalaya, Petite Fleur, Les Bicyclettes de Belsize.

Many drank Tequila and learned to shake their bum-bum to the marimba rhythms of, Never On Sunday, Sway, Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White), The Laughing Samba and Mambo Italiano. 

Songs with Foreign Ladies

When the American male got tired of  Miss USA he took home with him, Little Dutch Girl, Fraulein or a China Doll. Then there's Lady of Spain, Belle from Barcelona and sexy Anna.  Sometimes he would take her Under the Bridges of Paris to "make her dreams come true".

When she wanted to come home with him he said, Quizás Quizás Quizás. Even the Japanese were not forgotten as the west went east learning terms like, Chotto Matte Kudasai, Sakura and Sukiyaki. When it was all over they bid their darlings, Sayonara.

 
A Girl in Every Port

Ricky Nelson summed it all up in 1961 with wild sincerity and, Travellin' Man became a cult hit because in every port he owned, "the heart of at least one lovely girl" and like Bobby Helms and Ferlin Husky, was so proud of his sweet, "Fraulein down  from Berlin Town" and, "China Doll down in old Hong Kong".   

Luckily it was the 60s, otherwise he could have contacted AIDS.  VD wasn't so vicious. Not a coincidence that Travellin' Man and Tequila were written by the same man.

Images: Google.

You Tube Song: Bon Soir Dame, Composed by Bud Dashiell.

LATEST NEWS: FIFA World Cup

FIFA CLUB World Cup 2021 will be held in JAPAN in December.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 will be held in QATAR in November.

26 comments:

Natural Garcinia Cambo said...

Hello there! This blog post couldn't be written any better!
Going through this article reminds me of my previous roommate!
He constantly kept preaching about this. I am going to send
this article to him. Pretty sure he's going to have a very good read.
Thanks for sharing!

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

Thank you NGC. Seen your blog too. It's great. Keep it going and thanks for the visit.

chakap chakap said...

If you check the names of songs against the singers you will probably find DEAN MARTIN, BING CROSBY, BOBBY HELMS, SLIM WHITMAN, RICKY NELSON, EARTHA KITT, MAURICE CHEVALIER and other well-knowns amongst them. They were top-guns in the 40s and 50s.

Rickie said...


Hi Andy
I just heard this song Bonsoir Dame by Bud and Travis from the youtube and presumed must the one you are referring to. Yes, it is an easy to play, soothing and relaxing folk song.
You must have been enjoying all this while listening to this type of song which is good for relaxation anyway thanks for the trouble.
Bst rgds

Baturo said...

Thank you Andy, for your commitment, dedication and resilience in maintaining this blog/site. I must confess that I like your subject matter but did not follow up with any contributions. But I shall try to do so in the future...

Stay well Andy! I hope to meet up with you for a coffee one of these days to relive those good times.... and I know you have lots to share!

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

And thanks to Denyse, Debra and Majorie for all your replies.

CYLIN said...

Hey Andy,

Have been following your World Cup series - you sure put in heart, soul and mind. Am no soccer fan and have not watched any of the matches till last evening when I tried to sit up to catch the encore between Germany and Brazil.
So, whatever the outcome on 13/14July, I'd like to add to your song list - 'So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Night' and 'Don't cry for me Argentina'. My favourite though is 'The White Rose of Athens' by Nana Mouskouri.

Adios amigo.

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

Thanks for selection. They are always a gem. You know your stuff well.

Cheers.

GURU HAPPY VANCOUVER said...

Hullo Andy,
Keep up with the great work, and the good old days of the '60's alive too!
It really brings back fond memories. Nothing like the good old days, with T-Dances, house parties, concerts, talentimes, great DJs like Larry Lai & company, and our very own talent (Singers), and "home-grown" Bands, during those period.

Cheers.


ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

Thanks to you and all the rest for fabulous support for this blog.

IVOR LESSLAR said...

"Goodbye girl"?

chakap chakap 2 said...

Song Review by Matthew Greenwald

One of the finest cuts on The Sandpipers album, "Bon Soir Dame" (meaning "goodbye girl" in English) is one of great examples of the group's vocal ensemble style. There is an almost jazzy shading underneath the French folk melodic base of the song, and most of this feel and flavor is due to the group's reading and performance, rather than the songwriting itself.

A fine solo section by the female section of the group is one of the finest moments in the group's canon and makes this one of the Sandpipers' true "sleepers".

Thanks to Ivor I made this check.

Dick Yip said...

That's a lovely song!

Kathy Maffei. said...

Very nice video. Lovely song. I love Bud and Travis singing this song also. I didn't know the Lennon Sisters sang the song, too.

(1 year ago from You Tube).

daisydarlin05 said...

This is one of my favorite Sandpipers' songs. It always puts me in a good mood when I hear it. I love the video too!

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

Thanks Dick. It is a lovely song. Hope you will sing it some day with your ukulele strums.

anonymous said...

"England Swings Like a Pendulum Do" by Roger Miller, "Moscow" by the Beatles, "Spanish Eyes" by Al Martino, and "In a Little Spanish Town" by Frankie Avalon.

FACEBOOK CHATS said...

The names of the participating countries in the current World Cup Soccer tournament remind me of 1950's song titles with names of cities in EUROPE and lovey dovey foreign phrases. CHECK THE SONGS

Stephen Han
A well written article about the lovely girls.

Francis Anthony Rozells
Little Dutch Girl is my fave.I still sing this song... cheers.

Andy Young
Thanks guys for the thumbs up, FRANCIS and STEPHEN for the positive comments.

Koh Daisy
Beautiful songs to sing along with on The Vintage Showcase on Sunday morning .

Andy Young
Thanks Daisy, yes, great songs indeed.

Hiroshi Deguchi
Andy, you would have done "Love Makes The World Go Round" by Paul Anka if you had stuck it out.

Andy Young
Hiroshi Deguchi, thank you. I couldn't have managed.
And that's the truth. CHEERS.

Freda Hanum
Loved most of the songs, lovely girls pics

Andy Young
I get such wonderful feedback and would like to thank you guys for it.
I wasn't much in the scene but love writing and chatting about 60s music.
Keep your stories pouring in ladies and gentlemen.
Must jolt our memories time and again to keep the noggins goin'.
KAMSIAH.

FACEBOOK CHATS said...


DISCUSSING PAUL ANKA'S 'LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND.'

Hiroshi Deguchi
The song was released in 1963, I wonder if you were with SS.

Andy Young
Hiroshi Deguchi , Around that time and later, yes.
But the PAUL ANKA competition was in DEC 1959. Haha.
By the time I joined SS I forgot most songs.
CHEERS.

Hiroshi Deguchi
The song was sung by a young Japanese group in Japanese, which was more popular than by Paul Anka. actually most of us believed it was a Japanese song.

We had no idea this was an American song. The Japanese lyrics is almost the same, I was fascinated and dreamed I would go abroad some day.

Andy Young
OK thanks Hiroshi, I will check out the JAP version.
You are a mine fulL of diamonds.
CHEERS.

FACEBOOK CHATS said...

Michael Goh
Thanks ANDY for these lovely unforgettable oldies.
I can still remember a couple of these song lyrics.
Cheers!

Andy Young
Thanks Mike for your constant support.
It's a long way away from our VIVO CITY gig with wonderful musicians on stage.
CHEERS.

FACEBOOK CHATS said...

Irene Yap
Haha Andy love your article! Beautifully written! 🥰

Andy Young
Hi Irene, thanks for reading it. Now that's something special because not many folks read long posts nowadays. Lost you for a while. Keep safe and healthy youthful grandma. 😀

FACEBOOK CHATS said...

Irene Yap
Thank you Andy, you really write beautifully!
It's just that I am hardly on fb now and when I do I just scroll quickly to see interesting posts and to touch base on what my friends are up to.
Pls do sent my best to your lovely wife!
Hope we can catch up soon! 🥰

Andy Young
THANKS IRENE for touching base.
I can understand and agree with you for not being on FB.
Regards to Fred.
AU REVOIR.

FACEBOOK said...

JIMMY APPUDURAI
ROSE KHOO
MICHAEL GOH

THANKS FOR THE THUMBS UP

FACEBOOK CHATS said...

Stephen Han
Andy,
you have a flair for writing interesting stuff about anything associated with music.
Some of the girls you have left out are-Tammy, Rose Marie and Gigi.

Andy Young
Thanks Stephen for your compliment.
Appreciate your sincere ways. Let me explain.

The topic discusses US pop hits that have been influenced by Europe and its adorable ladies. TAMMY and ROSE MARIE are actually songs about US ladies.
GIGI is definitely French and I missed including her.

Perhaps you'd like to write an article about these ladies.
Would be interesting.
THANKS for allowing me to chat and elaborate.

Andy Young
Thanks to you all, active participants, who have contributed to the chit-chats.
I guess in a time like this we still need engagement with friends to keep our sanity.
So far I have kept mine, with all your help.
CHEERS. ☺

FACEBOOK CHATS said...


Ericbronson Wong
𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑨𝒏𝒅𝒚, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒉 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝑲𝒐𝒑𝒊 𝑶 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒐𝒑 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑷𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝑵 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑷𝒐𝒑 𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆.
𝑾𝒆 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑹 𝒔𝒐 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒆. 𝑼 𝑹 𝑨 𝑫𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑷𝒐𝒑 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝑮𝒐𝒏𝒆
𝑨 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝑷𝑶𝑷 𝑮𝑼𝑹𝑼 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒅,,😃😁🤩😍

Andy Young
Many thanks EricB for your compliment.
The blog is a KOPI-TIAM for music chats.
I'm glad it's heading in the right direction.

FACEBOOK said...

THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING WHO LIKE THIS POST

Wong K C EuNike
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