“Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah,” a Singable Picture Book

Posted by: Sing Books with Emily on: March 5, 2011

• In: Cabaret | Case for Singable Books | Heartfelt Musings | Lyrics | Sing Along Tracks | Sing Books with Emily - the Cabaret | Singable Book Title | Singable Picture Book Video | Song History
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Bringing back memories of camp is “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah.”

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Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah
Words by Allan Sherman
Music Adapted from Amilcare Poncielli’s “Dance of the Hours” by Lou Busch
Illustrated by Jack E. Davis
Published by Puffin Books, New York, 2004
ISBN 0-14-240638-4

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Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah
Words by Allan Sherman
Music Adapted from Amilcare Poncielli’s “Dance of the Hours” by Lou Busch
Illustrated by Syd Hoff
Published by Puffin Books, New York, 1964
ISBN 0-14-240638-4

This wonderful novelty song is set to the tune of Amilcare Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours.”
Listen to the whole piece, here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3ILbnHhAzk

You will begin to hear the familiar tune about 2 minutes into the piece.

The piece was also used in Disney’s Fantasia of 1940:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F9SRw-DpNI

The unhappy letters his son wrote home from camp inspired Allan Sherman to write this song which won a Grammy for “Best Comedy Performance” in 1964.

“Hello Muddah, Hellow Faddah” was included in Allan Sherman’s’ 1963 album, “My Son, the Nut,”

Preview or purchase the track, here:
http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Muddah-Faddah/dp/B001248JS8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298993070&sr=8-1

Read more information here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_Muddah,_Hello_Fadduh

Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah
Words by Alan Sherman
Music Adapted (from Amilcare Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours”) by Leo Busch
Hello Muddah, hello Faddah
Here I am at Camp Grenada.
Camp is very entertaining
And they say that we’ll have fun if it stops raining.

I went hiking with Joe Spivey.
He developed poison ivy.
You remember Leonard Skinner?
He got ptomaine poisoning last night after dinner.

All the counselors hate the waiters.
And the lake has alligators.
And the head coach wants no sissies,
So he reads to us from something called “Ulysses.”

Now, I don’t want this to scare ya,
But my bunk mate has malaria.
You remember Joseph Hardy?
They’re about to organize a searching party.

Take me home, oh Muddah, Faddah!
Take me home!  I hate Grenada.
Don’t leave me out in the forest
Where I might get eaten by a bear.

Take me home, I promise
I will not make noise
Or mess the house with other boys.
Oh, please, don’t make me stay.
I’ve been here one whole day.

Dearest Faddah, darling Muddah,
How’s my precious little bruddah?
Let me come home if you miss me.
I would even let Aunt Bertha hug and kiss me.

Wait a minute. It stopped raining.
Guys are swimming.  Guys are sailing.
Playing baseball!  Gee, that’s bettah!
Muddah, Faddah, kindly disregard this lettah.

An informative Wikipedia article about James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_(novel)

Amazon and i-Tunes have lots of karaoke tracks to choose from.  They are all well-made, as in not too cheezy, with accompaniment that echoes the classical piece from which it is derived.  But, even though I’m a soprano-y singer, the key (which is the same for all of them, the same one used by Allan Sherman) is uncomfortably high…especially for a comedy, novelty song.  That said, my favorite sing-along track (which is in the very singable key of C) is from a music book and CD collection of solo songs for children,

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Solos for Kids (Vocal Collection)
Compiled by Louise Lerch
This book includes printed sheet music and CD of vocal and instrumental tracks for a number of Singable Picture Books including:  “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah,” ” Puff the Magic Dragon,” “How Much is that Doggie in the Window,” On Top of Spaghetti” and “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”  A TERRIFIC BOOK!

A YouTube featuring pictures Allan Sherman and a live performance of him singing his song:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Hx_X84LC0

A biography of Allan Sherman, here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Sherman

A hilarious idea for a book,

P.S. I Hate It Here (Kids’ Letters From Camp)
Selected and Edited by Diane Falanga

It seems that Diane Falanga must have had Allan Sherman’s song ringing in her ears!
Find out more about the book and see images of kids’ letters here:
http://www.abramsbooks.com/Books/PS_I_Hate_It_Here-9780810982956.html

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A 2011 segment from CBS Sunday Morning about kid’s tortured letters home from camp

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwsDnihs6vg

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Here’s another book with the same subject matter in mind:

Simms Taback’s book “Postcards from Camp,”

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I’m thrilled to write that “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah” is one of the songs we selected to be part of
“Oh, What a Beautiful Day: Sing Books with Emily, the Cabaret.”

I make a strong committment to each song I perform and completing my Song Craft Worksheet is part of that process,

 Emily’s Song Craft Worksheet

Because the first section of the Song Craft Worksheet involves background research on the song, I’ll share the answers with you so you can know about the song, too.  The more about the song you know (both concrete facts and less tangible artistic choices), the more “authority,” and heart and soul you can put into the singing and sharing of the song with others.  If you are interested in improving your artistic abilities for singing songs in any capacity, just simply filling out the Song Craft Worksheet is a great place to start!  After the background research, the rest of the Song Craft Worksheet gets VERY personal…don’t worry!  I won’t bore you with that.

1 Q: Who wrote the words?
1 A: Allan Sherman

2Q: Who wrote the music?
2A: Leo Busch, adapting Amilcare Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours.”  I can’t seem to find any info about Leo Busch.

3Q: When was the song written?
3A: 1963

4Q: At what point in the lyricists’ and composer’s career was the song written?
4A: middle

5Q: What is the song from?
5A:  Allan Sherman’s 1963 comedy album, “My Song the Nut”

6Q: If from a show, what character sang it?
6A:  Allan Sherman

7Q: If from a show, from what situation does the song arise?  Why does the character sing the song?  What function does the song/character play in the story?
7A:  Although this song doesn’t come from a show, it is like a little melodrama in 4 little acts.  The song arises from the situation of a child going to sleep-away came to, as the child sees it, live in abject misery and neglect…until, of course, the weather changes!

8Q:  What other contextual elements of the song are significant?
8A: Allan Sherman was inspired to write the song by unhappy letters his son wrote home from camp.

9Q: Was the song written for a particular singer?  Why?
9A: Allan Sherman wrote the song for himself to sing.

10Q: If not from a show, why did the songwriter write the song?
10A: NA

11Q: What do you feel the lyricist is trying to say?
11A: Children feel emotionally overwhelmed by sleep-over camps and some of the outdoor discomforts…but when the fun activities begin, they forget all about the misery and have fun anyway!

12Q: Does the song tell a story or just express feelings or ideas?
12A: This song does both…it expresses feelings and it tells stories

13Q:  Look Up Newspaper Articles and Reviews
13A: I couldn’t find any online.  But I imagine SOMEONE liked it because it was a hit song in 0963/1964 and won Allan Sherman a Grammy Award.

14Q: Who else has recorded this song:
14A: Nothing noteworthy

The rest of the questions require VERY personal answers and I will spare you those!

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It is fun to note that Allen Sherman and Cyd Hoff created another book together from one of Allen Sherman’s songs, “I Can’t Dance,”

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I Can’t Dance
Words and Music by Allan Sherman
Illustrated by Syd Hoff
To listen to a preview or purchase Allan Sherman’s recording of this song, click here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00124FATE/ref=dm_dp_trk7?ie=UTF8&qid=1299277246&sr=8-4

…in which two children face the sometimes uncomfortable circumstances of a school dance, become friends and realize that they already know each other from Camp Granada!

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Related Articles

Hello Muddah Hello Faddah and Other Tortured Letters Home from Camp
http://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/2011/08/21/hello-muddah-hello-faddah-and-other-tortured-letters-home-from-camp/

The Singable Picture Books of Simms Taback

Tags: Allan Sherman, Singable Picture Book