Eh, Cumpari!

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"Eh, Cumpari!" is a novelty song. It was adapted from a traditional Italian song by Julius La Rosa and Archie Bleyer in 1953, and sung by La Rosa with Bleyer's orchestra as backing on a recording that year.

The song reached #1 on the Cash Box charts and #2 on the Billboard charts in 1953. As a result, the song was also featured in a performance by Dennis Day on The Jack Benny Program on CBS Radio.

The song also appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather III as sung by Talia Shire, who played Connie Corleone, the sister of Michael Corleone.

The song is a cumulative song, in which each verse contains all of the previous verse as well.

It is sung in a southern Italian dialect, with words common to Sicilian language and Neapolitan language. This leads to shortened or variant spellings even within the verses.

The song is about the sounds of musical instruments.

A rough translation:
Hey buddy, [music] is playing.
What is playing? The whistle.
And what does it sound like--the whistle?
[vocalized instrument sound] the whistle, [nonsense rhythm words]
etc.

friscalettu = whistle [small flute]
saxofona = saxophone
mandolino = mandolin
viulinu = violin
trumbetta = trumpet
trombona = trombone

Preceded by Rags to Riches

Cash Box magazine best selling record chart #1 record November 21, 1953

Succeeded by Rags to Riches

[edit] Lyrics

Eh Compare, ci vo suonare Chi si suona? Un friscaletto.
E come si suona un friscaletto?
(*whistle*) un friscaletto tipiti tipiti tam.

Eh compare, ci vo suonare. Chi si suona? Un sasofona,
E come si suona un sasofona? Tu tu tu tu un sasofona
(*whistle*) un friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam.

Eh compare, ci vo suonare. Chi si suona? Un mandolino.
e come si suona un mandolino? a plig a plin, un mandolino,
tu tu tu tu un sasofona
(*whistle*) un friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam.

E compare, ci vo suonare? Chi si suona? u violino.
E come si suona un violino? A zing a zing, un violino,
a pling a pling, un mandolino
tu tu tu tu un sasofona
(*whistle*) un friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam.

E compare, ci vo suonare? Chi si suona? a la trumbetta.
Ma come si suona a la trombetta? Papapapa a la trumbetta,
A zing a zing, un violino,
a pling a pling, un mandolino
tu tu tu tu un sasofona
(*whistle*) un friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam.

E compare, ci vo suonari? Chi si suona? a la trombona.
Ma come si suona a la trombona. A fumma a fumma a la trombona,
Papapapa a la trumbetta,
A zing a zing, un violino,
a pling a pling, un mandolino,
tu tu tu tu un sasofona
(*whistle*) un friscalette, tipiti tipiti tam.

[edit] External links

• Eh, Cumpari! videos on YouTube