Mademoiselle from Armentières

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"Mademoiselle from Armentières" was a song that was sung during World War I. It is also known by its ersatz French line, Hinky Dinky Parley Voo (variant: Parlay). It was considered a bawdy song, and when sung on TV, as in The Waltons, typically only the first verse was sung. The lyrics on which this opinion are based are recorded in the Gordon "Inferno" Collection.

It is also the third part (the first two being "Has Anyone Seen the Colonel?" and "It's A Long Way To Tipperary") of the regimental march of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

The tune of the song was believed to be popular in the French army in the 1830's, and the original words told of the encounter of an inn-keeper's daughter, named Mademoiselle de Bar le Luc, with two German officers. During the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, the tune was resurrected, and again in 1914 when the Old Contemptibles got to know of it.

Mademoiselle from Armentières was also the name of a 1926 movie.

During World War II the comic duo Flanagan and Allen had a hit with Mademoiselle from Armentières (1940), with other music and lyrics, referring to the original song.

[edit] Composers

There are a couple of claims to who might have written the lyrics for this song, e.g. Edward Rowland and a Canadian composer, Lt. Glitz Rice is one pair. Harry Carlton and Joe Tunbridge is another. Lastly many also refer to the famous British song writer Harry Wincott.