"I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" (also "I'm Henery the VIII, I Am" or "I'm Henry VIII, I Am"; spelled "Henery" owing to the Cockney pronunciation normally used to sing it) is a 1910 British music hall song by Fred Murray and R. P. Weston. It was a signature song of music hall star Harry Champion and became the fastest-selling song in history to that point when revived in 1965 by Herman's Hermits,[1] becoming the group's second number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The lead solo on the Hermits' version was played by the group's lead guitarist Derek "Lek" Leckenby.[2]
In the well-known chorus, Henery explains that his wife had been married seven times before:
I'm Henery the Eighth, I am,
Henery the Eighth I am, I am!
I got married to the widow next door,
She'd been married seven times before.
And every one was an Henery
It wouldn't be a Willie or a Sam
I'm her eighth old man named Henery
Henery the Eighth, I am!
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According to one source, Champion "used to fire off [the chorus] at tremendous speed with almost desperate gusto, his face bathed in sweat and his arms and legs flying in all directions."[1] In later versions recorded by Champion, "Willie" is changed to "William" because the former is a slang term for the penis in Britain.
The song is often sung in a Cockney accent. This song was recorded (in 1961) and extensively performed live by the British star Joe Brown, who revived the song and made it largely known in the pop world. His version has two choruses either side of his guitar solo. (B-side, Piccadilly Records 7N 35005) He performs it live still today. The Herman's Hermits version consists of the chorus sung three times. Between the first two choruses, Peter Noone calls out, "Second verse, same as the first!"
Earlier sources usually spell the name "Henery"[3][4][5] (as do some old sources when referring to the historical King of England[6]), and the music requires the name "Henery" to be pronounced as three syllables. The sheet music for the 1965 Herman's Hermits revival, however, presented the name as "Henry", as do sources referring to this version.[1][7]
In the 1990 film Ghost, the ghost Sam (Patrick Swayze) pesters Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) into taking a message to his girlfriend by singing this song over and over again in a bad English accent all night long, keeping her awake. His girlfriend Molly (Demi Moore) later reveals that Sam used this tactic to get her to agree to go out with him.
Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 1965 album Chipmunks à Go-Go.
Homer Simpson sings this song in the Simpsons episode Margical History Tour, but with very different lyrics. Homer is playing King Henry VIII of England and substituting many words to state he is eating multiple course meals.
In the comic book Spike vs. Dracula, Spike threatens to haunt Dracula with an endless singing of the song.
Ryan Stiles often referenced this song on Whose Line Is It Anyway during the game "Song Titles".
| Preceded by "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" by Herman's Hermits August 7, 1965 (one week) |
Succeeded by "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher |