Shave and a Haircut
Shave and a Haircut and the associated response "two bits" is a simple, 7-note musical couplet popularly used at the end of a musical performance, usually for comic effect.
"Two bits" is an archaism in the United States for 25 cents, a quarter. The final words may also be "get lost" or some other facetious expression. In England, it was often said as "five bob", although words are now rarely used to accompany the rhythm of the tune.
History
The first known occurrence of the tune is from an 1899 Charles Hale song, "At a Darktown Cakewalk."[2] Other songs from the same period also used the tune. The same notes form the bridge in the "Hot Scotch Rag", written by H.A. Fischler in 1911.
An early recording used the 7-note tune at both the beginning and the ending of a humorous 1915 song, by Billy Murray and the American Quartet, called "On the 5:15".
In 1939, Dan Shapiro, Lestor Lee and Milton Berle released "Shave and a Haircut - Shampoo" [3] which featured the tune in the closing bars, and is thought to be the origin of the lyric. Over time the phrase has gone through several variations. For example, the A-flat is sometimes replaced by an A-natural.
In Mexico, the tune is highly offensive, as it is associated with the seven-syllable insult in Spanish: «¡Chinga [a] tu madre, cabrón!», essentially meaning "Fuck your mother, asshole!"[4]
The tune can be heard on customized car horns, while the rhythm may be tapped as a door knock.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
Popularity
The tune has been used innumerable times as a coda or ending in musical pieces performed through the years. It is strongly associated with the stringed instruments of bluegrass music, particularly the 5-string banjo. Earl Scruggs often ended a song with this phrase or a variation of it. On the television show The Beverly Hillbillies, musical cues signifying the coming of a commercial break (cues which were in bluegrass style) frequently ended with "Shave and a Haircut."
The phrase has been incorporated into countless recordings. Some notable examples include:
- Dave Brubeck's "Unsquare Dance" incorporates the phrase into the song's unorthodox 7/8 time signature, and includes a musical twist by inserting it twice in rapid succession, taking advantage of the fact that it begins and ends on the same note.
- Les Paul and Mary Ford's Capitol recording of "Magic Melody" concluded with the phrase minus the last two notes ("two bits"). Responding to complaints from disc jockeys, Capitol in 1955 released "Magic Melody Part 2"—consisting solely of the missing notes—on a 45, said to be the shortest tune on record.[15]
In popular culture
- Former Prisoner of War and U.S. Naval Seaman Doug Hegdahl reports fellow American captives in the Vietnam war would authenticate a new prisoner's American identity by tapping the first 5 notes of "Shave and a Haircut," against a cell wall, waiting for the appropriate response. American POWs were then able to communicate securely with one another via the quadratic alphabet code.[16]
- "Shave and a Haircut" featured in many early cartoons, played on things varying from car horns to window shutters banging in the wind. Decades later, the couplet became a plot device in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the idea being that Toons cannot resist finishing with the "two bits" when they hear the opening rhythm.
Media
See also
References
- ^ a b Traum, Happy (1974). Bluegrass Guitar, p.26. ISBN 0825601533.
- ^ Much of this article is taken from James Fuld, The Book of World-Famous Music: Classical, Popular, and Folk. 5th ed., revised and enlarged (New York: Dover Publications, 2000), p. 495.
- ^ [1] Catchy Tune Central]
- ^ Gerrard, Arthur Bryson (ed.) (1980). Cassell's Colloquial Spanish, 3rd revised ed.. London: Cassell Ltd.. pp. 60. ISBN 0-304-07943-X (UK).
- ^ Arellano, Gustavo (2008). Ask a Mexican. Scribner. ISBN 1416540032.
- ^ Franz, Carl; Havens, Lorena (2006). The People's Guide to Mexico. Avalon Travel Publishing. ISBN 1566917115.
- ^ Stanton, John (September 20, 1948). "In Mexico City Traffic is Terrific". LIFE (Time, Inc.).
- ^ Keenan, Joseph John (2004). Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish. University of Texas Press. ISBN 029274322X.
- ^ Axtell, Roger E.; Fornwald, Mike (1998). Gestures: The Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World. Wiley. ISBN 0471183423.
- ^ Axtell, Roger E. (1998). Do's and Taboos of Humor Around the World. Wiley. ISBN 0471254037.
- ^ Thompson, Chuck (2009). To Hellholes and Back: Bribes, Lies, and the Art of Extreme Tourism. Holt Paperbacks. ISBN 0805087885.
- ^ King, Thomas W. (1999). Modern Morse Code in Rehabilitation and Education. Allyn & Bacon. ISBN 0205287514.
- ^ Ruiz Fornells, Enrique; Ruiz-Fornells, Cynthia Y. (1979). The United States and the Spanish World. Sociedad General Española de Librería. ISBN 8471431920.
- ^ Wilder, Cora Sarjeant; Sherrier, James (1992). Celebrating Diversity. Ginn Press. ISBN 0536581339.
- ^ "It Happened This Month". Onstagemag.com. http://onstagemag.com/ar/performance_happened_month_11/index.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Messages From John". Johnmccain.com. http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/News/NewsReleases/3168f3a2-e59b-433f-94ea-fb1641323507.htm. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
External links