Swinging the Alphabet

"Swinging the Alphabet" is a novelty song sung by The Three Stooges in their 1938 film, Violent Is the Word for Curly. It is the only full-length song performed by the Stooges in their short films, and the only time they mimed to their own pre-recorded soundtrack.

In 2005, film historian Richard Finegan identified the composer of the song as Septimus Winner (1827–1902), who had originally published it in 1875 as "The Spelling Bee". Septimus' own version, though, appears to have been based on a much earlier version called "Ba-Be-Bi-Bo-Bu", which has a centuries-old tradition outlined below.

In the 1959 re-recording of "The Alphabet Song/Swinging The Alphabet" with Moe, Larry and Curly Joe, the letters "G", "J", "M" and the "Curly's a dope" line were omitted, and new lyrics featuring the letters "N," "P," "R," "S," "T," "V," and "Z" were added.

Origin

The lyrics of Septimus Winner's "Spelling Bee" (AKA "Ba Be Bi Bo Bu") were slightly different.^[1] What's more, his was not the original version, either. In fact, a number of schools like Harvard University used this as one of their traditional songs, which itself may have originated centuries earlier in typesetting, as a very similar song or chant was used to help train apprentice printers in the structure of language, a tradition being described as "ancient" even as early as 1740:^[2]

Whilst the Boy is upon his Knees, all the Chapellonians, with their right Arms put through the lappets of their Coats as before, walk round him, singing the Cuz’s Anthem, which is done by adding all the vowels to the Consonants in the following Manner.

Notes

• This song also appeared on several Three Stooges records around 1959 to the 1960s with that era's Stooges (Moe, Larry, and Curly Joe DeRita).
• The lip-synching is a bit off in spots, particularly among the chorus of students.
• During Curly's solo on the letters "K" and "L," he rushes the tempo on the tongue-tying lyrics, forcing the backing singers to keep up with him.
• Sheet music for the older version of the song can be found in The Book of a Thousand Songs, edited by Albert Weir, where the composer's credit is omitted. In keeping with the book's pared-down plan, only the title verse is given, and the whole piece is nine measures in length, times however many letters one chooses to sing.

Use in other media

• Part of the song was performed, under the title, "B-I-BI", by Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians, and recorded on September 6, 1941, for Decca records. It was assigned matrix 69710AA and released as a 78 RPM single record as Decca 4021A. Vocalists on the recording were Kenny Gardner and The Lombardo Trio. Composer credits were listed as S.K. Russell as well as J. and B. Freeland.
• The song was performed, under the title "The Alphabet Song," by the cast of the 1980 film Forbidden Zone. Most of the lyrics of the Stooges' version were retained, although it also featured humorous – and occasionally obscene – lyrical alterations and ends with a Motown-tinged updating of the concept.
• Malcolm McLaren recorded a similar song called "B.I. Bikki" for his 1985 contractual obligation album Swamp Thing.
• Dale Gribble says the beginning verse of this song in the King of the Hill episode "A Firefighting We Will Go", shortly before being interrupted by Hank Hill.
• The song is played during the radio-trivia minigame in Cinemaware's Three Stooges video game.
• Gene Vincent had a minor hit in 1956 with "B. I. Bicky Bi, Bo Bo Go," adapted from a song by rockabilly songwriter Don Carter entitled "Bi I Bicky Bi Bo Bo Boo," an apparent nod to the Stooges song.^[4] Brian Setzer references this title in his Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran tribute song "Gene and Eddie."
• The song lyrics are spoken by Ronald Reagan in an X-Presidents skit on Saturday Night Live in an attempt to communicate with members of al Qaeda guarding Osama bin Laden.

See also

• The Name Game

References

External links

• 78 RPM record listing and recording dates for Decca 4000 series