I've been waiting about 35 years to hear this song again. I've only heard it once and had no idea what it was called. I've remembered that last line ever since. The spiel sounds familiar too. Excellent. Thank you.
Irving Berlin wrote so many great songs that there is always one you haven't heard yet,. This is a new one to me , and what a revelation, ~ performed so charismatically by the One and Only Groucho.
Tiny Tim did the whole song, which you can find elsewhere on this site. Groucho said in his autobiography that Irving Berlin was a small man and the more this song was played, the smaller he got. Groucho thought Berlin was a prophet at the time he wrote "Stay Down Here,'" but there was at least one necessary war fought by the time of this broadcast.
Too bad Irving Berlin was ashamed of this song. It sums up everything you need to know about WWI. This is very unlike his WWII songs, about a sadly necessary war.
On Gilbert Gottfried's podcast, Dick Cavett referred to this by saying "what was that terrible song Groucho sang on my show by Irving Berlin about war?"
@northerbrewer I know how you feel. I have two nephews aged 21 and 19, but I've shoved a lot of music at them since they were infants (and Marx Bros. movies). But to this day the ask me "what is this?" and I say Porter, Gershwin, Arlen or Mercer. Music lives on. I wish people realized "God Bless America" wasn't meant to be political though. People need to let writers be happy and grateful, but I'm not sure how you can pull that off now...
Julius Henry Marx, más conocido como Groucho Marx (Nueva York, 2 de octubre de 1890-Los Ángeles, 19 de agosto de 1977), fue un actor, humorista y escritor estadounidense, conocido principalmente por ser uno de los miembros de los hermanos Marx. Es considerado el cómico más influyente de todos los tiempos, siendo sus frases, a pesar del paso del tiempo, destacadas en la cultura pop por generaciones, incluso en la época actual. Falleció en Los Ángeles a causa de una neumonía. Poco antes de morir, la Academia de Hollywood le había concedido un Óscar honorífico, en reconocimiento a toda su carrera cinematográfica.
@declan32001 Sad that most people under 40 today don't even know who Graucho was. For them the song and Irving Berlin has absolutely no relevance at all....
Berlin wrote that song in an attempt to cash in on the anti-war sentiment that propelled "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier" to the top of the charts in 1915. But it became pretty embarrassing for Berlin when anti-war sentiments became hugely unpopular in the wake of the US declaration of war in 1917. Understandably, he was much happier talking about his patriotic songs in "Yip Yip Yaphank," including the classic "Oh How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." Viewed objectively, it's not one of Berlin's greatest songs, but the composer of "God Bless America" wanted nothing more than to bury the memory of "Stay Down Here Where You Belong" forever. Groucho, of course, couldn't resist needling his old friend, maybe because Berlin decided not to include his classic song "Always" in the Marx Bros. Broadway hit "The Cocoanuts."
He was embarrassed about it when World War I began (for the United States) in 1917, and wrote the music and lyrics for his first Army revue, "Yip Yip Yaphank". He just didn't want to be reminded he wrote an anti-war song.
great song, great performance, great message...note it was written about WW1...for WW2 I did not hear any anti-war sentiment from that particular group...so people support or oppose war however it it more convenient for them...that's typical...
I've been waiting about 35 years to hear this song again. I've only heard it once and had no idea what it was called. I've remembered that last line ever since. The spiel sounds familiar too. Excellent. Thank you.
Irving Berlin wrote so many great songs that there is always one you haven't heard yet,. This is a new one to me , and what a revelation, ~ performed so charismatically by the One and Only Groucho.
Tiny Tim did the whole song, which you can find elsewhere on this site.
Groucho said in his autobiography that Irving Berlin was a small man and the more this song was played, the smaller he got.
Groucho thought Berlin was a prophet at the time he wrote "Stay Down Here,'" but there was at least one necessary war fought by the time of this broadcast.
It's a fine period-piece song, popularized by Tiny Tim of all people.
he didn't make the song, most of his songs are covers, the original is a 1915 ant ww1 one, but still, his version is the me
Groucho was a real mensch.
There is a HELL of a lot of truth in that song!
Sympathy for the Devil before Sympathy for the Devil
Too bad Irving Berlin was ashamed of this song. It sums up everything you need to know about WWI. This is very unlike his WWII songs, about a sadly necessary war.
Wonderfull upload really enjoyed it.
On Gilbert Gottfried's podcast, Dick Cavett referred to this by saying "what was that terrible song Groucho sang on my show by Irving Berlin about war?"
LOVE it - thanks for posting!
I'm 36 and have only become aware of Berlin and his music recently thanks to Boardwalk Empire.
@northerbrewer I know how you feel. I have two nephews aged 21 and 19, but I've shoved a lot of music at them since they were infants (and Marx Bros. movies).
But to this day the ask me "what is this?" and I say Porter, Gershwin, Arlen or Mercer.
Music lives on. I wish people realized "God Bless America" wasn't meant to be political though. People need to let writers be happy and grateful, but I'm not sure how you can pull that off now...
Groucho was the greatest.
Julius Henry Marx, más conocido como Groucho Marx (Nueva York, 2 de octubre de 1890-Los Ángeles, 19 de agosto de 1977), fue un actor, humorista y escritor estadounidense, conocido principalmente por ser uno de los miembros de los hermanos Marx. Es considerado el cómico más influyente de todos los tiempos, siendo sus frases, a pesar del paso del tiempo, destacadas en la cultura pop por generaciones, incluso en la época actual. Falleció en Los Ángeles a causa de una neumonía. Poco antes de morir, la Academia de Hollywood le había concedido un Óscar honorífico, en reconocimiento a toda su carrera cinematográfica.
Beautiful !
That old Devil was right !
A True Classic..............
This is great. Sad that Graucho felt the need to explain the relevance...
As late as 1956, Irving asked Groucho NOT to revive the song....
Barry I. Grauman - why do I get the impression that Groucho Marx was a bit of a jerk? His schtick NEVER struck me as funny.
Sometimes he was- but he had a sharp wit and a somewhat nasty personality to go with it.
@@JCBullock1959 Groucho was a jerk, but he was funny as hell!
@@JCBullock1959if you watched him on his tv show, You Bet Your Life, you wouldn’t have that opinion of him
@DonovanDanteify
Good on you.
You one of very few that looks at history.
@declan32001
Sad that most people under 40 today don't even know who Graucho was. For them the song and Irving Berlin has absolutely no relevance at all....
that band is good.
Henny Youngman in the audience
thumbs up!
Now look up Chaplin in the great dictator here on youtube.
You canlearn a lot about where we are today from great actors and comics.
Insert Gilbert Impersonation
@northerbrewer Mind you I am 20 and I have know both since about 14
Berlin wrote that song in an attempt to cash in on the anti-war sentiment that propelled "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier" to the top of the charts in 1915. But it became pretty embarrassing for Berlin when anti-war sentiments became hugely unpopular in the wake of the US declaration of war in 1917. Understandably, he was much happier talking about his patriotic songs in "Yip Yip Yaphank," including the classic "Oh How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning." Viewed objectively, it's not one of Berlin's greatest songs, but the composer of "God Bless America" wanted nothing more than to bury the memory of "Stay Down Here Where You Belong" forever. Groucho, of course, couldn't resist needling his old friend, maybe because Berlin decided not to include his classic song "Always" in the Marx Bros. Broadway hit "The Cocoanuts."
interesting clip... until now, I'd only known the Tiny Tim version... you can learn stuff on UA-cam... who'd a thunk!
louswire when tiny tim was growing up be looked up to Henry burr the guy who first sang it and recorded it
So why doesn't irving berlin want this song revived?
He was embarrassed about it when World War I began (for the United States) in 1917, and wrote the music and lyrics for his first Army revue, "Yip Yip Yaphank". He just didn't want to be reminded he wrote an anti-war song.
great song, great performance, great message...note it was written about WW1...for WW2 I did not hear any anti-war sentiment from that particular group...so people support or oppose war however it it more convenient for them...that's typical...
,180 grams?
He sings so bad...lool
He was quite an old man at this time man. Groucho, in his earlier years, while he had an unconventional voice, could definitely carry a tune