A Diller, A Dollar (1955) (continued)

[Wilson Gray]

You're a bit older than I am, but I'm still old enough to remember
"Shine." I was in the eighth grade, I believe, when the song was at the
height of its local (St. Louis) popularity. it was certainly one of my
favorite songs. But, for some reason, hearing "Shine" seemed to annoy
the hell out of my parents and the fact that I thought the song was so
great that I went around the house singing it really pissed them off.
Finally, they explained it to me. The song, as you suspect, is actually
a list of older (That's why I wasn't familiar with them, though my
elders were) racist stereotypes about black people: the curly hair, the
pearly teeth, the ready smile, dressing in the latest zoot-suitly
style, etc., tarted up to make them sound innocuous. And, of course,
"shine" itself is right up there with coon, etc. as a derogatory term.

So, your intuition is squarely on the mark.

Hey, now,
Just because my hair is curly
Just because my teeth are pearly
Just because I always wear a smile
Just because I dress in the latest style
...
[Big finish]
That is why they call me "shine"!

Not bad, in my opinion, considering that I haven't heard this song
since 1949!

I have no idea how Frankie Laine came to sing this song or how it came
to be written and I'd just as soon leave it at that. The only one of
Laine's songs that I've never had any use for is "Mule Train." Do you
remember - well, it's probably on the CD - his "We'll Be Together
Again"? The girl who taught me why heartbreak is called heartBREAK
rather than something else said to me, "Don't worry. We'll be together
again," as she tore my heart out my chest and stomped that sucker flat.
Anyway, her saying that engraved the song into my heart. So, I'm
willing to forgive "Shine" in exchange for "We'll Be Together Again."

-Wilson Gray

On Mar 27, 2005, at 3:14 PM, Robert Fitzke wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Robert Fitzke <fitzke at MICHCOM.NET>
> Subject:      Re: A Diller, A Dollar (1955) (continued)
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> Dear Mr. Gray:
>
> I'm a 79 year old semi-retired lawyer and long-time ADS lurker. I'm
> also a
> long-time collector of jazz  records (since age 12) with something
> more than
> 1,000 albums. I recently bought a CD of Frankie Laine hits (he was big
> in my
> late teens/early twenties) that includes a cut of "Shine". In
> listening to
> it I think I really heard the lyrics for the first time. The thought
> ocurred
> that there must be something more behind these lyrics than it appears
> from a
> casual listen. Specifically it seems as if the lyricist has taken a
> collection of derogatory racial comments and turned them into
> compliments.
>
> You seem to have an interest in music and a knowledge of these
> matters. Do
> you happen to know anything about the background behind this song or
> if my
> impression is on or off target?
>
> Will appreciate your comments.
>
> Bob Fitzke
>