A Diller, A Dollar (1955) (continued)

[Wilson Gray]

Try looking in Google for "Just because my hair is curly" and "Just
because my teeth is/are pearly." There appears to be a lack of
agreement as to which of these is the correct first line. Looking under
various combinations of "shine" and "frankie laine" and "lyrics"
doesn't yield much useful info.

-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
>