The twelfth of never

[hpst@earthlink.net]

More information than anyone needs on The Twelfth of Never, and the
composition apparently dates to about 1957.

The key to discovering it was by looking up Paul Francis Webster and/or
Jerry Livingston who were two of the most famous songwriters of their era.

Mea culpa for not recognizing their names even misspelled.

I was correct about the bridge, and Mathis does sing it as such.

THE TWELFTH OF NEVER
(Paul Francis Webster / Jerry Livingston - Based on the 16th Century
English folk song "The Riddle Song - I Gave My Love A Cherry")

Johnny Mathis - 1957
Nina Simone - 1959
Bill Henderson - 1960
Cliff Richard - 1964
Connie Smith - 1966
Sandy Posey - 1967
Glen Campbell - 1968
The Chi-Lites - 1969
Donny Osmond - 1973
Elvis Presley - 1974
The Carter Twins - 1997
Also recorded by: Petula Clark; Cher; Billy J. Kramer; Eddy Raven;
Dave Young; The Browns; The Ventures; Roger Whittaker; Jeri Brown;
Marieann Meringolo; Jim Nabors; Pat Kelly; Clint West; Tony Ennis;
Frank Patterson; Olivia Newton-John; Floyd Cramer; Bronn Journey;
Slim Whitman; Hank Marvin; Lou Rawls; The Fureys.

parodies

For obvious reasons the song is easy to parody which been done numerous
times, and I even wrote one myself last night in about 5 minutes which
belongs on the Immortalia website and not here.

It even served as the plot of a scifi novel.

If anyone is crazy enough to want more information on this song let me know.

Page Stephens

> [Original Message]
> From: Charles Doyle <cdoyle at UGA.EDU>
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Date: 9/22/2006 8:00:04 AM
> Subject: Re: [ADS-L] The twelfth of never
>
> In the 15th-century ms. of the so-called "Riddle Song," it's a DOVE
withouten any bone.  That was before boneless chickens became popular.
>
> --Charlie
> _________________________________________
>
> ---- Original message ----
> >Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 14:51:24 -0700
> >From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> >Subject: Re: The twelfth of never
> >To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >
> >
> >My wife made me quit dating, so I'm not that kind of colleague.  But I
do know that "the twelfth of never" is not a phrase in "The Riddle Song,"
as it's often called.  AFAIK, the phrase originated in the pop song.
> >
> >  I have a friend who uses it relatively frequently, and he concurs.
> >
> >  JL
>
> >
> >Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> >  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
-----------------------
> >Sender: American Dialect Society
> >Poster: Wilson Gray
> >Subject: Re: The twelfth of never
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
> >
> >The tune perhaps did. There's a folksong with the line, among others, "I
gave my love a chicken without any bone," a line that I remember because of
the double-entendre. However, I can't remember whether the folksong
contains the phrase, "twelfth of never."
> >
> >OTOH, I could have it bass-ackwards, since I heard the pop song a couple
of years or more before I heard the folksong. I.e., the supposed folksong
could very well be based on the pop song and not the other way around, for
all that I know.
> >
> >BTW, I appreciate your use of "dating colleagues" instead of the more
accurate, in my case, at least, "_dated_ colleagues." ;-)
> >
> >-Wilson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org