"Poon tang" in the Philippines?

[Ben Zimmer]

On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 10:57 PM, Douglas G. Wilson wrote:
>
> ----------
> _Philadelphia [PA] Tribune_, 7 Feb. 1953: p. 12:
> <<Okeh announces forthcoming Fletcher Peck waxing of "Moon Dog," backed
> by "Poon Tang." If the people who censor record titles have ever been
> GI's in the Philippines, they'll have to withdraw the latter title too.>>
> ----------
> _Afro-American_ [Baltimore MD], 14 Feb. 1953: p. 7:
> <<But, Fletcher Peck's "Moon Dog" and "Poon Tang," satires on GI's in
> the Philippines, might get the censors' hatchet.>>
> ----------
>
> Of course there were plenty of GI's in the Philippines throughout most
> of the 20th century. But it seems as though somebody thought the
> expression "poon tang" had a particular connection to them.
>
> Anybody familiar with the music in question?

Fletcher Peck may have written it, but The Treniers (aka The Trenier Twins)
performed it. Wilson mentioned the song a few years ago:

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0702C&L=ADS-L&P=R3485

Here it is on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OiQwV-b6a4

--bgz

--
Ben Zimmer
http://benzimmer.com/

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