By Riley Fontana
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Frank King is a beloved presenter at the Center at the Heights (CATH) in Needham. He educates audiences about music, mainly crooners. He was welcomed back recently for the second rendition of his comedy crooners series.
Comedy Crooners focuses on the novelty songs of the 1940s-1960s. These are songs that many would not expect to become hits due to their silly lyrics or more suggestive tones. Many of these songs belonged to Broadway shows or movies which added to their popularity. The audience loved the conversations about songs they knew from their younger years and learning more about their favorite singers.
The first song King talked about in detail was “Mairzy Doats” by The Merry Macs which was inspired by a child's rendition of a nursery rhyme. This song gained popularity for its upbeat melody and silly lighthearted lyrics. The sing-along portion that followed the discussion of the song was incredibly lively as the audience sang and laughed along.
Other novelty songs were considered funny due to their double meaning or misdirection. The main song in this section was “She Had To Go And Lose It At The Astor” by Harry Roy and His Band. This song is about a young girl losing a beloved coat at the famous hotel but the lyrics can imply a lot more. This song was highly censored by radio stations but still gained popularity because of the double entendre.
One of the last songs discussed was “The Three Bells” by The Browns, which is a song adapted from French. It tells the life story of a little Jimmy Brown, which happened to be the name of one of the band members. This song gained popularity because wide audiences thought The Browns were singing the story of their brother. This song also landed The Browns in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Conversations around novelty songs are not held every day, as many comedy songs have not seen widespread popularity. Frank King does an excellent job of explaining the ins and outs of the industries and creators behind these songs. He will always be welcomed back to the CATH.
