Dr. Martin Rundkvist is a Swedish archaeologist, journal editor, public speaker, skeptic, atheist, lefty liberal, bookworm, and father of two.
With thanks to Moomin, here's a fine clip with Max Raabe und das Palast Orchester performing "Amalie geht mit 'nem Gummikavalier ins Bad" from 1927. How low haven't the lyrics of the popular song sunk since that golden age of wit and erudition!
Update 22 October:My translation of the song's title doesn't bring across just how naughty it sounds in German. In Bad gehen does mean "to go swimming", and the lyrics make it clear that Amalie and her rubber gentleman are indeed on the beach. But it also means "to take a bath", so to someone who only reads the title of the song, it appears to mean "Amalie Brings A Rubber Man When She Takes A Bath". Got batteries, Amalie?
Comments
The incomparable M A Numminen also delights in performing this piece. He and Pedro Hietanen will be in Upplands Väsby 2008-11-06. Anyone want to tag along?
Posted by: kai | October 1, 2008 10:13 AM
Oh, boo hoo! The video is no longer available for viewing! A real tragedy, too. I was all set, had the popcorn made, butter and everything. Now I shall have to go and put on "Sesame Street" to cheer myself up. Oh, oh, I take that back, I can punch up M. A. Numminen's version. Oh, hahahahahaha! Here's a lovely little Scottish ditty for you from Theodore Bikel:
I'd like a sausage, a cooperative sausage,
But ye cannee get near it for the smell.
If ye have it with an onion (pronounced "angin'"),
ye'll hear the onion singin'
'Mary, my Scots bluebell!'
I'd like cookie, a cooperative cookie,
But ye cannee get near it for the smell.
If ye have it with some syrup,
ye'll hear the syrup chirrup,
'Mary, my Scots bluebell!'
The cooperative, or coop for short, is the grocery store, by the way, and the food stinks, I guess!
Posted by: DianaGainer | October 1, 2008 3:10 PM
Ah yeah, I'm a great fan of Mr. Raabe.
But then again I'm a huge 20s nerd and I'm German.
So no real surprise there.
What's great about him is that his nasal voice and rolling r's sound exactly like those of the performers in Berlin dancehalls and cabarets we know from recordings.
Posted by: Matt B | October 1, 2008 4:00 PM
Matt, that's great, so Herr Raabe sounds like an old record, not like the real thing! Reminds me of Marc Bolan's early records (T Rex) where he purposefully sounds like early blues queen Bessie Smith played at too high a speed. Really, really weird.
Posted by: Martin R | October 1, 2008 4:05 PM
What's also interesting is that the topic of the artifical man for a woman's needs can be found in music at all times: from 1927 to the 1940s ( http://www.archive.org/download/BenLighthisSurfClubBoys/BenLighthisSurfClubBoys-ImGoingtoGetMeaRobotMandouble-entendrepartyrecord1940s.mp3 )
to today
(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAnyYTjjhJ0 )
Posted by: Matt B | October 1, 2008 4:34 PM
A correction for my above post:
for some reason the MP3 of the first song is too fast.
It can be listened to here, though:
http://www.archive.org/details/BenLighthisSurfClubBoys
(The second track)
Posted by: Matt B | October 1, 2008 5:55 PM