In recognition of the high-sucrose holiday of St. Valentine's Day, here are a selection of some of the more fluffy pieces of sheet music from the John Arpin Sheet Music Collection.
All Alone: a tenacious telephone technology tune
All Alone, "Harry Von Tizler's Great Telephone Song" features a lonely Marie having difficulty contacting her fella Georgie to let him know she has the family parlour all to herself.
Featuring such lyrics as "do not coax me, it provokes me" and "parlour's nice and cozy, everything is rosy."
Link to sheet music here.
Link to a 1911 recording of the piece available here.
Cupid delivers bear hugs by telegram
Cupid's I.O.U.
Wait I'll get my slate and show you page one on Cupid's notebook. You will see | I.O.U. a squeezing | You owe me a kiss | If you don't stop teasing | I will tell you this| I'm going to pay you double | I.O.U. a hugging | YOu will get it too | And besides there's lots of of things that I.O.U.
Link to sheet music here.
Link to a 1910 recording of the song here.
Rumpled ragamuffin meets Type A personality: a selection of unfortunate antiquated lyrics
Cutey, Tell Me Who Tied Your Tie?
I'd like to press your clothes | And mend your hose | Tell me cutey, who tied your tie?
Link to sheet music here.
Pearl is wooed with simple rhyming couplets
Gee I'm Lonesome For A Pal Like You
Now girlie please don't act so surly, | But listen Pearlie, what I have to say.
Gee I'm awful lonesome | Lonesome for a pal like you, | Can't you see I'm lonesome, | For those eyes of azure blue? (Doll baby)
When you are away, love, what on earth am I to do? | Gee, I'm awful lonesome, | Lonesome for a pal like you.
Link to sheet music here.
Stop! (Mixing nautical and gastronomical metaphors)
Stop Stop Stop! Come Over and Love Me More!
Cuddle and squeeze me honey | Lead me right to cupid's door, | Take me out up on that ocean called the "Lovable Sea" | Fry each kiss in honey then present it to me | Cuddle and please me honey | Anchor at the kissing shore | My honey stop, stop, stop, stop, don't dare to stop, Come over and love me some more.
Link to sheet music here.
Link to a 1910 recording of the performance here.
Displays of love and literacy
Eight Little Letters Make Three Little Words.
Eight little letters make three little words | cooed by doves and sung by the birds | sweetest of all the words I know | They're simple too (can you learn them?) | First "I" and the last word is "You" | "Love" just links the two | I L O V E Y O U spells "I love you."
Link to sheet music here.
Hyperbole worthy of a Twilight novel
Good Bye My Love Good Bye
With a song begining with "Mine is a love of a thousand years, | Born just to live all for thee dear", brace yourself for grand imagery and effusive claims.
No mountains can hold me, No oceans divide | No pow'r when you call, Can keep me love, from your side. | Tho' years come and years go, My love cannot die | For life is mine because I love thee, | Good-bye my love good-bye.
Link to sheet music here.
Sources:
“National Jukebox LOC.gov.” ; available from : http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/ ; Internet; accessed 14 February 2012.
I just found this posting. I am just so delighted in what you are doing with this collection. John Arpin adored story telling with the music, the sheet covers, the images and the words! John would be over the moon to see his music available and used in this way!
I was looking for some "Valentine's Day music..." I am absolutely so delighted to find your comments and how you have outreached with these love songs! Thank you so much. John Arpin would be over the moon to see how his adored sheet music collection (and others donating to the collection) is made widely available ....! Mary Jane Esplen, (John's widow)
Adorable post!
Charming.