Marianne (Terry Gilkyson song)

"Marianne" is a traditional calypso song made popular by Trinidadian calypsonian Roaring Lion. Writing credits on the Easy Riders recording are Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller.

"Marianne"
Song
GenreCalypso
Songwriter(s)Roaring Lion

History

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"Mary Ann" is a traditional calypso that was recorded by Trinidadian calypsonian Roaring Lion (born Rafael de Leon).[1] It was popular with steel bands and revelers during a spontaneous carnival celebration on V-J Day in Trinidad in 1945, at the end of World War II.[2] The song's lyrics allude to Mary Ann's occupation:

All day, all night, Miss Mary Ann
Down by the seaside, she sifting sand.

Recordings

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  • In Ian Fleming's 1958 James Bond novel Dr. No, Honeychile Rider whistles Marion [sic] on a beach in Jamaica and Bond joins in singing a couple of lines. Fleming implies that the original calypso was racier and had been 'cleaned up' in the contemporaneous popular recording. The lines he quotes are:
All day, all night, Marion,
Sittin' by the seaside siftin' sand …
The water from her eyes could sail a boat,
The hair on her head could tie a goat …

The last two lines are not in the Terry Gilkyson version.

  • Allan Sherman sang about Cary Grant based on this song, which went as follows (from Shticks of one Kind and Half Dozen of Another):
All day, all night, Cary Grant
That's all I hear from my wife, is Cary Grant
What can he do that I can't
Big deal, big star, Cary Grant
  • In the nudie-cartoon anthology Sex to Sexty, which included "Balled-Up Ballads"—popular tunes with racy lyrics—the following lines were written for "Marianne":
All day, all night, Marianne;
Who the hell you think I am, Superman?

References

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  1. ^ Bogdanov, Vladimir; et al. (2001), All Music Guide: The definitive guide to popular music, Hal Leonard Corporation, p. 884, ISBN 9780879306274, retrieved 27 November 2010
  2. ^ a b Green, Garth L. & Scher, Philip W. (2007), Trinidad Carnival: The cultural politics of a transnational festival, Indiana University Press, p. 190, ISBN 978-0253116727, retrieved 27 November 2010
  3. ^ Belafonte Concert in Japan, Belafonte by Request, Belafonte...Live!
  4. ^ Bronson, Fred (2003), The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, Billboard Books, p. 19, ISBN 9780823076772
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 386.
  6. ^ "Les Compagnons De La Chanson – Marianne". Ultratop.
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