Ziegfeld Follies of 1919–Berlin You’d be surprised

By
In A Walkthrough Shows, Songs and More
  0

We would have to wait until June 16, 1919 to find a show that opened with some tunes that are still remembered and admired today. The show was the Ziegfeld Follies of 1919, and the composer of the tunes was Irving Berlin. The other music supplied for the show included Joseph Tierney’s “My Baby’s Arms” and Walter Donaldson’s “How Ya’ Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree)?”

But it was Berlin who supplied the best music; he repeated “Mandy” from YIP YIP YAPHANK, and wrote three new songs just for this revue: “You’d Be Surprised,” “I’ve Got My Captain Working for Me Now” and “A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody” which MGM borrowed more than once for its movies.

We are going to start with Eddie Cantor’s rendition of “You’d Be Surprised” which was recorded in August 1919 while the revue was still on Broadway. Eddie originated the song in the revue.

Here are Berlin’s lyrics:

Johnny was bashful and shy
Nobody understood why
Mary loved him
All the other girls passed him by
Ev’ryone wanted to know
How she could pick such a beau
With a twinkle in her eye
She made this reply
He’s not so good in a crowd but when you get him alone
You’d be surprised
He isn’t much at a dance but then when he takes you home
You’d be surprised
He doesn’t look like much of a lover
But don’t judge a book by its cover
He’s got the face of an Angel
But there’s a Devil in his eye
He’s such a delicate thing but when he starts in to squeeze
You’d be surprised
He doesn’t look very strong but when you sit on his knee
You’d be surprised
At a party or at a ball I’ve got to admit that he’s nothing at all
But in a morris chair
You’d be surprised
Mary continued to praise
Johnny’s remarkable ways
To the ladies
And you know advertising pays
Now Johnny’s never alone
He has the busiest phone
Almost ev’ry other day
A new girl will say
He’s not so good in the house but on a bench in the park
You’d be surprised
He isn’t much in the light but when he gets in the dark
You’d be surprised
I know he looks as slow as the Erie
But you don’t know the half of it, dearie
He looks as cold as an Eskimo
But there’s fire in his eyes
He doesn’t say very much but when he starts in to speak
You’d be surprised
He’s not so good at the start but at the end of the week
You’d be surprised
On a streetcar or in a train
You’d think he was born without any brain
But in a taxicab
You’d be surprised!