Who remembers the Birdie Song?

[maugein96]

Love it or hate it, the above song probably got more exposure than its composer ever expected. When I posted this I thought the composer was the Belgian accordionist Hector Delfosse, from Tournai, whom I doubt very few of you will have heard of. However, it seems to have been the case that he and his brother just added French lyrics to it, with the tune having been composed by a Swiss player way back in 1957. In any case Hector Delfosse was credited with making the tune popular (yes really!) when he resurrected it about 1980.

Here he is playing Bouclette, in the style so typical of Belgian players, with that strong three voice musette tuning that is still popular along the border with Belgium and France. Shame the clip doesnt actually show him playing, as Im not sure what treble system he used. At a guess it would be a Do2 (B system with C in the second row), as that was the configuration used by most Belgian and French players in the area where he comes from from.

<YOUTUBE id=HpCr4y0Z43w url=></YOUTUBE>

Ill not bother posting his version of the Birdie Song, as it is so well known, but he was very fond of composing tunes with bird themes, such as this one La valse des canaris. Believe it or not the musette repertoire was once chock full of tunes either relating to birds, or attempting to mimic bird song. In Belgium and the north of France the accordion was often played in concert halls to seated audiences, as well as for dancers, with the emphasis often being on the virtuosity of the players.

<YOUTUBE id=gVMr8w8yQO0 url=></YOUTUBE>

 

[wirralaccordion]

It wouldn't have been a bad idea to have actually published the Birdie song as it was the subject of your title. Is it the one starting "Let's all sing like the birdies sing. Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet"?
If not, what is the title of the one I mention so that I can search for the sheet music?
Thanks

 

[artelagro]

No need to go looking for the music - its all here
<YOUTUBE id=tC4NF4a7Bg0 url=></YOUTUBE>
Garth

 

[maugein96]

Hi wirralaccordion,

Sorry but the original version was an instrumental, which various people in different countries composed various lyrics for. Im no good with lyrics at all, but here is the original recording by Hector Delfosse:-

<YOUTUBE id=lhgCJsr50f8 url=></YOUTUBE>

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Very upset now ........... I've been trying to forget that damned song since the 70's.

How could you do this to me, John?

 

[maugein96]

Sorry Stephen,

My accordion interest was influenced by visits to Belgium way back. If you thought it couldnt get much worse here is Eddy Wally The voice of Europe singing one of his Oost Vlaanderen specials about life as a market trader. The tunes were easy to play on the box, but Eddys East Flanders accent with the fricative r was very different to that of his countrymen in the west, where I spent many a day.

<YOUTUBE id=EykS2lwZBrE url=></YOUTUBE>

I also spent years playing stuff like this, which I make no apology for, as I met a few people from West Flanders and found they were very much salt of the earth people. You could spit into France from where they lived, yet they clung to their Flemish (Dutch) language and traditions.

<YOUTUBE id=oOulvNUmvtA list=PLjmPl6oHLUs1ZepvcZhS-mijsiBZxPgHZ url=></YOUTUBE>

 

[AccordionUprising]

I mentioned the Chicken Dance in a blog post about the history and influence of The Beer Barrel Polka.

All Hail, “the Beer Barrel Polka!” (Accordion Uprising: APRIL 8, 2013)

Speaking of inescapable repertoire, I assumed that an accordion-themed musical greeting-card I received would play the Beer Barrel Polka, but when I opened it “the Chicken Dance” cheeped out. This rootless “folk” tune was actually written by a German oom-pah band in the 1950s, and later hit the pop charts as “The Birdy Song” for the Tweets in 1980. It has won polls as “the most annoying song of all time.” The Teletubbies theme came a close second. The Chicken Dance ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chicken_Dance (Not to be confused with the almost equally annoying “Chicken Song” by the British comedy puppets Spitting Image.)

They seem to be arguing over the authorship on Wikipedia. Ive no ability to judge, but assume what I cited (above here) is probably wrong.

 

[maugein96]

Hi accordionuprising,

Very interesting so I decided to look it up. French language Wiki credits the tune as being originally composed by a Swiss accordionist named Werner Thomas in 1957, which would tie in with your oompah band theory. Don't know if he's still on the go, but he played a Cordovox type CBA, and composed several other "catchy" tunes. Hector Delfosse and his older brother Joec made it popular when they put French lyrics to the tune about 1980, so they never actually composed it at all. The world seems to have latched onto it as party type entertainment and I think we all know the rest.

In the Flemish speaking parts of Belgium there is/was a tradition of entertainers, such as Eddy Wally, singing songs about everyday life, usually with accompaniment featuring "akkordeon". They were light hearted drinking songs aimed at encouraging the audience to participate in the singing and that group swaying back and forth. There is often a lot of humour in the lyrics, and the musicians are usually tongue in cheek when playing.

If you walked into say The Flemish Inn (a large beer hall in Ostend) stone cold sober, expecting an evening of musical splendour you'd probably be back out on the street in a few minutes. The music is the Belgian equivalent of German bierkeller stuff. There is a distinct crossover with French musette in the French speaking parts of Belgium, although the fact that there are also German speaking Belgians near Liege makes for an interesting accordion repertoire in a country where everybody thinks they just speak French.

In the farthest flung parts of West Flanders near the French border with Dunkirk they play a mixture of French musette and Flemish tunes with a distinct French flavour, and it was from visits to that area that I first got the notion to play the accordion. Guys like the late Albert Hennebel (standing playing in the boat) were my inspiration. The music was not too complicated to learn by ear, but it isn't that easy to play well. Then I decided to go for French musette and now I wish I had just stuck with what I started with. Maybe it was because of stuff like the Birdie Song/Chicken Dance that I made the move, as I hated the tune with a vengeance. Even Verchuren had a "hit" with it.

The young French musette players these days have changed it beyond recognition of what it once was, and I couldn't even tell you who is who these days in the genre. Yet I still like "Als marktkramer ben ik geboren", even when I'm watching Eddy Wally singing it in that outrageous suit.

Still, variety is the spice of life as they say.

 

[wirralaccordion]

I found the song "Let's all sing like the birdies sing" on Youtube, also the music and it is very easy to play on the PA. Thanks for reminding me of a song I heard on a 78 rpm in my youth! It adapts well to the PA.

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Hello John,

The Birdie Song sits alongside "Don't Stick Stickers On My Paper Knickers" (available on youtube) and "Crazy Frog" in the annoyance stakes.

I may possibly appreciate the merit of these tunes through the prism of an alcoholic haze, but not when totally sober.

Take it easy, Old Scout.

Stephen.

 

[maugein96]

Hi Stephen,

I used to have tapes of Eddy Wally that I got in Belgium, before I knew who he was or what he looked like. I bought them for the accordion music (honest!).

Another hobby of mine years ago was breeding canaries, and they have a canary variety in Belgium called a Waterslager, if youre Flemish, and a Malinois if youre Walloon. They are trained to sing by an older schoolmaster bird and any which dont come up to scratch end up in the pet shop or are exported abroad. They breed them in the Middle East and there is even a club in Pakistan.

Bet you cant last the full 2 minutes 45 seconds of this bird doing its Eddy Wally impression, but you might realise where they got the ideas for some of the accordion tunes dedicated to birds.

<YOUTUBE id=mWvMkEIw_Ik url=></YOUTUBE>

 

[Stephen Hawkins]

Okay John, you win your bet. I only managed 39 seconds.

I had a Budgie when I was a boy, and my Uncle had a quite large aviary which I used to help him with. Though he did breed Canaries, I best remember the various Finches he bred.

I do enjoy hearing bird song, though I think we are probably better leaving it to them. Perhaps the version of the Birdie Song that I remember provoked a negative and altogether irrational emotion in me.

TTFN,

Stephen.

 

[losthobos]

Best song I've ever heard is a goldfinch/canary mule.....except he's moulting at the moment

 

[maugein96]

Hi Terry,

Never tried my hand at breeding mules, but you're right about the goldfinch/canary cross. Linnet/canary is also pretty nice.

The moult is one of the downsides to keeping any songbird, as you are aware.

We nearly moved to Spain about 13 years ago and I was all set to keep a few Timbrado canaries, as I like their song ,but the move never came off (we bottled it!).