Ciribiribin
"Ciribiribin" | |
---|---|
Song | |
Language | Piedmontese[1] |
Written | 1898 |
Composer(s) | Alberto Pestalozza |
Lyricist(s) | Carlo Tiochet |
"Ciribiribin" [tʃiribiriˈbin] is a merry Piedmontese ballad, originally in three-quarter time, composed by Alberto Pestalozza in 1898 with lyrics by Carlo Tiochet.[2] It quickly became popular and has been recorded by many artists. Decades later it enjoyed continued popularity with swing and jazz bands, played in four-four time.
Background
The distinguishing feature of the song is repeated use of the five-note title phrase. In the sheet music the name is indicated to be enunciated chiri-biri-bean to allow singers to hold the vowel at the end as long as they like.[3]
Early successes
- It was a success as "Ciribiribin Waltz" for Prince's Orchestra in 1911 reaching a number three position in the charts of the day as calculated by Joel Whitburn.[4]
- Grace Moore enjoyed chart success with the song in 1934 reaching a peak position of number 15.[5] She also made a live recording accompanied by a pianist, Gibner King, as an encore after presenting some pieces with Willem Mengelberg and the Concertgebouw Orchestra on June 23, 1936.
- The song was a favorite of Harry James, who chose it as his theme song when he formed his band in 1939[6] and wrote English lyrics for it with Jack Lawrence. The James version reached the No. 10 spot in the charts in 1940.[5] Frank Sinatra worked with James's band for a while before going to work for Tommy Dorsey. On the James/Sinatra recording of the song, Sinatra enunciated the trailing "n".
- Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters recorded the song on September 20, 1939[7] with Joe Venuti and his Orchestra and it reached the number 13 spot in the charts in 1940. This was Crosby's first recording with the Andrews Sisters and they went on to have another 22 chart hits together in the US.[8]
Other recordings
Artists who have recorded the song in Italian include Gracie Fields, Mario Lanza, Claudio Villa, and Renato Carosone. Coloratura sopranos Mado Robin and Erna Sack recorded the song as well (in German for Erna Sack).
Film appearances
- 1934: One Night of Love – as Ciri-Biri-Bin – sung by Grace Moore and joined in by the patrons of the restaurant.
- 1942: Springtime in the Rockies
- 1953: So This Is Love – performed by Kathryn Grayson
- 1955: Hit the Deck – performed by Kay Armen, accompanied by Tony Martin, Russ Tamblyn, Vic Damone, Debbie Reynolds, Jane Powell and Ann Miller.
- 1978: Heaven Can Wait – Warren Beatty's character plays the song on soprano saxophone.
In popular culture
- The song "Java Jive", a hit song for the Ink Spots in 1940, originally featured the couplet "I'm not keen about a bean / Unless it is a 'cheery beery bean", as a pun on "Ciribiribin", but the Ink Spots' lead singer inadvertently sang it as "cheery cheery bean", and recordings by subsequent artists have generally either followed suit or changed it to "chili chili bean".
- An earlier play on the "chili" joke came in a comic song written by Albert Von Tilzer and recorded by Billy Murray in 1921. The song, "Chili Bean", is about an exotic woman named Chili Bean. A bar of "Ciribiribin" appears in a brief instrumental segment in the middle of the song.
- A rock 'n' roll adaptation, "Gotta Lotta Love", sung by Steve Alaimo, was mildly successful in late 1963, where it peaked at number 74.[9]
References
- ^ "Ciribiribin (1898) – Gioventura Piemontèisa".
- ^ "sheetmusicplus.com". sheetmusicplus.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ Schaum, John W. (March 5, 1985). Adult Piano Course, Bk 3. Alfred Music Publishing. ISBN 9780769236544 – via Google Books.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin, US: Record Research. p. 357. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin, US: Record Research. p. 321. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ Simon, George T. (1995). "In the Beginning". Liner Notes for Columbia's Harry James Disk.
- ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin, US: Record Research. p. 113. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 26.
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(1939–1940)
- "It's Funny to Everyone but Me"
- "On a Little Street in Singapore"
- "Ciribiribin"
- "All or Nothing at All"
(1940–1942)
- "Imagination"
- "I'll Be Seeing You"
- "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)"
- "I'll Never Smile Again"
- "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)"
- "Our Love Affair"
- "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)"
- "Stardust"
- "Dolores"
- "It's Always You"
- "Oh! Look at Me Now"
- "Without a Song"
- "Let's Get Away from It All"
- "This Love of Mine"
- "Blue Skies"
- "Pale Moon (An Indian Love Song)"
- "Embraceable You"
- "Just as Though You Were Here"
- "Take Me"
- "In the Blue of Evening"
- "How About You?"
- "There Are Such Things"
(1942–1943)
- "Night and Day"
- "The Night We Called It a Day"
- "The Song Is You"
(1943–1953)
- "Close to You"
- "You'll Never Know"
- "Sunday, Monday, or Always"
- "People Will Say We're in Love"
- "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'"
- "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening"
- "White Christmas"
- "Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)"
- "I Dream of You (More Than You Dream I Do)"
- "Ol' Man River"
- "Stormy Weather"
- "When Your Lover Has Gone"
- "Dream"
- "If I Loved You"
- "You'll Never Walk Alone"
- "Mighty Lak' a Rose"
- "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)"
- "America the Beautiful"
- "Day by Day"
- "Full Moon and Empty Arms"
- "Soliloquy (Part 1 & 2)"
- "Begin the Beguine"
- "Silent Night"
- "Adeste Fideles"
- "Jingle Bells"
- "Oh! What It Seemed to Be"
- "September Song"
- "Five Minutes More"
- "Sweet Lorraine"
- "Time after Time"
- "Mam'selle"
- "Almost Like Being in Love"
- "Tea for Two"
- "My Romance"
- "So Far"
- "A Fellow Needs a Girl"
- "But Beautiful"
- "I've Got a Crush on You"
- "All of Me"
- "Nature Boy"
- "Everybody Loves Somebody"
- "My Melancholy Baby"
- "Autumn in New York"
- "Why Can't You Behave?"
- "Some Enchanted Evening"
- "Bali Ha'i"
- "Let's Take an Old Fashioned Walk"
- "I Only Have Eyes for You"
- "The Old Master Painter"
- "Peachtree Street"
- "Goodnight, Irene"
- "Nevertheless (I'm in Love with You)"
- "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
- "We Kiss in a Shadow"
- "April in Paris"
- "I Could Write a Book"
- "The Birth of the Blues"
(1953–1961)
- "I'm Walking Behind You"
- "I've Got the World on a String"
- "My One and Only Love"
- "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)"
- "I Love You"
- "Young at Heart"
- "Don't Worry 'bout Me"
- "Three Coins in the Fountain"
- "The Gal That Got Away"
- "Someone to Watch Over Me"
- "Melody of Love"
- "Learnin' the Blues"
- "Love and Marriage"
- "(Love Is) The Tender Trap"
- "You're Sensational"
- "True Love"
- "Well, Did You Evah!"
- "Mind If I Make Love to You?"
- "Hey! Jealous Lover"
- "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"
- "All the Way"
- "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)"
- "Witchcraft"
- "Mistletoe and Holly"
- "French Foreign Legion"
- "High Hopes"
- "Old MacDonald"
- "My Blue Heaven"
- "I'll Remember April"
- "I Love Paris"
(1961–1983)
- "Granada"
- "I'll Be Seeing You"
- "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)"
- "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You"
- "Polka Dots and Moonbeams"
- "Without a Song"
- "Stardust"
- "Come Rain or Come Shine"
- "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"
- "Me and My Shadow"
- "Call Me Irresponsible"
- "I Have Dreamed"
- "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
- "My Kind of Town"
- "Softly, as I Leave You"
- "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"
- "The Little Drummer Boy"
- "It Was a Very Good Year"
- "Strangers in the Night"
- "Summer Wind"
- "You Make Me Feel So Young"
- "That's Life"
- "The September of My Years"
- "Somethin' Stupid"
- "The World We Knew (Over and Over)"
- "My Way of Life"
- "My Way"
- "Goin' Out of My Head"
- "Something"
- "Bein' Green"
- "Send In the Clowns"
- "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown"
- "Theme from New York, New York"
- "Here's to the Band"
- "To Love a Child"
(1983–1984)
- "This Love of Mine"
- "Sheila"
- "Peachtree Street"
- "Take My Love"
- "I'm a Fool to Want You"
- "Mistletoe and Holly"
- "Mr. Success"
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