Tea for Two (was All-classical 99.5)

[Dan.Strassberg]

Tea for Two has a cute lyric and a nice simple melody that's easy to
remember and sing. But the song, which is from the score of the 1925
musical No, No Nanette, is not from the pen of such masters as the
Geshwins, Cole Porter, or Rodgers and Hart. The melody was written by
Vincent Youmans (no slouch, but not usually considered to rank with
George Gershwin or Richard Rodgers). The lyric was penned by Irving
Ceasar, also no slouch, but very clearly not among the first ranks of
twentieth century American lyricists. I don't have any idea whether
Youmans and Caesar worked together on other scores besides that of No,
No Nanette or whether they worked together on Tin Pan Alley tunes that
were not in the scores of Broadway musicals, but it's probably a safe
bet that Tea for Two was their most popular and best known work. I
also don't know whether the cornball lyric was written with tongue in
cheek or whether it was simply par for the course in its era. As they
say, they sure don't write 'em like that anymore. And some (OK, not I)
might add that it's a good thing.

JIMMY:
I'm discontented with homes that I've rented
So I've invented my own.
Darling, this place is a lovely oasis
Where life's weary taste is unknown
Far from the crowding of the city
Where flowers pretty caress the stream
Cozy to hide in, to live side by side in,
It could be much more than a dream...

Picture you upon my knee
Just tea for two
And two for tea
Just me for you
And you for me alone

NANETTE:
Nobody near us to see us or hear us,
No friends or relations,
On weekend vacations.
We won't have it known, dear,
That we own a telephone, dear...

NANETTE:
Day will break and I'll wake
And start to bake a sugar cake
For you to take for all the boys to see

BOTH:
We will raise a family

JIMMY:
A boy for you
A girl for me

BOTH:
Can't you see how happy we would be...

-----
Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
eFax 1-707-215-6367

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <lglavin@mail.com>
To: <dan.strassberg@att.net>;
<boston-radio-interest@lists.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 2:47 PM
Subject: Re: All-classical 99.5

No doubt, Mr. Bolcom's preferences for Gershwin and Cole Porter caused
pieces by those gentlemen to predominate.  "Tea for Two" would have
fit right in.