Billy Murray ~ My Cousin Caruso (with apologies to Leoncavallo & Verdi) - (1909)

American Tenor Billy Murray (1877-1954) / My Cousin Caruso (Edward Madden; Gus Edwards) / Recorded: May 13, 1909 --

As the sheet music states: "With Apologies to Leoncavallo & Verdi", American singing comedian and prolific recording artist Billy Murray performs this comic song about the great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, with an added interesting contemporary reference to legendary theatre entrepreneur Oscar Hammerstein I (1847-1919) and his well-known "fun-a" (funny) derby hat. Hammerstein, so the well documented story goes, tried unsuccessfully to lure Caruso from the Metropolitan Opera to his own rival operation, the Manhattan Opera (1906-1910). Hammerstein's grandson was the famous American songwriter Oscar Hammerstein II.

MY COUSIN CARUSO

Poor Man, Mister Hammersteen
He's-a turn a-green
Feel-a ver-a mean
Talka craz
Tro' da fun-na hat
Down at the Op'-ra house Man-hat'

He's a lose
Wonderful Carus
Sing a lak a deuce, Sings da P's abd Q's
Hissa mudd', she's my fadder's brud
Data mak' him ma cou-sin Carus

My Cousin Caruso
Say, kid, when he cut loose
Dat Opra House just shaka like-a dis a like dat
He make dem all cry "Bravo Gratsi"
When he sing Pagliacci
His voice so sad
a-drive de ladies all mad-a
Oh! what's de use
He's my Cousin Carus!

One night some-ting is de mat'
Op'-ra fall a flat
Good-bye "Traviat"
Can't find Carus da great-a man
Up a the Me-tro-pol-i-tan
Ten million people get a-sore
Jump up with a roar
Pusha de building o'er
They yell Carus no want a-come
Gran Op'ra it goes on de bum

My Cousin Caruso
Say, kid, when he cut loose
Dat Opra House just shaka like-a dis a like da
He make de ladies tear out de rat-a
When he sings Traviata
His voice so dream
Lak a peaches and cream-a
Oh! what's de use
He's my Cousin Carus!

******************************

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Tenor
• Billy
• Murray
• Enrico
• Caruso
• Oscar
• Hammerstein
• Acoustic
• 78
• rpm
• Phonopraph
• Silhouette
• CurzonRoad

[31operafan]

xD Gosh, this song is hilarious! I know some people may think Murray's pseudo-Italian accent might sound racially insensitive, but none of the lyrics suggest that Murray was making fun of Caruso's Italian heritage. In fact, this song proves just how popular Caruso was (and still is).

[CurzonRoad]

@31operafan

Agreed on ALL the above!

In grateful appreciation...thank you!

[mayatatyana1]

Thank you, Doug. This is hilarious! Maya

[LordMgls]

LOL

[Kievest]

Caruso would have been the first person

to LOL at this hilarious parody!! Should

be required listening for some of today's

swelled headed celebrity pop-opera

"stars" !!! Thank you, Doug, for this

refreshing breeze of a posting! Maybe

Rosemary Clooney took a page from

Maestro Murray's songbook with her

famous "Come OnAh My HouseAh!!!"

[althazarr]

My favorite artist! The Denver Nightingale was like no other. Thank you Doug for sharing this fantastic song! 5*****

[giaAmparan]

Yeeeeeee-haw!!! :))

[Bivolari]

Great record. The different Arts were a lot closer in those days.

[genia106]

Douglasio My Darling,

This is DELIGHTFUL!

LOL :-D My Couzin CARUZ..:-)

His voice so sadda, drives the ladies all madda......:-)

I can just see the Gramophones snickering..... Thanks for the TREAT!