AY, QUE GRAN FELICIDAD
From "Mi Bella Dama"
(Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe / Manolo Fabregas)

Cristina Rojas - 1958


Coro: 
Me aburre estar en la ciudad, me largo pa' Paris.
Hmmmmm
Y mi costilla va a comprar seis casas en Capri.
Hmmmmm
A mí, el doctor me recetó las playas de Biarritz.
Hmmmmm
Ay, que gran felicidad.

Rojas: 
Un cuartito en que de el sol,
Una mesa y un colchón,
Un gran, un gran sillón,
Ay, que gran felicidad.

'chos bombones pa' masticar,
'chos maderos pa' quemar.
Comer, dormir, cantar,
Ay, que gran felicidad.

Sin un golpe durante el día absolutamente dar,
Ande yo caliente y que la gente se ría, Ja!

Una frente a acariciar,
Alguien dulce a quien amar,
Que cuide bien de mí,
Y yo felíz, con ser felíz,
Muy felíz, tan felíz,
Tan felíz, muy felíz.
(Repetir)  


(Contributed by cschlereth - February 2006)


*****


WOULDN'T IT BE LOVERLY?
From "My Fair Lady"
(Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe)

Recorded by : Toshiko Akiyoshi; Julie Andrews; Lynne Arriale;
Ruby Braff; Rosanne Cash; Dave Catney; Ray Charles Singers;
Rondi Charleston; Classic Jazz Quartet; Alma Cogan; 
Nat King Cole; Ray Conniff; Connie Evingson; Percy Faith;
Robert Farnon Orch.; Forty Second Street Singers;
Larry Goldings; Coleman Hawkins; Fiona Hendley; Shirley Horn;
Lena Horne; Jack Jones; Glenn Kezer; London Philharmonic Orch.;
London Promenade Orch.; London Theatre Orch.; Gloria Lynne;
Shelly Manne; Paul Manuel; Kitty Margolis; Martine McCutcheon;
The McGuire Sisters; Mabel Mercer; Marni Nixon; Oscar Peterson;
Amy Pietz; Tito Puente; Johnny Richards; Liz Robertson;
Marion Ryan; Sara K.; Peter Sellers; Ian Shaw; Jo Stafford;
The Starlite Orch.; Tierney Sutton; Billy Taylor;
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa; Andy Williams.


It's rather dull in town,
I think I'll take me to Paree.
Mmmmmm.
The mistress wants to open up
The castle in Capri.
Me doctor recommends a quiet summer by the sea!
Mmmm, Mmmm, wouldn't it be loverly?

Eliza
All I want is a room somewhere,
Far away from the cold night air.
With one enormous chair,
Aow, wouldn't it be loverly?
Lots of choc'lates for me to eat,
Lots of coal makin' lots of 'eat.
Warm face, warm 'ands, warm feet,
Aow, wouldn't it be loverly?
Aow, so loverly sittin' abso-bloomin'-lutely still.
I would never budge 'till spring
Crept over me windowsill.
Someone's 'ead restin' on my knee,
Warm an' tender as 'e can be.
'ho takes good care of me,
Aow, wouldn't it be loverly?
Loverly, loverly, loverly, loverly
[REPEAT]


*****


WOULDN'T IT BE LOVERLY?
(Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe)

Peter Sellers - 1959
(Parody of the song written for the show "My Fair Lady",
performed in Sellers' "Indian" voice)


INTERVIEWER: I'd just like to say, uh, good afternoon, Mister
Banerjee, and take this opportunity of welcoming you and your
musicians to the studio.

BANERJEE: I thank you very much. I'm very glad to have the
opportunity of coming here.

INTERVIEWER: Tell me, um, have you found that, uh, there has been
great enthusiasm for George Bernard Shaw in India?

BANERJEE: Oh, my goodness, yes. We, we, we have got a lot of people
in India, and indeed in Pakistan, who are loving to hearing the words
of George Bernard Shaw. We are saing to ourselves over there, "This
man has got a great, white beard. So, therefore, he must have great
knowledge." And so we are saying to ourselves that is what we are
wanting, that is what we are wanting, we are wanting to hear words of
this man so that so that we can learn them and sing them and play
them.

INTERVIEWER: Uh, have you visited the shrine of GBS in Ayot St
Lawrence at all?

BANERJEE: Well, indeed yes. We have all been there. We went on a bus
coach tour to Ayr-Ayrton St Lawrence and we are saying to
ourselves, "My goodness, here we are where the great man was living."
And we went in the first place to look around and we are saying, that
is where he was sleeping, and this is where he was eating, and this
is another room, and, uh, all kinds of rooms in this house are very
good for us to know of.

INTERVIEWER: Have you, uh, taken the story of "My Fair Lady" and, uh,
uh, as it stands, or have you changed it at all? What have you done
with it?

BANERJEE: Well, what, what we have done with it, you see, uh, I, I am
playing, uh, what is called over here Professor Higgins. I am playing
Professor Umbelahi (sic). I'm walking through the market place one
day, uh, at, near Maharatchme (sic), which is near Bombay, you
understand. And I'm walking by there, and I am saying to my friend
who is with me, I say, "Look, there, over there is a beautiful
untouchable girl, beautiful." And he says, "Oh, yes, but we, she is
untouchable. We don't want to know her". Ah chut and cha (sic), I am
making her touchable, that is what I am doing. You see, and I am
saying to her, "Come with me, my dear, and I will make you a
touchable". And she is saying to me, "No, I am untouchable, that's
good enough for me."

INTERVIEWER: Do you have a good cast?

BANERJEE: Oh, yes indeed, I come from a very high caste. Oh yes, yes,
oh yes, I can safely say that.

INTERVIEWER: Uh, no, no, I wasn't referring to, what I mean is, is
there a good cast in the, the show?

BANERJEE: Well, yes, we have a very excellent cast. I'm sorry, I
misunderstood you, you see. We have all kinds of stars from India. We
have two people from Assam. We have another woman. Her has come all
the way from Ceylon.

INTERVIEWER: What, ah, what, ah, what have you called the songs? I
mean have you changed the titles of the songs at all?

BANERJEE: Oh yes, well naturally we, we, we have had to, um, um, ah,
change one or two of the main songs, um, a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-ah, we
have featured, we have now called "Get Me To The Taj Mahal On Time"
and, um, ah, "I've Grown Accustomed To Your Goatee". And I would like
to sing for you now this beautiful song, uh, what we are doing on the
tour, and I think, when you have heard it, you will say, "My goodness
me, what a lovely song." Or words to that effect.


All I want is a room somewhere
Far a-way from the cold night air
With one enormous chair
Oh! would it not be lovely

Lots of chocolate for me to eat
Lots of coal making lots of heat
Warm feet, warm hands, warm foot
Oh! wouldn't it be lovely

Oh! so lovely sitting abso-bloomin-lutely still
Watcher cockie!
I would never budge till Spring crept on the windowsill

Someone's head is resting on my knee
Warm and tender as she can be
Who'll taking good care of me
Oh! would it not be lovely
Lovely, lovely, lovely

(Indian Music)

Aahhhh!
Ooooooooooohhhhh! so loverly sittin' abso-bloomin-lutely still
I would never budge till Spring crept on the windowsill

Someone's head resting on my knee
Warm and tender as she can be
Who'll taking good care of me
Oh! would it not be lovely (Lovely)
Lovely (Lovely), lovely

Would it not be lovely
Would it not be lovely


(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - January 2006)


*****