Who Sang?

[Macstell]

Who sang ' Sailing down the river on a Sunday afternoon'

[Gromit]

Can't place it. You didn't mean Sunny afternoon by the Kinks.?

Here are the Lyrics...

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/k/kinks/79012.html

[Cetti]

It sounds more like  song from the days of the  Music Halls, played in boating scenes portraying the Edwardian era. The Merchant - Ivory type of film.

[ursula62]

Cruising down the River (On a Sunday Afternoon) was written in 1945 for a competition by Eily Beadell & Nell Tollerton.

 

It was sung by the crew of HMS Amethyst in 1949 as the ship did its historic dash down the Yangtse River.

It has since been recorded by Russ Morgan, Blue Baron and Mel Torme among others.

[Cetti]

Thank goodness ursula, it's been driving me nuts all afternoon!

Here's the words and music - I still think it sounds more music hall than the late forties though:

http://www.rienzihills.com/SING/cruisingdowntheriver.htm

[ursula62]

Maybe that's what the competition asked for, or the effect the composer was aiming at. I can't find anything about the competition itself, so can't confirm!

 

I did have the sheet music a while back, but cleared out when I moved house years ago. It had a picture on the front of a chap in a boater and striped jacket punting, and a lady in a hat and veil in the boat itself. The colour was mainly greens.

 

I think there were a few wartime songs that had the flavour of music hall - what about "There'll always be an England"?