"Dearie" is a popular song. The music was written by

David Mann David Mann may refer to: Entertainment *David Mann (actor) (born 1966), American stage actor *David Mann (artist) (1940–2004), American artist of the custom motorcycle subculture *David Mann (songwriter) (1916–2002), American writer of popular ...

, and the lyrics, by

Bob Hilliard Bob Hilliard (born Hilliard Goldsmith; January 28, 1918 – February 1, 1971) was an American lyricist. He wrote the words for the songs: "Alice in Wonderland", " In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", " Any Day Now", " Dear Hearts and Gentl ...

. The song was published in 1950. The song is about reminiscences, and often sung as a duet. When done as a duet, each one of the singers asks the other whether he or she remembers a number of long-ago events, and then says "if you remember, you're much older than I." When sung as a solo, the same questions are directed at the audience. It makes a string of pseudo-nostalgic references: to

Orville Wright The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flying the world's first succes ...

's first powered flight near

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina Kitty Hawk is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States, located on Bodie Island within the state's Outer Banks. The population was 3,708 at the 2020 United States census. It was established in the early 18th century as Chickahawk. Hi ...

; waltzing to the John Philip Sousa band; "Picking up Pittsburgh on a crystal set" refers to

KDKA (AM) KDKA () is a list of North American broadcast station classes, class A, clear channel, AM radio station, licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. Its radio studios are located at the combined Audacy Pittsburgh fac ...

, the first commercial broadcast radio station in the United States; the "

running board A running board or footboard is a narrow step fitted under the side doors of a tram ( cable car, trolley, or streetcar in North America), car, or truck. It aids entry, especially into high vehicles, and is typical of vintage trams and cars, ...

on a Chandler Six" refers to a six-cylinder automobile of the same era as

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

's famous Tin Lizzy; "Movie stars of the silent era", including

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

and

Jackie Coogan John Leslie Coogan (October 26, 1914 – March 1, 1984) was an American actor and comedian who began his film career as a child actor in silent films. Coogan's role in Charlie Chaplin's film ''The Kid (1921 film), The Kid'' (1921) made him one o ...

, are mentioned as making you laugh and then cry; "Watching John L. win every fight, 'cause nobody ducked from Sullivan's right" refers to

John L. Sullivan John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15, 1858 – February 2, 1918), known simply as John L. among his admirers, and dubbed the "Boston Strong Boy" by the press, was an American boxer. He is recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved ...

(1858-1918), the heavyweight boxing champion.

Recordings

In 1950, some of the best-known versions were recorded by Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians (with a vocal by

Kenny Gardner Kenneth A. Gardner (March 20, 1913 – July 26, 2002) was an American singer for Guy Lombardo's band the Royal Canadians. Early years Kenneth A. Gardner was born on March 20, 1913, in Lake View, Iowa, the eldest son of Norman and May Chambers Ga ...

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical tr ...

and

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer, and television and radio host. He appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and ''Carousel'' (1956), and ...

Ray Bolger Raymond Wallace Bolger (; January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987) was an American actor, dancer, singer, vaudevillian, and stage performer (particularly musical theater) who started his movie career in the silent-film era. Bolger was a major B ...

and

Ethel Merman Ethel Merman (born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann; January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was an American singer and actress. Known for her distinctive, powerful voice, and her leading roles in musical theatre, musical theater,Obituary ''Variety Obitua ...

, and

Lisa Kirk Lisa Kirk (born Elsie Kirk; February 25, 1925 – November 11, 1990) was an American actress and singer noted for her comic talents and rich contralto (her voice was called a husky alto). Career Born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania as Elsie Kir ...

and

Fran Warren Frances Wolff (March 4, 1926 – March 4, 2013), known professionally as Fran Warren, was an American singer.Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was a Canadian and American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racing, hydroplane racer whose unique "sweet jazz" style remained popular with audiences for nearly five decade ...

record was recorded on January 26, 1950 and released by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

(catalog number 24899). It first reached the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' chart on March 31, 1950 and lasted nine weeks on the chart, peaking at number 5. The

record was recorded on January 14, 1950 and released by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

(catalog number 858). It first reached the ''Billboard'' chart on March 3, 1950 and lasted 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 12. The

record was recorded on January 4, 1950 and released by Decca (catalog number 24873). It first reached the ''Billboard'' chart on March 3, 1950 and lasted 11 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 13. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of this recording, " I Said My Pajamas (and Put on My Pray'rs)," also charted. The

Fran Warren Frances Wolff (March 4, 1926 – March 4, 2013), known professionally as Fran Warren, was an American singer.RCA Victor Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

as a 78rpm single (catalog number 20-3696) and a 45rpm single (catalog number 47-3220). It first reached the ''Billboard'' chart on April 7, 1950 and lasted two weeks on the chart, peaking at number 29. The various versions of the song (combined, as was normal for ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'') reached number 4 on their Best-Selling Records chart. In the UK, there were contemporary cover versions released by

Bob and Alf Pearson Bob and Alf Pearson were an English musical variety double act, consisting of brothers Robert Alexander Pearson (15 August 1907 – 30 December 1985) and Alfred Vernon Pearson (15 June 1910 – 7 July 2012), who were mainly known for their singi ...

(as part of their medley "In Big Bits of Big Hits"), The Five Smith Brothers, Ted Ray and Kitty Bluett, Billy Ternent and his Orchestra (with vocals by Eva Beynon and

Bobby Breen Isadore Borsuk (November 4, 1927 – September 19, 2016), better known as Bobby Breen, was a Canadian-born American actor and singer. He was a popular male child singer during the 1930s and reached major popularity with film and radio appearanc ...

Joe Loss Joshua Alexander "Joe" Loss (22 June 1909 – 6 June 1990) was a British dance band leader and musician who founded his own eponymous orchestra. Life Loss was born in Spitalfields, London, the youngest of four children. His parents, Israel an ...

and his Orchestra, and

Donald Peers Donald Rhys Hubert Peers (10 July 1908 – 9 August 1973) was a Welsh people, Welsh singer of traditional pop. His best remembered rendition and signature song was "In a Shady Nook by a Babbling Brook". Biography Early life Donald Peers was b ...

. Ray and Bluett were playing a married couple in the

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...

comedy show ''

Ray's a Laugh ''Ray's a Laugh'' was a British BBC Radio comedy series starring Ted Ray (comedian), Ted Ray which ran from 1949 to 1961. According to latter-day historians of the era, the show was "hugely popular with the British public" and "one of the major ...

'' at the time. Their recording features lyrics adapted for British audiences, who may not have understood all the American references.

Recorded versions

and

(recorded January 4, 1950) *

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

and

Fran Warren Frances Wolff (March 4, 1926 – March 4, 2013), known professionally as Fran Warren, was an American singer.compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. It employs the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA) standard and was capable of hol ...

on the 2003 album ''

Let's Fall in Love "Let's Fall in Love" is a song written by Harold Arlen (music) and Ted Koehler (lyrics) for the film ''Let's Fall in Love (film), Let's Fall in Love'' and published in 1933. In the film, it is heard during the opening credits and later sung by ...

'' *

Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was a Canadian and American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racing, hydroplane racer whose unique "sweet jazz" style remained popular with audiences for nearly five decade ...

and his Royal Canadians (

and The Lombardo Trio) (recorded January 26, 1950) *

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in ''South Pacific (musica ...

and

(January 14, 1950) *

(as part of their medley "In Big Bits of Big Hits") on British

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...

* Ted Ray and Kitty Bluett (on British Columbia) *

Billy Cotton William Edward Cotton (6 May 1899 – 25 March 1969) was an English band leader and entertainer, one of the few whose orchestras survived the British dance band era. Cotton is now mainly remembered as a 1950s and 1960s radio and television ...

and

Kathie Kay Kathie Kay (born Kathleen Thornhill; 20 November 1918 – 9 March 2005) was a singer from Lincolnshire, known for her radio and television appearances in the '' Billy Cotton Band Show'' during the 1950s and 1960s. Her best known recordings are "We ...

on their 1961 album ''Bill and Kate'' *The Five Smith Brothers * Billy Ternent and his Orchestra (vocals by Eva Beynon and

) *

and his Orchestra *

*George Towne and his Orchestra (vocals by The Satisfyers) *Mary Ellen Quartet (Mary Ellen, Bob Scott and Quartet) The song was featured on the ''

Lawrence Welk Show ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1955 to ...

'', later available via

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

, entitled: "Do You Remember?"

Dennis Day Dennis Day (born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty; May 21, 1916 – June 22, 1988) was an American actor, comedian and singer. He was of Irish descent. Early life Day was born and raised in the Throggs Neck Clason Point section of Bronx in New Yor ...

performed a version on ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio and television comedy series. The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from 1950 to 1965 on television. It won numerous awards, including the 1959 and 19 ...

'' on April 9, 1950, with the final verse directed at "Jackie" instead of "dearie", reminiscing on the life of

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

, who chimes in with a very off-key "I'm thirty-nine" as the penultimate line.

References

{{authority control 1950 songs Songs with lyrics by Bob Hilliard Songs with music by David Mann (songwriter) Vocal duets Ethel Merman songs Jo Stafford songs Guy Lombardo songs