Daisy Bell

"Bicycle Built for Two" redirects here. For the multi-rider bicycle, see Tandem bicycle.

"Daisy Bell"
Song
Released	1892
Composer	Harry Dacre

"Daisy Bell" is a popular song with the well-known chorus "Daisy, Daisy/Give me your answer do/I'm half crazy/all for the love of you" as well as the line "...a bicycle built for two".

History

"Daisy Bell" was composed by Harry Dacre in 1892. As David Ewen writes in American Popular Songs^[1]

When Dacre, an English popular composer, first came to the United States, he brought with him a bicycle, for which he was charged duty. His friend (songwriter William Jerome) remarked lightly: 'It's lucky you didn't bring a bicycle built for two, otherwise you'd have to pay double duty.' Dacre was so taken with the phrase 'bicycle built for two' that he decided to use it in a song. That song, Daisy Bell, first became successful in a London music hall, in a performance by Katie Lawrence. Tony Pastor was the first one to sing it in the United States. Its success in America began when Jennie Lindsay brought down the house with it at the Atlantic Gardens on the Bowery early in 1892.

Memorable performances

In 1961, the IBM 7094 became the first computer to sing, singing the song Daisy Bell.^[2] Vocals were programmed by John Kelly and Carol Lochbaum and the accompaniment was programmed by Max Mathews. This performance was the inspiration for the famous scene in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey in which the HAL 9000 computer sings the song as it is deactivated.^[3]

Phoebe's old teacher Mr. Archibald Seedplot sings the song on his way to Walker Elementary while riding a bicycle in the Magic School Bus episode "Goes to Seed".^[4]

In the 1950 Disney animated short film "Crazy Over Daisy",^[5] Donald Duck courts Daisy Duck on a tandem bicycle and sings part of the song.

In April 1975, the Homebrew Computer Club held their fourth meeting at the Peninsula School in Menlo Park, California. Steve Dompier played "Fool on the Hill" and "Daisy Bell" using an Altair 8800 and a radio.^[6]

Apple's iPhone assistant, Siri, repeats part of the chorus when prompted to sing a song.

Lyrics

There is a flower within my heart,

Daisy, Daisy,

Planted one day by a glancing dart,

Planted by Daisy Bell.

Whether she loves me or loves me not

Sometimes it's hard to tell,

And yet I am longing to share the lot

Of beautiful Daisy Bell.

Chorus:

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do,

I'm half crazy all for the love of you.

It won't be a stylish marriage -

I can't afford a carriage,

But you'd look sweet on the seat

Of a bicycle built for two.

We will go tandem as man and wife,

Daisy, Daisy,

Ped'ling away down the road of life,

I and my Daisy Bell.

When the road's dark, we can both despise

P'licemen and lamps as well.

There are bright lights in the dazzling eyes

Of beautiful Daisy Bell.

(Chorus)

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do...

I will stand by you in wheel or woe

Daisy, Daisy,

You'll be the bell which I'll ring you know

Sweet little Daisy Bell

You'll take the lead on each trip we take

Then if I don't do well

I will permit you to use the brake

beautiful Daisy Bell

(Chorus)

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do...

Variations and "Answers-songs"

The song has entered the folk tradition, giving rise to a number of "answer-song" versions consisting of only two choruses—the original, then another in which Daisy refuses her suitor. The most common answer-song chorus ^[7] appears to predate the advent of the motorcar, as it refers to a carriage. The rejected suitor's name varies but is often given as Harry—the name of the author of the original song.

The lyrics to the answer song are:

Harry, Harry

Here is my answer true.

I can't cycle, for I get black and blue.

If you can't afford a carriage

There won't be any marriage.

For I'll be switched if I'll be hitched

On a bicycle built for two.

Another variant is:

Michael, Michael

Here is my answer true.

I'm not crazy

All for the love of you.

If you cannot afford a carriage

There won't be any marriage.

'Cause I'll be damned

If I'll get crammed

On a bicycle built for two!

and another one:

Dear sir, Dear sir

Listen to my heart do!

I am crazy and deeply in love with you

I don't need a fancy carriage

only a formal marriage

Let us ride soon to the honeymoon

In our bycicle built for two

Additional answer-song versions circulate, some of which are clearly more modern.^[8]

(Below, ending of the Edward M. Favor version); This version, with music arranged for barbershop quartet, is available on the Internet.^[9]

I will stand by you in "wheel" or woe

Daisy, Daisy

You'll be the bell(e) which I'll ring you know

Sweet little Daisy Bell

You'll take the lead in each trip we take

Then if I don't do well

I will permit you to use the brake

My beautiful Daisy Bell.

References

1. ^ Ewen, David (1966). American Popular Songs. Random House. ISBN 0394417054. 
2. ^ National Recording Registry Adds 25 - The Library Today (Library of Congress)
3. ^ Background: Bell Labs Text-to-Speech Synthesis
4. ^ YouTube - The Magic School Bus "Goes to Seed" Part 2 of 2
5. ^ Description on Disneyshorts.org Web site
6. ^ Ichbiah, Daniel; Knepper, Susan (1991). The Making of Microsoft: How Bill Gates and His Team Created the World's Most Successful Software Company. Prima Lifestyles. ISBN 1559582251. ; cited in Polsson, Ken. "Chronology of Personal Computers". http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/comphist/comp1975.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-30. 
7. ^ The common answer-song version
8. ^ Lyrics of a number of variant answer-song versions
9. ^ Edward M. Favor version, lyrics and music arranged for barbershop quarted^{[dead link]}

External links

• Lyrics with .midi on National Institutes of Health website
• The Daisy Bell Page (compiled by Chris Komuves)
• Works of Edward M. Favor, including an 1894 recording of "Daisy Bell" (MP3)
• Page featuring a recording of "Daisy Bell" sung and played by IBM computers at Bell Laboratories in the early 1960s
• The free score on www.traditional-songs.com