Terms Which Have Disappeared

[LizzieMaine]

There's always the story of Slim Galliard and Slam Stewart's 1937 fad hit "Flat Foot Floogie," which, as the legend goes, was supposedly black street slang for a prostitute suffering from one of Cupid's diseases. Slim and Slam performed the song on Rudy Vallee's variety hour, it became a national craze, and those dumb ofays never realized what was all really all about.

Whether that's true or not, you be the judge. The song itself is a series of nonsense syllables, which could be interpreted any number of ways, in the same vein as "Ce-ment Mixer Putti-Putti" a decade later.

On the other hand, there is only one possible way to interpret Fats Waller's 1939 recording of "Come and Get It." "I don't want no turtle-dovin', I gotta get myself some booty!"

 

[rjb1]

Speaking of nonsense syllables, back in the Rock-and-Roll days the song "Louie, Louie" was supposed to be incredibly "dirty" even though no one could understand a word of it, except "Louie, Louie". The urban legend at the time was that the song, or the people singing it, were investigated by the FBI.
The follow-on from that, which will be amusing to the people on this forum, is that on a recent PBS membership-drive program of Rock-and-Roll music, they had a voice-over narration before the "Louie, Louie" performance mentioning the supposed FBI investigation. The hilarious part of that is that as the voice-over was going on, they had a picture of *Herbert* Hoover on the screen. (The sad part is that 99% of the people probably didn't know that it was the wrong Hoover - or even who the picture actually was.)

 

[p51]

Anyone other than a few of us outdoorsy types still use the word "skookum"? Old native (Athabaskan mebbe??). Means something is first rate, top shelf, really good!

I the Pacific NW, Skookum refers to an evil spirit or haunting, NOT good at all! And yes, it's still in use...

 

[p51]

Amazing how two simple words could change so radically in just one generation!

How about the use of 'Queer' and 'Gay'... obviously they had totally different connotations in the 30s.

 

[Renault]

I the Pacific NW, Skookum refers to an evil spirit or haunting, NOT good at all! And yes, it's still in use...

Totally the opposite with all my buds in BC , Alaska, and Montana! Quite funny!

 

[Renault]

I the Pacific NW, Skookum refers to an evil spirit or haunting, NOT good at all! And yes, it's still in use...

Totally the opposite with all my buds in BC , Alaska, and Montana! Quite funny!

Decided to go to Wikipedia! Chinook Jargon. Means both! We always used it in the good, strong, robust sense.

 

[Benny Holiday]

I was hep to most of the double entendres in jazz/r'n'b/rock'n'roll for years but one went over my head until I heard my favourite blues shouter Wynonie Harris sing the lyric. I'd always taken "I love to hear my baby call my name" as an innocent-enough phrase until I dug Wynonie singing the follow-up line in Wynonie's Blues:"I love to hear my baby scream my name." Then the penny dropped . . .

 

[tonyb]

I was hep to most of the double entendres in jazz/r'n'b/rock'n'roll for years but one went over my head until I heard my favourite blues shouter Wynonie Harris sing the lyric. I'd always taken "I love to hear my baby call my name" as an innocent-enough phrase until I dug Wynonie singing the follow-up line in Wynonie's Blues:"I love to hear my baby scream my name." Then the penny dropped . . .

My scalawag brother's first two ex-wives had the same first name. That happy coincidence surely averted an awkward event or several, not to mention money at the tattoo parlor.

 

[F. J.]

The original's worse . . .

[...]
My absolute favorite example of the naivety (or whatever you want to call it) of the fresh scrubbed era is Bill Haley's "Shake, Rattle, and Roll". The censors sure didn't have a clue, and if someone told me Haley didn't either, I wouldn't have a hard time believing it.

Actually, that is the *clean* version. The song's original lyrics, as recorded by Big Joe Turner, were quite explicit, and had to be cleaned up before Haley covered it.

 

[Stearmen]

My Daddy Rocks Me (with one steady roll) 1922 Trixie Smith. [video=youtube;nzVCFiyCsoc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzVCFiyCsoc[/video]

 

[Stearmen]

You mean as in Holy Roller?

That could be where that phrase came from.

 

[p51]

Actually, that is the *clean* version. The song's original lyrics, as recorded by Big Joe Turner, were quite explicit, and had to be cleaned up before Haley covered it.

Sounds like Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti". His original version had some seriously non-radio-friendly lyrics. If it wasn't for Dorothy LaBostrie's re-write of all the lyrics, we wouldn't have that song today. In her later years, she gloated the Little Richard didn't write any part of the recorded version of that song.

 

[Veronica T]

 

[dh66]

Is this why my grandmother told me my parents found me under a cabbage leaf?

 

[John Galt]

The other day - and this is how I remember terms for this thread - as I saw something in an old movie (an unkept little girl) a term popped into my head, she's a "ragamuffin." I remember it always being used to reference a messy, unkept, not neat kid. I have not heard that one in decades.

Just read this. My grandmother used to say this a lot.

 

[John Galt]

Actually, that is the *clean* version. The song's original lyrics, as recorded by Big Joe Turner, were quite explicit, and had to be cleaned up before Haley covered it.

Many of Big Joe's lyrics were pretty racy. Most of the blues shouters were. Wynonie Harris is another example. This music was pre-Bobby Sock era and was made for an adult audience.

 

[John Galt]

I was hep to most of the double entendres in jazz/r'n'b/rock'n'roll for years but one went over my head until I heard my favourite blues shouter Wynonie Harris sing the lyric. I'd always taken "I love to hear my baby call my name" as an innocent-enough phrase until I dug Wynonie singing the follow-up line in Wynonie's Blues:"I love to hear my baby scream my name." Then the penny dropped . . .

I really enjoy Wynonie - he's got a great sense of humor too. Rock, Mr. Blues!

 

[John Galt]

Speaking of nonsense syllables, back in the Rock-and-Roll days the song "Louie, Louie" was supposed to be incredibly "dirty" even though no one could understand a word of it, except "Louie, Louie". The urban legend at the time was that the song, or the people singing it, were investigated by the FBI.
The follow-on from that, which will be amusing to the people on this forum, is that on a recent PBS membership-drive program of Rock-and-Roll music, they had a voice-over narration before the "Louie, Louie" performance mentioning the supposed FBI investigation. The hilarious part of that is that as the voice-over was going on, they had a picture of *Herbert* Hoover on the screen. (The sad part is that 99% of the people probably didn't know that it was the wrong Hoover - or even who the picture actually was.)

I had always wondered if the Louie Louie referred to the statue of Louie Pasteur of 4:20 fame, but it was too early to be a drug reference. The Wickipedia page says it was partly inspired by Chuck Berry's "Havana Moon" (which I was coincidentally listening to earlier today) which tells a similar story, is somewhat similar lyrically.

 

[tmal]

I was listening to OTR the other day and Molly said, "T'aint funny Mcgee." I remembered that way back in the 50's and even into the 60's my mother used to occasionally say that. I have not heard it since, the late 60's I suppose.

 

[Fading Fast]

Growing up, I remember the older people referring to a foolish or silly / stupid person as a nincompoop, but as a kid in the late 60s / early 70s, I'd never use the term nor did my friends. It already seemed dated by then and I don't think I've heard it used in decades.