Shirley Bassey - Johnny One Note / I've Never Been A Woman Before (1973 TV Special)

1978 (All About Shirley TV Special) Shirley recorded and released 'Johnny One Note' on her 1966 LP titled, 'Shirley Bassey - I've Got A Song For You'. ABOUT Johnny One Note: "Johnny One Note" is a 1937 show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes in Arms, where it was introduced by Wynn Murrary. Judy Garland sang it in the film version, released in 1939. The musical contained more great songs Shirley Bassey has also performed: "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Where Or When" and "My Funny Valentine". The 'Babes In Arms' story is about a group of vaudevillians who want to revive their old fashioned form of entertainement by doing a roadshow. "Johnny One Note" is sung as a bedtimestory. A kind of fairy tale about a very ego-centred singer who is so very loud that nobody can hear the soprano. This lady singer asks her godmother to put a spell on Johnny, so that the next time he wants to impress everybody by holding his note as long as possible he has to held it forever. Shirley Bassey wrote about "Johnny One Note": I don't always recognize the right songs for me the first time I hear them. For a long time I was asked to do 'Johnny One Note', but I couldn't do it for many, many years. Then one day Eddie Fisher's musical director just sat at the piano and said, 'This is a good song for you', and started playing 'Johnny One Note'. The way he played it, I got so excited, but I said 'I can't do this song'. 'Why not?' he asked. 'Well, when I was discovered, the girl whose place I took in the show, she had a big hit with this song and I've never been able to touch this song.' 'Well, try it,' he said. And I was amazed when I opened my mouth: this voice came out singing this song as though it was mine. So, after all those years - it was about ten years, I believe - when we actually got down to it, it was a piece of cake. LYRICS: Johnny could only sing one note And the note he sang was this: aaaahh Poor Johnny One Note Sang out with Gusto A nd just overloaded the place Poor Johnny One Note Yelled willy-nilly Until he was blue in the face For holding one note was his ace Couldn't hear the brass Couldn't hear the drum He was in a class By himself, by gum Poor Johnny One Note Got in Aida indeed a great chance to be brave He took his one note Howled like the North Wind Brought forth wind that made critics rave While Verdi turned round in his grave Couldn't hear the flute Or the big trombone Everyone was mute Johnny stood alone Cats and dogs stopped yapping Lions in the zoo Were all jealous of Johnny's big thrill Thunderclaps stopped clapping Traffic ceased its roar And they tell us Niag'ra stood still He stopped the trainwistles Boatwhistles Steamwhistles Copwhistles All whistles bowed to his skill Sing Johnny One Note Sing out with gusto And just overwhelm all the crowd Aaaahh So sing, Johnny One Note out loud Sing, Johnny One Note Sing - Johnny - One Note - Out loud ABOUT the song, I've Never Been A Woman Before: The song, I've Never Been A Woman Before, was recorded and released on Shirley's 1972 LP titled, 'I Capricorn' LYRICS: You touched me in the sun I somehow knew I'd been the only one How wonderful the moment When the boy became a man You warmed me in the night And you taught me How to feel But it all would seem unreal to try And go back there again We walked away from time I'd like to keep the moment That was mine I'd like to touch the man I met just once Before I go Oh I've been to many places And I've opened every door I've done everything a girl could do and more But I've never been a woman before No, I've never been a woman before... ABOUT the co-songwriter, Ronald N Miller: Ronald Norman Miller (c. 1933 - July 23, 2007 was an American popular songwriter and record producer, who attained many Top 10 hits with ballads written for Motown artists in the 1960s and 1970s. Miller was born in Chicago and was discovered playing in a bar by Motown founder Berry Gordy. He penned a number of songs for Stevie Wonder, including four hit singles, in the period prior to 1971 when Wonder took control of his own recordings. Miller died Monday, July 23, 2007 of cardiac arrest at Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center after a long battle with emphysema and cancer. LYRICS: You touched me in the sun I somehow knew I'd been the only one How wonderful the moment When the boy became a man You warmed me in the night And you taught me How to feel But it all would seem unreal to try And go back there again We walked away from time I'd like to keep the moment That was mine I'd like to touch the man I met just once Before i go Oh i've been to many places And i've opened every door I've done everything a girl could do and more But i've never been a woman before No, i've never been a woman before.......