Delilah

Question

Hi! Can anyone please tell me the origin of the song "My my my Delilah"? Is it an English or a Welsh song? Irish maybe? Please, reliable sources only. Thanks!

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Hi! Can anyone please tell me the origin of the song "My my my Delilah"? Is it an English or a Welsh song? Irish maybe? Please, reliable sources only. Thanks![/nq]
It is attributed to "Mason/Reed", I've no idea who they were, but if they were specifically Welsh or English, it doesn't show in the text. It could be just as easily Canadian, American (best bet), Australian or New Zealand.
Paul Burke

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[nq:2]Hi! Can anyone please tell me the origin of the ... a Welsh song? Irish maybe? Please, reliable sources only. Thanks![/nq]
[nq:1]It is attributed to "Mason/Reed", I've no idea who they were, but if they were specifically Welsh or English, it doesn't show in the text. It could be just as easily Canadian, American (best bet), Australian or New Zealand.[/nq]
Doesn't anyone know how to use Google? The words are by British songwriter Barry Mason (although his ex-wife claims to have co-written) and the music by Les Reed (b.1935), also British, who is primarily a composer and arranger. Together and separately, they have churned out pop pap hits since the 1960s. Rather depressingly, they are both still working.
John Briggs

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[nq:1]Hi! Can anyone please tell me the origin of the song "My my my Delilah"?Is it an English or a Welsh song? Irish maybe? Please, reliable sources only. Thanks![/nq]
Lyrics by John Barry Mason, music by Leslie David Reed.

They also wrote "Who's Dr. Who" which was sung by Frazer Hines who played Jamie McCrimmon in Dr.Who, who was definitely a Scot. Hines played football with Mason, so they are/were almost certainly British.
First made popular by a Welshman (Tom Jones) but I prefer the Scottish version by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band.

There's also a song with similar lyrics by Queen, see http://www.lyriczz.com/lyriczz.php?songid=6814

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Hi! Can anyone please tell me the origin of the ... a Welsh song? Irish maybe? Please, reliable sources only. Thanks![/nq]
[nq:1]It is attributed to "Mason/Reed", I've no idea who they were, but if they were specifically Welsh or English, it doesn't show in the text. It could be just as easily Canadian, American (best bet), Australian or New Zealand.[/nq]
Barry Mason appears to be British. I'm not sure about Leslie Reed.

http://www.britishacademy.com/members/mason.htm

Barry is one of our leading songwriters, with countless gold and platinum awards for works including such songs as 'Love Grows', 'The Last Waltz', 'Here It Comes Again', 'Les Bicyclettes de Belsize', 'There Goes My First Love' and, of course, 'Delilah'. Barry's songs have been covered by Tom Jones, David Essex, Englebert Humperdink, The Drifters, Rod Stewart, Petula Clark, Perry Como, Elvis Presley, The Fortunes, Charles Aznavour and Barbra Streisand.
His one man show, 'Remember Delilah', delights audiences around the world, with his anecdotes of the stories behind his and other composers' songs.

He has received five Ivor Novello Awards, the last in 1998 being the coveted Jimmy Kennedy Award, in the gift of the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters.
Barry continues to serve the Academy and is currently writing with Michel Legrand.

Peter Duncanson
UK
(posting from u.c.l.e)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]It is attributed to "Mason/Reed", I've no idea who they ... as easily Canadian, American (best bet), Australian or New Zealand.[/nq]
[nq:1]Barry Mason appears to be British. I'm not sure about Leslie Reed. http://www.britishacademy.com/members/mason.htm[/nq]
The soi-disant 'British Academy of Composers & Songwriters' should not, of course, be confused with the British Academy:
http://www.britac.ac.uk/

John Briggs

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Thanks everyone, it's been very helpful!

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Peter Duncanson wrote in uk.culture.language.english on Thu, 05 May
2005 11:18:51 +0100 MID(Email Removed):
[nq:1]Barry continues to serve the Academy and is currently writing with Michel Legrand.[/nq]
Ah, Big Mick. Wondered what he was doing now.

baby-sitter
- one who mounts guard over a baby to
relieve the usual attendant
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

Delilah

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