THROWBACK THURSDAY: Songs Tiny Taught Us

Tiny Tim from his debut album God Bless Tiny Tim

Whatever you say about Herbert Boutros Khaury, better known as Tiny Tim, you have to admit that the man knew a lot about old popular songs, especially those from the the first three or four decades of the 20th  Century.

Below are a bunch of Tiny's songs as done by the original -- or at least much earlier -- artists. All but one of the following were on Tiny's first album, God Bless Tiny Tim.

Tiny loved these tunes and so do I.

"Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight" was written by a couple of guys named Al (Sherman and Lewis) for the 1930 movie, The Big Pond, which starred Maurice Chevalier. Tiny Tim was exposed, so to speak, to whole new generation when his version was used in the very first episode of Spongebob Squarepants.

But Maurice did a good job too.



I once saw Ozzie Nelson sing a version of "Out on the Old Front Porch" on some late-night talk show. I think it was on Joey Bishop' show. Maybe Harriet was there too, I don't remember. But this one goes way back to at least 1913 when Billy Murray did it as a duet with Ada Jones.

Tiny of course didn't do a duet. He sang all the parts himself, including the angry father.



Tiny did a pretty warped cover of  "On the Good Ship Lollipop" on his first appearance on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.  He also recorded it for his 1969 children's album For All My Little Friends. 

The original version, of course, was by America's little friend, Shirley Temple, who sang in in her 1934 movie Bright Eyes.



Tiny reached way far back for "Then I'd Be Satisfied with Life," 1903 to be exact. It was written by George M. Cohan, the same guy who wrote "You're a Grand Old Flag" and "Over There." This version is by S.H. Dudley.

One major change Tiny made in his version.  Dudley wants "an heiress" for his wife. But Tiny wants Tuesday Weld!



And Tiny also did a little number called "Tiptoe Through the Tulips." Here is the original, as performed by Nick Lucas, the Crooning Troubadour, in the movie Gold Diggers of Broadway.

Tiny Tim's brief brush with fame even got Lucas a spot on The Tonight Show in 1969.




Here is my Wacky Wednesday post from a few months ago about the time Camper Van Beethoven played with Tiny Tim.