The film would open in New York two days later and start playing in theaters around the rest of the country in September. So, unless you're British, I guess today would be Alice in Wonderland's UN-birthday.
Let's celebrate by going down the rabbit hole and playing some Alice-related songs, starting with this sappy little 1963 schlock-rock hit from Neil Sedaka:
Of course, I prefer this 1954 R&B ode to one of the most beloved characters in Alice, "Tweedle Dee." (The song mentions his brother "Tweedle Dum," as well as another Disney character, Jimminy Cricket:
Five decades later, Bob Dylan would honor both brothers with "Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum." Here we learn the sad and bitter fate of the two ("Tweedle-Dee Dee is a lowdown, sorry old man / Tweedle-Dee Dum, he'll stab you where you stand") Here's the song from Dylan's 2001 album Love & Theft:
Of course if you want to know the best-known Alice song you'll have to go ask Grace, Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane, that is. Here's a worthy cover version of that from another San Francisco-area band, Shannon & The Clams, who recorded it in 2012.
So happy (un)birthday, Alice. You're always welcome on this blog, because, as they say, we're all mad here!
