“Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” is a song written and recorded by James Brown. Released as a two-part single in 1965, it was Brown’s first song to reach the Bilboard Top Ten, peaking at number eight, and was a number-one R&B hit, topping the charts for eight weeks. It won Brown his first Grammy. Consolidating the rhythmic innovations of earlier James Brown , “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” is considered seminal in the emergence of funk music as a distinct style. As Brown sings the praises of an old man brave enough to get out on the dance floor of a nightclub (“brand new bag” meaning new interest, taste, or way of doing something), his band provides a horn-heavy backdrop with a prominent rhythm and an electric guitar riff for a hook. Both singer and musicians place overwhelming emphasis on the first beat of each measure (“on the One”). The song is Brown’s first recording to feature Jimmy Nolen on guitar. The taped recording of “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” was edited and sped up for its single release, increasing the tempo and raising the pitch by a half step.
“Following Father’s Footsteps” is a song written by E.W. Rogers and published by Francis, Day & Hunter of London, copyright 1902. It was sung by Vesta Tilley, and might be classified as a novelty song because Vesta Tilley was the pre-eminent male impersonator of her day. Though English by birth, she was equally well known on both sides of the Atlantic. Vesta recorded her song on Edison Gold Moulded Record, in 1906, a copy of this is held by the University Of California Santa Barbara Cylinder Preservation And Digitization Project. To follow in father’s footsteps is a cliché which means to take up the same trade or pastime as one’s father, something that is very common in music and the arts generally.
“O mio babbino caro” (“Oh my dear Papa”) is a soprano aria from the opera Gianni Schicchi (1918) by Giacomo Puccini to a libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. It is sung by Lauretta after tensions between her father Schicchi and the family of Rinuccio, the boy she loves, have reached a breaking point that threatens to separate her from Rinuccio. It provides an interlude expressing lyrical simplicity and love in contrast with the atmosphere of hypocrisy, jealousy, double-dealing, and feuding in medieval Florence. It provides the only set-piece in the opera. The aria was first performed at the premiere of Gianni Schicchi in December 1918 at the MetropolitanOpera in New York by the popular Edwardian English soprano Florence Easton. It has been sung by many sopranos. Dame Joan Hammond won a Gold Record in 1969 for 1 million sold copies of this aria.
“Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” is a song originally performed by Motown recording act The Undisputed Truth in 1972, though it became much better known after a Grammy-award winning cover by The Temptations was issued later the same year. “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” was written by Whitfield and Strong in 1971. In 1972, Whitfield cut a different version of the song, turning it into a 12-minute track for the Temptations. This version was included on their 1972 album All Directions. The edited 7″ single release of this Temptations track was issued in September 1972, and this version was a number-one hit on the Billboard and won three Grammy Awards in 1973. While the original Undisputed Truth version of the song has been largely forgotten, the Temptations’ version of the song has been regarded as an enduring and influential soul classic. The full-length album version was ranked number 169 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, one of the group’s three songs on the list.
When Father Papered the Parlour is a popular song, written and composed by R P Weston and Fred J Barnes.in 1910. Recorded in 1911, Billy Williams performs ‘When Father Papered the Parlour’, This recording was one of hundreds that Williams made on wax cylinder and disc. His music enjoyed commercial success and would have most certainly been played in homes across England in the early 20th century. This would have been one of his biggest hits. Born in Australia, Williams (1878–1915) found fame in England after his move in 1899, and collaborated extensively with prolific songwriter Fred Godfrey. He became known for his vaudeville, pantomime and music hall performances.
I am including a live version by Music Hall aficionado Roy Hudd, who sang it in a broadcast of The Good Old Days from the Variety Theatre in Leeds in July 1981.
