Lyric by Lorenz Hart
Music by Richard Rodgers (1937)
lyrics
Behold the way my fine feathered friend
His virtue doth parade
Thou knowest not, my dim-witted friend,
The picture thou hast made
Thy vacant brow and thy tousled hair
Conceal thy good intent
Thou noble, upright, truthful, sincere
And slightly dopey gent
You're my funny Valentine
Sweet, comic Valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable
Un-photographable
Yet, you're my favorite work of art
Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little weak?
When you open it to speak, are you smart?
But don't change a hair for me,
Not if you care for me
Stay little Valentine, stay
Each day is Valentine's Day.
Hart loathed his body. Just under 5', with a large head, he was almost dwarf-like. Gay when the closet was obligatory, through the years alcohol became his refuge. His lyrics with Rodgers melodies elevated the Tin Pan Alley output of the day, beginning with 1925's "Manhattan", the song which launched both brilliant careers. Known as a generous, sensitive, compassionate man, for 24 years he wrote urbane, witty, poetic rhymes, sometimes with the poignancy of his personal unhappiness barely concealed. After he was gone, Rodgers said of the day they met, "In one afternoon I found a career, a partner, a best friend and a permanent irritation." Having drunk himself into oblivion, Hart died of pneumonia, acquired through exposure to the bitter cold of a New York city street, on November 22, l943 at age 48.
No Strings is a Mother/Son duo recording a wide variety of original songs, jazz standards, rock/pop/country/folk songs +
spoken word presentations.
Upcoming ME-related Shows:
4/26...Cedarbrook
4/27...Tower PorchFest (w/ Tony Imperatrice, Chris Janzen Trio, Blake Jones, Chelsea Jones, Ruth and the Kernel)
4/29...Oakwood Gardens
4/30...Nazareth House
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