Charles William Murphy (14 February 1870 – 18 June 1913) was a prolific British composer of

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

and

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

tunes.

Biography

He was born William Murphy in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England.Lamb, Andrew. "C. W. Murphy, Edwardian Song Composer", ''The Call Boy'', Summer 2019, pp. 26-27 He started writing songs in the 1890s, including "Dancing to the Organ in the Mile End Road" (1893). Lyrics by C. W. Murphy, ''Monologues.co.uk''
Retrieved 4 September 2020 Another song, "Little Yellow-bird" (1903) (aka "Goodbye, Little Yellow Bird") written with lyricist William Hargreave, was first performed by

Ellaline Terriss Mary Ellaline Terriss, Lady Hicks (born Mary Ellaline Lewin, 13 April 1871 – 16 June 1971), known professionally as Ellaline Terriss, was a popular British actress and singer, best known for her performances in Edwardian musical comedies. Sh ...

. It can be seen performed by Scottish comedian Charlie Naughton in the 1938 film ''Alf's Button Afloat'' and by

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...

in the 1945 film ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical fiction, philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''Th ...

'' and again by Lansbury in the 1985 episode " Sing a Song of Murder" from her TV series ''

Murder, She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series f ...

''. With frequent collaborator Dan Lipton (1873–1935) Murphy also wrote both "She's a Lassie from Lancashire" (1907) and "My Girl's a Yorkshire Girl" (1908), the latter mentioned by

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

in his novel ''

Ulysses Ulysses is one form of the Roman name for Odysseus, a hero in ancient Greek literature. Ulysses may also refer to: People * Ulysses (given name), including a list of people with this name Places in the United States * Ulysses, Kansas * Ulysse ...

'' and also turned into a 1909 short sound film of the same name. Murphy is perhaps best known for the song "

Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly? "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?", with music and lyrics by C. W. Murphy and Will Letters (1908), is a British music hall song, originally titled "Kelly From the Isle of Man". The song concerns a Manx woman looking for her boyfriend during a visit ...

" with lyric by Will Letters, published in 1909. The song was written for

Florrie Forde Flora May Augusta Flannagan ( Flannagan; 16 August 187518 April 1940), known professionally as Florrie Forde, was an Australian popular singer and music hall entertainer. From 1897 she lived and worked in the United Kingdom. She was one of the ...

, and was a follow-up to another Murphy song written for Forde, "Oh, Oh, Antonio", a success the previous year. Forde regularly performed in the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

each summer, and "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" made reference to "Kelly from the Isle of Man" as being "as bad as old Antonio". The song was immediately successful, becoming "the rage all over England". In discussing the song, Murphy said: "To find a refrain which will go with a swing is the secret of success in popular song-writing for the general public... It must have a melody in which 'something sticks out', so to speak."Richard Anthony Baker, ''British Music Hall: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2014, , pp.114-115 The song reached the United States, where the lyrics were partly rewritten by William McKenna to set it in New York; it became a hit for

Nora Bayes Nora Bayes (born Rachel Eleonora "Dora" Goldberg; October 3, 1880March 19, 1928) was an American singer and vaudeville performer who was popular internationally between the 1900s and 1920s. She is credited with co-writing the song "Shine On, Har ...

. In 1926, "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" was made into an animated short of the same title directed by

Dave Fleischer Dave Fleischer (; July 14, 1894 – June 25, 1979) was an American film director and producer, best known as a co-owner of Fleischer Studios with his older brother Max Fleischer. He was a native of New York City. Biography Fleischer was the y ...

, and in 1928 into a feature film directed by

William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for ''Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), ''The Best Years of O ...

. The song was also performed in the 1943 film ''Hello Frisco, Hello''. Murphy and Letters wrote further songs for Forde including "Flanagan" (1910) with the refrain "Flanagan, Flanagan, take me to the Isle of Man again", alluding to Forde's real surname of Flanagan. Murphy also wrote several songs for Billy Williams, including "Put Me Amongst the Girls" (with Dan Lipton, 1908), as well as continuing to write for Florrie Forde songs including "Hold Your Hand Out, Naughty Boy" (with Worton David, 1913). Murphy died in the night of 18/19 June 1913 in

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England, at the age of 43. His name is sometimes given as Clarence Wainwright Murphy, apparently in error.. The notice of his probate gives his date of death as 19 June.

Peter Gammond Peter Gammond (30 September 1925 – 6 May 2019) was a British music critic, writer, journalist, musician, poet, and artist. Peter Gammond was born in Winnington, Northwich, Cheshire. The son of John Thomas Gammond (1892–1970), a clerk, an ...

wrote that "the life of Murphy is shrouded in silence, but the catchy songs he wrote have not perished".Peter Gammond, ''The Oxford Companion to Popular Music'', Oxford University Press, 1991, p.402,

Works

* Sole credit ** "Clara & Sarah" – 1897 ** "Baby Loo (How Can I Be Poor)" – 1898 ** "Hooligan's Canary" – 1898 ** "How Can I Be Poor?" – 1898 ** "How Can They Tell That Oi'm Oirish?" – 1898 ** "Kelly, the Car-man" – 1898 ** "Jane Magee" – 1898 ** "Everybody Loves You" – 1900 ** "Just the Same To-day" – 1900 ** "Mulligan's Motor-car" – 1900 ** "Just As Long As You Love Me" – 1901 ** "Dat Little Gal of Johnson's" – 1902 ** "I Did Feel Sorry" – 1902 ** "I Don't Want To Be A Honeysuckle" – 1902 ** "I Live in Trafalgar Square" – 1902 ** "If That Comes True" – 1902 ** "Mama's Little Sleepy-eyes!" – 1902 ** "Molly O'Malley" – 1902 ** "My Home is My Garden" – 1902 ** "The Coloured Millionaire" – 1902 ** "The Girl in the Panama" – 1902 ** "Hanging Mother's Picture on a Nail" – 1903 ** "The Giddy Little Isle of Man" – 1903 ** "Good-night, Little Girl" – 1904 ** "The Little Irish Postman" – 1904 ** "You Wish You Were A Girl" – 1904 ** "Welcome Home, Sailor Boy!" – 1905 ** "Betty, I'm Pining" – 1906 ** "Little Cloud with the Silv'ry Lining" – 1907 ** "My Chateau in Barcelona" – 1907 ** "The House, the Flat and the Bungalow" – 1907 ** "Alphonso, My Alphonso" – 1909 ** "Mum-mum-mum-Mary" – 1909 ** "Boss of the House" – 1910 ** "In Your Old Tam-O'-Shanter" – 1910 ** "The Kelly" – 1910 ** "O'Brien" – 1911 ** "Hogmanay" – 1912 ** "You Must Come Round on Saturday" – 1912 ** "We Must Have a Song about the Isle of Man" – 1912 * with Andrew N. Allen ** "Let's All Go into the Ballroom" – 1912 * with Walt Alwyn ** "Kicking Up a Row Like That" – 1900 * with George Arthurs ** "Making Up the Quarrel" – 1904 ** "Bashful!" – 1906 ** "Costumes, Gowns & Frocks" – 1907 ** "Fire! Fire! Fire!" – 1907 ** "Firelight" – 1907 ** "Get It Over!" – 1907 ** "Put Me Amongst the Girls" – 1907 ** "Don't Be Ridiculous, Nicholas!" – 1908 ** "I Could Get Along So Nicely With You" – 1908 ** "I'm Not Looking for a Beautiful Girl" – 1908 ** "I've Been Fishing for Pearls" – 1908 * with Edgar Bateman ** "Mrs. Carter" – 1900 ** "The Garden Filled With Gold" – 1904 ** "Dear Little Shadow" – 1905 ** "It's Our Silver Wedding" – 1907 * with

Harry Castling Henry Castling (19 April 1865 – 26 December 1933) was an English lyricist of music hall songs. Biography Castling was born in Newington, London, the son of a street musician. He began writing songs in the 1890s, often collaborating on both ...

** "

Let's All Go Down the Strand "Let's All Go Down the Strand" is a popular British music hall song of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, written by Harry Castling and C. W. Murphy. It was first performed by Castling, and was published in 1909. It was inspired by the S ...

" – 1904 ** "Good-Night, Number One!" – 1905 ** "Hello, Little Girl! Who Are You?" – 1905 ** "It's the Best World We've Ever Seen" – 1905 ** "Little Glow-worm!" – 1905 ** "Bangalore" – 1906 ** "Barbados" – 1906 ** "Farewell, New York!" – 1906 ** "If Your Hair Were Not So Curly" – 1906 ** "Rowing To Hampton Court" – 1907 ** "I Would Still Love You" – 1908 ** "Meet Me, Jenny, When the Sun Goes Down" – 1908 ** "Pull Yourselves Together, Girls" – 1909 ** "The Girl in the Clogs and Shawl" – 1909 (cited in

E. M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly ''A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stori ...

's novel, ''

A Passage to India ''A Passage to India'' is a 1924 novel by English author E. M. Forster set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. It was selected as one of the 100 great works of 20th century English litera ...

'') ** "The Singer Was Irish" – 1910 ** "Have a Banana!" – 1910 ** "I'm the Man That Buried Flanagan" – 1911 ** "We All Go the Same Way Home" – 1911 * with Charles Collins ** "Come and Hear Him Play His Oom-Tera-Ra" – 1909 ** "On the Same Place Every Time" – 1910 * with

Worton David Ernest Worton David (17 October 1872 – 15 November 1940) was an English songwriter and music publisher. Biography Worton David was born in Rawmarsh, near Rotherham in the West Riding of Yorkshire; Worton was his mother's maiden name. At fi ...

** "Have You Heard John James O'Hara?" – 1911 ** "Follow The Footsteps in the Snow" – 1912 ** "They're All Single by the Seaside" – 1911 ** "Hold Your Hand Out You Naughty Boy" – 1914 ** "Keep Your Head Down, Fritzi Boy (We Saw You)" – 1918 * with Charles Deane ** "All Have A Dinner With Me" – 1893 * with W. Farrell ** "Irish As She's Spoken" – 1893 * with Albert Hall ** "Still His Whiskers Grew" – ? ** "Maggie Marney" – 1894 ** "Oh Where is My Wandering Boy To-Night?" – 1894 ** "A Glorious Sprig of Shamrock for Your Coat" – 1900 ** "The Baby's Name" – 1900 ** "My Blind Norah" – 1901 * with W. Hargreaves ** "Little Yellow-bird" – 1903 * with

Fred W. Leigh William Frederick Bridgen (1871 – 21 August 1924), known professionally as Fred W. Leigh, was an English lyricist who co-wrote several popular music hall songs of the early twentieth century, Biography Born in London, he worked when young i ...

** "Dominic McCue" – 1906 ** "Goo-Goo Land" – 1908 * with Will Letters ** "

" – 1908 ** "The Kelly Two-Step" – 1909 ** "Flanagan" – 1910 ** "Hi, Hi, Hi, Mr. McKie" – 1911 * with Dan Lipton ** "Don't Tell the World Your Troubles" – ? ** "If I Had A Girl As Nice As You" – ? ** "Run, Run, You Little Ones (Sweep! Sweep! Sweep!)" - 1904 ** "The Ugly Duckling" – 1904 ** "Go Away Mr. Crocodile" – 1904 ** "Bombombay" – 1905 ** "Ain't Yer Gwin Ter Say 'How Do?'" – 1906 ** "As I Stand by the Old Church Door" – 1906 ** "It is the Scarecrow" – 1906 ** "Put Me Amongst The Girls" – 1907 ** "My Girl's A Yorkshire Girl" – 1908 ** "Oh, Oh Antonio" – 1908 ** "Take Me Back to the Isle of Man!" – 1908 ** "I Only Got Married To-Day" – 1909 ** "I'll Be Cross, Arabella" – 1909 ** "Plink Plonk, Or: The Skin of a Spanish Onion" – 1909 ** "We Don't Want More Daylight" – 1909 ** "I Shall Sulk" – 1910 ** "Shirts" – 1910 ** "The First Time That I've Been in Love" – 1910 ** "We'll Treat You like One of Our Own" – 1910 ** "No Wonder I Look Jolly" – 1911 ** "You Must All Do as I Do" – 1912 ** "Beautiful, Beautiful Bed" – 1915 ** "Bed, Wonderful Bed" – 1915 * with Dan Lipton and Magini ** "I Wonder What It Feels Like To Be Poor" – 1920 * with Dan Lipton and John Neat ** "She's A Lassie from Lancashire" – 1907 * with Dan Lipton and Hugh Owen ** "I've a Garden in Sweden" – 1907 ** "If You Were The Only Girl on Earth" – 1908 * with Hugh Owen ** "Don't Throw Stones at Other People's Windows" – 1907 * with George A. Stephens ** "I'm the Best Pal I've Ever Had!" – 1908 * with R.P. Weston and F.J. Barnes ** "I Don't Like Your Stovepipe Hat" – 1907

Biography

Works

References

External links