"Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)" is a song written in 1892 by British songwriter

Harry Dacre Harry Dacre, the pen-name of Frank Dean (September 1857–16 July 1922), was a British songwriter best known for his composition " Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built For Two)". Biography Dean was born on the Isle of Man, where he was baptised on 6 Sept ...

with the well-known chorus "Daisy, Daisy / Give me your answer, do. / I'm half crazy / all for the love of you", ending with the words "a bicycle built for two". The song is said to have been inspired by

Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick Frances Evelyn "Daisy" Greville, Countess of Warwick (''née'' Maynard; 10 December 1861 – 26 July 1938) was a British socialite and philanthropist. Although embedded in late-Victorian British high society, she was also a campaigning socialis ...

, one of the many mistresses of King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

. It is the earliest song sung using computer

speech synthesis Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal langua ...

by the

IBM 7094 The IBM 7090 is a second-generation transistorized version of the earlier IBM 709 vacuum tube mainframe computer that was designed for "large-scale scientific and technological applications". The 7090 is the fourth member of the IBM 700/7000 se ...

in 1961, a feat that was referenced in the film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968).

History

"Daisy Bell" was composed by

in 1892. As David Ewen writes in ''American Popular Songs'': The song was originally recorded and released by

Dan W. Quinn Daniel William Quinn ( 1859 – November 7, 1938) was an American tenor. He was one of the first American singers to become popular in the new medium of recorded music. Quinn was a very successful recording artist whose career spanned from 1892 ...

in 1893.

In technology and popular culture

Computing and technology

* In 1961, an

Bell Labs Nokia Bell Labs, commonly referred to as ''Bell Labs'', is an American industrial research and development company owned by Finnish technology company Nokia. With headquarters located in Murray Hill, New Jersey, Murray Hill, New Jersey, the compa ...

was programmed to sing "Daisy Bell" in the earliest demonstration of computer

. This recording has been included in the United States

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...

. * In 1974, auditory researchers used the melody of "Daisy Bell" for the first demonstration of " pure dichotic" (two-ear only) perception: they encoded the melody in a

stereophonic Stereophonic sound, commonly shortened to stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configurat ...

signal in such a way that it could be perceived when listening with both ears but not with either ear alone. * In 1975, Steve Dompier, member of Homebrew Computer Club, programmed an Altair 8800 computer to play Daisy as AM radio interference. * In 1985, Christopher C. Capon created a

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

program named "Sing Song Serenade", which caused the

Commodore 1541 The Commodore 1541 (also known as the CBM 1541 and VIC-1541) is a floppy disk drive which was made by Commodore International for the Commodore 64 (C64), Commodore's most popular home computer. The best-known floppy disk drive for the C64, the ...

floppy disk drive to emit the tune of "Daisy Bell" directly from its hardware by rapidly moving the read/write head. *In 1999, a piece of computer software called

BonziBuddy BonziBuddy ( or , stylized as BonziBUDDY) is a discontinued freeware desktop virtual assistant created by Joe and Jay Bonzi. Upon a user's choice, it would share jokes and facts, manage downloads, sing songs, and talk, among other functions. ...

sang Daisy Bell if the user asked it to sing. * Microsoft's personal assistant, Cortana, may sing the first line of Daisy when asked to sing a song.

Films

* In 1941 the Eton Boys starred in a short musical film performing the song including riding tandem bicycles * Science-fiction author

Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. Clarke co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A ...

witnessed the IBM 7094 demonstration during a trip to Bell Labs in 1962 and referred to it in the 1968 novel and film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', in which the

HAL 9000 HAL 9000 (or simply HAL or Hal) is a fictional artificial intelligence character and the main antagonist in the '' Space Odyssey'' series. First appearing in the 1968 film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', HAL ( Heuristically Programmed Algorithmic C ...

computer sings "Daisy Bell" during its gradual deactivation. *

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor, known for his upper-middle class, macho image and his heavy-drinking, "hellraiser" lifestyle. His screen career spanned over 40 years, between 1955 and 1999. At the ...

sings the song "Daisy Bell" in the 1972 film ''

The Triple Echo ''The Triple Echo'' (U.S title: ''Soldier in Skirts'') is a 1972 British drama film directed by Michael Apted starring Glenda Jackson, Brian Deacon and Oliver Reed, and based on The Triple Echo (novel), the 1970 novella by H.E. Bates. It was sho ...

''. * In ''

Revenge of the Nerds ''Revenge of the Nerds'' is a 1984 American comedy film directed by Jeff Kanew and starring Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Ted McGinley, and Bernie Casey. The plot follows a group of nerds at the fictional Adams College trying to st ...

'' (1984), Takashi (Brian Tochi) sings a Japanese version of "Daisy Bell" during his tricycle race against the Alpha Betas. * In ''

Robots" \n\n\n\n\n\n\nrobots.txt is the filename used for implementing the Robots Exclusion Protocol, a standard used by websites to indicate to visiting web crawlers and other web robots which portions of the website they are allowed to visit.\n\nThe sta ...

'' (2005), when Rodney fixes Bigweld during the slide scene, Bigweld sings "Daisy Bell" * In ''

The Time Traveler's Wife ''The Time Traveler's Wife'' is the debut novel by American author Audrey Niffenegger, published in 2003. It is a love story about Henry, a man with a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel unpredictably, and about Clare, his wife, an a ...

'' (2009), Alba and her father Henry sing the song "Daisy Bell" in an attempt to stop him from traveling through time while he is still using a wheelchair from a recent accident.

TV

*In the English sitcom

Mind Your Language ''Mind Your Language'' was a British sitcom that premiered on ITV in 1977. It was produced by London Weekend Television and directed by Stuart Allen. Three series were made by London Weekend Television between 1977 and 1979, and it was briefly ...

, season 1 episode 4 (All Through the Night), Mr. Brown and the students sing Daisy Bell whilst waiting for the caretaker Sid to unlock the classroom door. * Bender sings "Daisy Bell" during a montage of him and the Planet Express ship in ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...

'''s fourth-season episode, "

Love and Rocket "Love and Rocket" is the third episode in the Futurama season 4, fourth List of Futurama episodes, season of the American animated television series ''Futurama'', and the 57th episode of the series overall. It first aired on the Fox Broadcasti ...

", as an allusion to the film ''2001: A Space Odyssey''. *A student choir sings "Daisy Bell" (with minor lyric changes) at the beginning of a bicycle race in the ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

'' series 12 episode, "The Glitch" (2009). *In ''

American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' (''AHS'') is an American horror film, horror anthology series, anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy (producer), Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the Cable television, cable network FX (TV channel), FX. Th ...

'' season 8, episode 10 (2018), the android recreation of Ms. Mead sings “Daisy Bell” in a slurred and distorted voice. * '' Lilo & Stitch: The Series'' season 2 episode 25, “Snafu“. The episode’s titular experiment (experiment 120) ruins Gantu’s plan to turn all the other experiments back to evil, by switching out his tape of Angel’s (experiment 624) siren song, with a tape of Gantu’s karaoke recording of him singing “Daisy Bell“. Much to his embarrassment, and

Kauai Kauai (), anglicized as Kauai ( or ), is one of the main Hawaiian Islands. It has an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), making it the fourth-largest of the islands and the 21st-largest island in the United States. Kauai lies 73 m ...

’s amusement.

Musical recordings

produced a wax cylinder recording of "Daisy Bell" in 1893, the first recorded rendition of the song. * Singer

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, television personality, and the chart-topping female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during the ...

recorded a version of the song for

Bluebird Records Bluebird Records is an American record label best known for its low-cost releases, primarily of children's music, blues, jazz and swing in the 1930s and 1940s. Bluebird was founded in 1932 as a lower-priced subsidiary label of RCA Victor. Bluebi ...

in 1941. * Singer

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

produced the most well-known recording of "Daisy Bell" as part of his '' Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer'' LP for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

in 1961. * On May 3, 2014, an album was released composed entirely of covers of "Daisy Bell" entitled ''The Gay Nineties Old Tyme Music: Daisy Bell'', in conjunction with

Mark Ryden Mark Ryden (born January 20, 1963) is an American painter who is considered to be part of the Lowbrow (or pop surrealist) art movement. He was dubbed "the god-father of pop surrealism" by ''Interview'' magazine.Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been cited as an influential figure in alternative hip-hop during the 2010s. Tyler beca ...

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

Kirk Hammett Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Prior to joining Metallica, he co-formed the thrash metal band Exodus in 1979. In 2023, Hammett, along ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Mark Mothersbaugh Mark Allen Mothersbaugh (; born May 18, 1950) is an American musician and composer. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, lead vocalist and keyboardist of the new wave band Devo, whose " Whip It" was a top 20 single in the US ...

Devo Devo is an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a No. 14 ...

Wall of Voodoo Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California who were active from 1977 until disbanding in 1989. Though largely an underground act for the majority of its existence, the band came to prominence when its 1982 single " ...

Stan Ridgway Stanard "Stan" Ridgway (born April 5, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter, and film and television composer known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums. He was the original lead singer and a founding ...

Danny Elfman Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer, songwriter, and musician. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since scoring his ...

, and others. Profits from the album went to the nonprofit

Little Kids Rock Music Will, formerly known as Little Kids Rock (LKR), is a nonprofit charity based in Montclair, New Jersey, that encourages and enables children to play popular music. It provides free music instruction and instruments to public school districts ...

Radio

* The tune was played as the lead-in to Aunt Daisy's radio broadcasts in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, which ran from 1930 until her death in 1963.

Sport

* Supporters of

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...

, the football club of Rotterdam, sing their chant "Wat gaan we doen vandaag?" to the tune of "Daisy Bell".

References

External links

*
1894 recording of "Daisy Bell" (MP3)

Page featuring a recording of "Daisy Bell" sung and played by IBM computers
at Bell Laboratories in the early 1960s (see last track on side 2 labeled "Synthesized computer speech demonstration (1963)") {{Authority control 1892 songs British songs English children's songs Songs about bicycles Songs about marriage Songs about socialites Blur (band) songs Katy Perry songs Nick Cave songs Tyler, the Creator songs "Weird Al" Yankovic songs Articles containing video clips