"I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" (also "I'm Henery the VIII, I Am" or "I'm Henry VIII, I Am"; spelled "Henery" but pronounced "
'Enery" in the
Cockney
Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...
style normally used to sing it) is a
1910
Events
January
* January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
British
music hall song by Fred Murray and
R. P. Weston. It was a signature song of the music hall star
Harry Champion.
Joe Brown included the song on his first album ''A Picture of You'' in 1962. But in
1965, it became the fastest-selling song in history to that point when it was revived by
Herman's Hermits,
[MacInnes, Colin (1965) "The Old English Music Hall Songs Are New". ''The New York Times,'' November 28, 1965, p. SM62: "''Henery'' — which hit the top of the record lists and, according to one American expert, was 'the fastest-selling song in history' — was in fact an old English music hall song enjoying a new lease on life. Description of Champion's performance: p. 95. Spelling of title: image on p. 62 shows title presented in all-caps, "I'M HENRY VIII, I AM." Text of article, however, uses the spelling "Henery" throughout, even when referring to the Herman's Hermits revival. Perhaps the most correct spelling is "'Enery"; that is certainly how Harry pronounces it.] becoming the group's second number-one on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, dethroning "
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction". Despite that success, the single was not released in the UK. The song is one of the shortest (in length) number one singles of all time in the US.
In the well-known chorus, Henery explains that his wife had been married seven times before, each time to another Henery:
I'm 'Enery the Eighth, I am,
'Enery the Eighth I am, I am!
I got married to the widow next door,
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an 'Enery
She wouldn't have a Willie nor a Sam
I'm her eighth old man named 'Enery
'Enery the Eighth, I am!
However, in the Hermits' version, Peter Noone ends each chorus with "I'm her eighth old man, I'm 'Enery" and never sings "named".
Harry Champion version
According to one source, Champion "used to fire off
he chorusat tremendous speed with almost desperate gusto, his face bathed in sweat and his arms and legs flying in all directions."
In later versions recorded by Champion, "Willie" is changed to "William" because the former is a British slang term for "penis."
Joe Brown version
In 1961, this song was recorded and extensively performed live by the British star
Joe Brown, who revived the song and made it largely known in the British pop world. His version has two choruses either side of his guitar solo (B-side,
Piccadilly Records
Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brother ...
7N 35005).
George Harrison was a fan of Brown's and sang the song as part of the Beatles' early repertoire. The group never recorded their version. To the present day, Brown often performs it in concert.
Herman's Hermits version
The rock and roll stylings of the song gave
Herman's Hermits their second US number one hit; as with the Brown arrangement, it contains only the chorus (and none of the three verses) of the original. As a result, the tune is a mere one minute and fifty seconds long, one of the shortest-ever songs to top the ''Billboard'' singles chart. In their short and fast take of the song, the guitar and bass are considered
proto-punk and were a direct influence on
the Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United S ...
,
(indeed the song "Judy Is A Punk" includes the line "Second verse, same as the first" as in the Hermits' tune.) The speedy guitar work at the break by lead guitarist
Derek Leckenby
Derek "Lek" Leckenby (14 May 1943 – 4 June 1994)Chris Welch ''The Independent'', 9 June 1994. Retrieved 28 November 2010. was an English musician and lead guitarist, most famous for his work with English pop group Herman's Hermits.
Early lif ...
evokes
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
sonically (e. g. “
Johnny B. Goode”) then memorably shifts into quoting the melody. ''
Billboard'' praised the song's "strong dance beat and vocal performance."
They performed the song on ''
Hullabaloo'' as well as ''
The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...
''. This version was also performed on the third season premiere of ''
The Jimmy Dean Show
''The Jimmy Dean Show'' is the name of several similar music and variety series on American local and network television between 1963 and 1975. Each starred country music singer Jimmy Dean as host.
Daytime
''The Jimmy Dean Show'', initially call ...
'' with Jimmy Dean and Jim Henson's Rowlf the Dog wearing wigs, three months after Herman's performance on Sullivan.
Chart history
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Other versions
Connie Francis
Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937),
known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...
recorded a version for her 1966 album ''
Connie Francis and The Kids Next Door
''Connie Francis and The Kids Next Door'' is a studio album recorded by U. S. Entertainer Connie Francis.
Background
Whilst the material of her album '' Connie Francis sings Fun Songs for Children'' (1959) clearly had aimed at toddlers and small ...
''.
Title and lyrics
The song is traditionally sung in a
Cockney
Cockney is an accent and dialect of English, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by working-class and lower middle-class Londoners. The term "Cockney" has traditionally been used to describe a person from the East End, or ...
accent. Earlier sources usually spell the name "Henery" (as do some old sources when referring to the historical
King of England and Ireland), and the music requires the name "Henery" (or "'Enery") to be pronounced as three syllables. The sheet music for the 1965 Herman's Hermits revival, however, presented the name as "Henry", as do sources referring to this version.
In the Herman's Hermits version, the band sings the lyrics three times. Between the first two choruses,
Peter Noone
Peter Blair Denis Bernard Noone (born 5 November 1947) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor. He was the lead singer "Herman" in the 1960s pop group Herman's Hermits.
Early life
Noone was born in Davyhulme, Lancashir ...
calls out, "Second verse, same as the first!". The background singers on the version recorded by Connie Francis use this call as well.
In popular culture
* In the film ''
Ghost'', Sam (
Patrick Swayze
Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...
) sings this song on a continuous run in a bad
Cockney London accent all night long, to Oda Mae Brown (
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
) to annoy her into helping him.
*
Homer Simpson - in the persona of
Henry VIII - sings a parody of this song in ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'' episode "
Margical History Tour", with the lyrics referencing Henry's voracious appetite.
*
Alvin and the Chipmunks covered this song.
* The original Harry Champion version of the song was used as the titles music of
The Libertines
The Libertines are an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât (vocals/guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/guitar). The band, centred on the songwriting partnership of Barât and Doherty, has also included John Hassall ...
music documentary 'There Are No Innocent Bystanders'.
References
External links
I'm Henery the EighthMP3 download of Harry Champion's 1911 recording at
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
*
I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am
"I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" (also "I'm Henery the VIII, I Am" or "I'm Henry VIII, I Am"; spelled "Henery" but pronounced " 'Enery" in the Cockney style normally used to sing it) is a 1910 British music hall song by Fred Murray and R. P. Weston ...
lyrics at
Wikisource
Wikisource is an online digital library of free-content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Wikisource is the name of the project as a whole and the name for each instance of that project (each instance usually re ...
{{authority control
Herman's Hermits songs
1910 songs
1965 singles
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
Comedy songs
Cultural depictions of Henry VIII
Novelty songs
Music hall songs
Songs written by R. P. Weston