"You'd Be Surprised" is a song written by

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

in 1919 which Eddie Cantor interpolated it into

Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

's ''Follies of 1919''. Cantor soon recorded it and it became a major hit. Other popular versions in 1920 were by the

All-Star Trio The All-Star Trio or All Star Trio was a musical ensemble consisting of George Hamilton Green on the xylophone along with Frank Banta or Victor Arden on the piano and F. Wheeler Wadsworth on the saxophone. It was among the most popular musical ...

and by Irving Kaufman.

Lyrics

The first verse introduces the shy Johnny and the woman Mary who finds him to be an exceptional lover, although apparently no one else ever has. She explains his appeal in the first chorus. By the second verse, Mary's talking-up of Johnny has resulted in him now being very popular with the ladies. The song leaves any questions about Mary's status unanswered. The first chorus mentions the Morris Chair, made popular in America by furniture maker

Gustav Stickley Gustav Stickley (March 9, 1858 – April 15, 1942) was an American furniture manufacturer, design leader, publisher, and a leading voice in the American Arts and Crafts movement. Stickley's design philosophy was a major influence on American ...

. Part of first verse: :Johnny was bashful and shy; :Nobody understood why :Mary loved him :All the other girls passed him by. :Everyone wanted to know :How she could pick such a beau :With a twinkle in her eye :She made this reply Parts of various choruses: :He's not so good in a crowd :But when you get him alone :You'd be surprised; :He's kind of scared in a mob :But when he takes you home :You'd be surprised. :He won't impress you :Right from the start :But in a week or two :You'd be surprised. :At a party or a ball :I've got to admit he's nothing at all :But in a Morris chair :You'd be surprised Part of second verse: :Mary continued to praise :Johnny's remarkable ways :To the ladies :And you know advertising pays :Now Johnny's ne'er alone :He has the busiest phone :Almost every other day :A new girl will say

Cover versions

Other chart versions in the USA were by

Orrin Tucker ORiN (Open Robot/Resource interface for the Network) is a standard network interface for FA (factory automation) systems. The Japan Robot Association proposed ORiN in 2002, and the ORiN Forum develops and maintains the ORiN standard. Background ...

(vocal by Bonnie Baker) in 1940 and by

Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blu ...

in 1954. The song was recorded by a number of other artists, including Billy Murray on November 19, 1919, for Victor (No. 18634A). Five years later in 1924, Murray would record a similar-themed tune called " Charley, My Boy", which included an instrumental referback to this one. The song was revived by

Olga San Juan Olga San Juan (March 16, 1927January 3, 2009) was an American actress. Born in Brooklyn, she began her brief film career with Paramount Pictures after being scouted at Copacabana. She performed in several Hollywood musicals in the 1940s and on ...

in the 1946 Bing Crosby/

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

film, '' Blue Skies''. The song was also memorably recorded by

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

in 1954 - with alternate lyrics. It is available on the Marilyn Monroe compilation album titled ''Anthology''.

Kathy Linden Kathy Linden (born 1938) is an American pop singer from Moorestown Township, New Jersey. She grew up in Burlington, New Jersey. Linden scored two big hits on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 late in the 1950s. The first was " Billy", a song origi ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1958 that reached No. 50 on the ''Billboard'' pop chart.

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

included the song on his album ''Burl Ives Sings Irving Berlin'' in 1960.

Madeline Kahn Madeline Gail Kahn ('' née'' Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian and singer, known for comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including '' What's Up, Doc?'' (1972), ' ...

sang it at Carnegie Hall in 1988 for Berlin's 100 Birthday Celebration. Additionally, rock band

White Hassle White Hassle were a band with the lead singer Marcellus Hall based in New York, New York. Dave Varenka (also of Railroad Jerk) played drums, with Chris Maxwell and Joachim Kearns on guitars. The Houston Chronicle described their music as "strippe ...

recorded a cover of the song for their 2005 album ''Your Language''.Allmusic: White Hassle - "Your Language"
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References

External links

Recording by Billy Murray
{{Authority control 1919 songs 1958 singles Songs written by Irving Berlin Kathy Linden songs Billy Murray (singer) songs Marilyn Monroe songs