Pepy's Diary

Album: Best Of Benny Hill (1961)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) was an MP who rose to be Chief Secretary to the Admiralty, but he is best remembered for his diary. Needless to say, Benny Hill treated him with less than the reverence he receives elsewhere. This song, which he wrote, was first recorded in 1961 (with this incorrect spelling on the label) as the B-side of "Gather In The Mushrooms." It begins with a spoken introduction, a short dialogue.
  • The song is more than a pun on Pepys' surname, ie "naughty Samuel peeps"..."and it's all written down in his diary." Hill appears to have rewritten it several times, according to one fan, (Shawn of Moncton, Canada on his Benny's Place tribute website).

    The man himself may well have been amused by this ditty because as suggested here, the married Pepys did have a number of affairs with women over the years, including Deborah Willet, a maid who was some seventeen years his junior. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

80s Video Director Jay Dubin

80s Video Director Jay DubinSong Writing

Billy Joel and Hall & Oates hated making videos, so they chose a director with similar contempt for the medium. That was Jay Dubin, and he has a lot to say on the subject.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Little Big Town

Little Big TownSongwriter Interviews

"When seeds that you sow grow by the wicked moon/Be sure your sins will find you out/Your past will hunt you down and turn to tell on you."

Dino Cazares of Fear Factory

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."