My Nellie's Blue Eyes by Ida Morris

Album: Music Hall Classics (1886)

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Songfacts®:

In his autobiography, the music hall star Charles Coborn described this song as "a stupid American semi-ballad". Sung by Ida Morris, "The air was tuneful enough, but the words were so trivial that I felt that it screamed out to be parodied...". The parody he wrote was called "Two Lovely Black Eyes", and was sung long after the original was forgotten.
"My Nellie's Blue Eyes" was written by William J. Scanlan, and published by Francis Brothers & Day of London in 1886. Scanlan wrote the song for the play The Irish Minstrel in which he acted, and which was produced at the Poole Theatre, New York in 1886, though the song and the play were actually written some three years earlier. >>
Suggestion credit:
Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments: 1

Robert from Davis CaNot entirely forgotten, this song was performed by Dennis Morgan in "My Wild Irish Rose" and by Irish Tenor Dennis Day on LP. Yes the words are vapid, but perhaps Coborn found it "tuneful enough" because the tune is the Italian folk song, "Vieni sul mar." Aye, and a lovely air it is, too!

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