A Bachelor Gay

Album: The Maid of the Mountains (1917)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • When he introduced this song on his regular BBC Radio programme The Music Goes Round in February 2015, Desmond Carrington stressed that when it was written, the word gay did not have the same connotations it did nearly a century later.

    "A Bachelor Gay" was composed by James W. Tate in 1916, and written by F. Clifford Harris and Valentine; the sheet music was published by Francis, Day & Hunter of London in 1917. Tate may have been a happy man but he was neither gay nor a bachelor. Twice married he died suddenly in 1922 aged only 46. The Valentine alluded to here was Archibald Thomas Pechey, a regular collaborator of Tate.
  • "A Bachelor Gay" was one of his popular baritone songs; it was used in the musical The Maid Of The Mountains and was also recorded by Stanley Holloway; the Holloway recording was released as a single on the Pye label in November 1960 as the B-side of "The Lily Of Laguna." >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Adam Young of Owl City

Adam Young of Owl CitySongwriter Interviews

Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Fire On The Stage

Fire On The StageSong Writing

When you have a song called "Fire," it's tempting to set one - these guys did.

Chris Squire of Yes

Chris Squire of YesSongwriter Interviews

One of the most dynamic bass player/songwriters of his time, Chris is the only member of Yes who has been with the band since they formed in 1968.