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I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am

October 19, 2023

"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. It was a signature song of the music hall star Harry Champion.

"I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am"
Song by Harry Champion
Written1910
GenreMusic Hall
Songwriter(s)
"I'm Henry VIII, I Am"
Single by Herman's Hermits
from the album Herman's Hermits and Their Second Album! Herman's Hermits on Tour
B-side"The End of the World"
Released
  • June 1965 (US)
  • September 1965 (UK)
RecordedDe Lane Lea Studios, London, 1 February 1965
Genre
Length1:50
LabelEMI
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mickie Most
Herman's Hermits singles chronology
"Wonderful World"
(1965) 		"I'm Henry VIII, I Am"
(1965) 		"Just a Little Bit Better"
(1965)

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,[2] 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 Herman's Hermits version is a very short song, one of the shortest ever to be a number-one single 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 Edit

According to one source, Champion "used to fire off [the chorus] at tremendous speed with almost desperate gusto, his face bathed in sweat and his arms and legs flying in all directions."[2] In later versions recorded by Champion, "Willie" is changed to "William" because the former is a British slang term for "penis."

Joe Brown version Edit

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 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.[3][4] To the present day, Brown often performs it in concert.

Herman's Hermits version Edit

The rock and roll stylings of the song gave Herman's Hermits their second US number one hit; like 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,[5] (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 evokes Chuck Berry sonically (e. g. “Johnny B. Goode”) then memorably shifts into quoting the melody. Billboard praised the song's "strong dance beat and vocal performance."[6]

They performed the song on Hullabaloo[7] as well as The Ed Sullivan Show. This version was also performed on the third-season premiere of The Jimmy Dean Show with Jimmy Dean and Jim Henson's Rowlf the Dog wearing wigs, three months after Herman's performance on Sullivan.

Chart history Edit

Other versions Edit

Connie Francis recorded a version for her 1966 album Connie Francis and The Kids Next Door.

Title and lyrics Edit

The song is traditionally sung in a Cockney accent. Earlier sources usually spell the name "Henery"[14][15] (as do some old sources when referring to the historical King of England and Ireland[16]), 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.[2][17]

In the Herman's Hermits version, the band sings the lyrics three times. Between the first two choruses, Peter Noone 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 Edit

See also Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Needles And Pins: The Beat Boom". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  2. ^ a b c 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.
  3. ^ "Original versions of I'm Henery the Eighth I Am by Joe Brown [GB] | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.
  4. ^ George Harrison: Behind the Locked Door. Omnibus Press. 17 September 2013. ISBN 9780857128584.
  5. ^ a b Viglione, Joe. I'm Henry the VIII, I Am at AllMusic. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. June 26, 1965. p. 43. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  7. ^ "The best quality episodes of Hullabaloo". The Video Beat. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  8. ^ "flavour of new zealand - search lever". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  9. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  10. ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  11. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 8/07/65". Cashboxmagazine.com. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  12. ^ [1][permanent dead link]
  13. ^ . Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  14. ^ Sharpe, R. A. (2005). Philosophy of Music: An Introduction. McGill-Queen's Press. ISBN 0-7735-2928-4. "I shall give an example of the first, Harry Champion's music-hall song 'I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am', although I suspect readers may not thank me. (You probably won't be able to dislodge it from your mind for a week or two). p. 161
  15. ^ Lawrence, D. H. (1987). Mr. Noon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-27247-5. "He strayed on inconsequentially, singing: Henery the eighth I am, I am/Henery the eighth I am" p. 258
  16. ^ Child, Francis James; George Lyman Kittredge (1883). The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. Houghton, Mifflin. "And lowlye kneeled his prince before/And sayd, My soueraigne king, Henery the Eighth" p. 356
  17. ^ Guiheen, Anna Marie (1995). Sheet Music Reference and Price Guide. Collector Books. ISBN 0-89145-648-1. "I'm Henry the Eighth I Am by Fred Murray and L. P. Weston, 1965, Herman's Hermits" p. 102
  18. ^ "I'm Henry VIII, I Am - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 8 January 2021.

External links Edit

  • I'm Henery the Eighth MP3 download of Harry Champion's 1911 recording at Internet Archive
  • I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am lyrics at Wikisource

October 19, 2023
henery, eighth, also, henery, viii, henry, viii, spelled, henery, pronounced, enery, cockney, style, normally, used, sing, 1910, british, music, hall, song, fred, murray, weston, signature, song, music, hall, star, harry, champion, henry, eighth, song, harry, . 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 It was a signature song of the music hall star Harry Champion I m Henry the Eighth I Am Song by Harry ChampionWritten1910GenreMusic HallSongwriter s Fred Murray R P Weston I m Henry VIII I Am Single by Herman s Hermitsfrom the album Herman s Hermits and Their Second Album Herman s Hermits on TourB side The End of the World ReleasedJune 1965 US September 1965 UK RecordedDe Lane Lea Studios London 1 February 1965GenreBeat music hall 1 Length1 50LabelEMISongwriter s Fred Murray R P WestonProducer s Mickie MostHerman s Hermits singles chronology Wonderful World 1965 I m Henry VIII I Am 1965 Just a Little Bit Better 1965 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 2 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 Herman s Hermits version is a very short song one of the shortest ever to be a number one single 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 Contents 1 Harry Champion version 2 Joe Brown version 3 Herman s Hermits version 4 Chart history 4 1 Weekly charts 4 2 Year end charts 5 Other versions 6 Title and lyrics 7 In popular culture 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksHarry Champion version EditAccording to one source Champion used to fire off the chorus at tremendous speed with almost desperate gusto his face bathed in sweat and his arms and legs flying in all directions 2 In later versions recorded by Champion Willie is changed to William because the former is a British slang term for penis Joe Brown version EditIn 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 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 3 4 To the present day Brown often performs it in concert Herman s Hermits version EditThe rock and roll stylings of the song gave Herman s Hermits their second US number one hit like 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 5 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 evokes Chuck Berry sonically e g Johnny B Goode then memorably shifts into quoting the melody Billboard praised the song s strong dance beat and vocal performance 6 They performed the song on Hullabaloo 7 as well as The Ed Sullivan Show This version was also performed on the third season premiere of The Jimmy Dean Show with Jimmy Dean and Jim Henson s Rowlf the Dog wearing wigs three months after Herman s performance on Sullivan Chart history EditWeekly charts Edit Chart 1965 PeakpositionAustralia 27Canada RPM Top Singles 2New Zealand Lever Hit Parade 8 2South Africa Springbok 9 15Sweden 3U S Billboard Hot 100 10 1U S Cash Box Top 100 11 1 Year end charts Edit Chart 1965 RankU S Billboard Hot 100 12 46U S Cash Box 13 56Other versions EditConnie Francis recorded a version for her 1966 album Connie Francis and The Kids Next Door Title and lyrics EditThe song is traditionally sung in a Cockney accent Earlier sources usually spell the name Henery 14 15 as do some old sources when referring to the historical King of England and Ireland 16 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 2 17 In the Herman s Hermits version the band sings the lyrics three times Between the first two choruses Peter Noone 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 EditIn the 1990 film Ghost Sam Patrick Swayze sings this song on a continuous run in a bad Cockney London accent all night long to Oda Mae Brown Whoopi Goldberg to annoy her into helping him 5 Homer Simpson in the persona of Henry VIII sings a parody of this song in The Simpsons 2004 episode Margical History Tour with the lyrics referencing Henry s voracious appetite Alvin and the Chipmunks covered this song 18 The original Harry Champion version of the song was used as the titles music of The Libertines 2012 music documentary There Are No Innocent Bystanders See also EditHenry VIII Cultural depictions of Henry VIIIReferences Edit Stanley Bob 13 September 2013 Needles And Pins The Beat Boom Yeah Yeah Yeah The Story of Modern Pop Faber amp Faber p 142 ISBN 978 0 571 28198 5 a b c 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 Original versions of I m Henery the Eighth I Am by Joe Brown GB SecondHandSongs SecondHandSongs George Harrison Behind the Locked Door Omnibus Press 17 September 2013 ISBN 9780857128584 a b Viglione Joe I m Henry the VIII I Am at AllMusic Retrieved 25 April 2019 Spotlight Singles PDF Billboard June 26 1965 p 43 Retrieved 2021 03 12 The best quality episodes of Hullabaloo The Video Beat Retrieved 25 April 2019 flavour of new zealand search lever Flavourofnz co nz Retrieved 8 January 2021 SA Charts 1965 March 1989 Retrieved 5 September 2018 Joel Whitburn s Top Pop Singles 1955 1990 ISBN 0 89820 089 X Cash Box Top 100 8 07 65 Cashboxmagazine com Retrieved 8 January 2021 1 permanent dead link Cash Box Year End Charts Top 100 Pop Singles December 25 1965 Archived from the original on May 10 2017 Retrieved October 13 2019 Sharpe R A 2005 Philosophy of Music An Introduction McGill Queen s Press ISBN 0 7735 2928 4 I shall give an example of the first Harry Champion s music hall song I m Henery the Eighth I Am although I suspect readers may not thank me You probably won t be able to dislodge it from your mind for a week or two p 161 Lawrence D H 1987 Mr Noon Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 27247 5 He strayed on inconsequentially singing Henery the eighth I am I am Henery the eighth I am p 258 Child Francis James George Lyman Kittredge 1883 The English and Scottish Popular Ballads Houghton Mifflin And lowlye kneeled his prince before And sayd My soueraigne king Henery the Eighth p 356 Guiheen Anna Marie 1995 Sheet Music Reference and Price Guide Collector Books ISBN 0 89145 648 1 I m Henry the Eighth I Am by Fred Murray and L P Weston 1965 Herman s Hermits p 102 I m Henry VIII I Am YouTube YouTube Archived from the original on 2021 12 22 Retrieved 8 January 2021 External links EditI m Henery the Eighth MP3 download of Harry Champion s 1911 recording at Internet Archive I m Henery the Eighth I Am lyrics at Wikisource Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title I 27m Henery the Eighth I Am amp oldid 1170776401, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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