Larry Kart Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 As some of us probably know, Anita O'Day's terrific version of "You're the Top" from the album "Anita O'Day and Billy May Swing Cole Porter" includes an alternate lyric "You're the Bop." In it at one point Anita sings: "You're the bop, you're like Sarah singing, you're the bop, you're like Yardbird swinging ... you're the minor's gone (or minor's skong [???]), you're the greatest song that Eckstine ever sung, you're a Moscow Mule, you're oh so cool, you're Lester Young. Two questions: What the heck is what I've written down as "minor's skong" and what does it mean? Also, did Anita write "You're the Bop" lyrics or did someone else? Finally, the way Anita sings "Lester Young" -- what a ray of sunshine. P.S. the YouTube link says Buddy Bregman, but it's Billy May. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 Can't make sense of it either, Larry. Could be "miner's gong" - whatever that means. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazaro Vega Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 I always thought it was "minor's gong," as well, as in "time for lunch." Unless there was some talent show or something that had a gong to punctuate the acceptance of what was going down. Seems that was a culturally relevant allusion that's slide out of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted March 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 Maybe -- but what would "the minor's gong" mean in a Bop context? A drug reference of some sort? But if so, I can't see how how that would have made it onto disc on a major label in the late '50s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazaro Vega Posted March 18, 2015 Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 Ah, like "kicking the gong around." I don't know. That one always went over my head. Friedwald also says it was Buddy Bregman using 4 trombones and rhythm (liners to the Verve CD of "Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted March 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2015 Ah, like "kicking the gong around." I don't know. That one always went over my head. Friedwald also says it was Buddy Bregman using 4 trombones and rhythm (liners to the Verve CD of "Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter"). Oops -- Friedwald is right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 Maybe I'm not hearing it right, but it sounds like it might be a goof...the immediate next lyric is "the greatest sound that Eckstine ever sung"...wouldn't that likely be "song" instead of "sound"..so maybe the intent was "you're the minor sound, the greatest song that Eckstine ever sung"? If I were her, I'd accept it just to not have to endure those godawful Buddy Bregman elephantsounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 I hear it as ""the greatest song that Eckstine ever sung." Even if not, though, how would "minor sound" fit in with the rest? As a reference to the sound of a tune in a minor key? All the other references in the alternate lyric are much more specific than that and/or linked to particular musicians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 Yeah, you're asking for the revealing of the obvious sense of something that. after repeated listening, I don't think exists. Me,. I want to know who that bass player was. There's a Les DeMerle album called "You the Bop" and some singer is on it. Maybe they sing the song so clearly you can understand every word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 "you have the finest bong"? "the biggest dong" ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 Yeah, you're asking for the revealing of the obvious sense of something that. after repeated listening, I don't think exists. Me,. I want to know who that bass player was. There's a Les DeMerle album called "You the Bop" and some singer is on it. Maybe they sing the song so clearly you can understand every word. An educated guess on the bassist -- Joe Mondragon. Fine player who was on a lot of Granz's L.A. dates at that time. To hear him at his exposed best in one of the nicest rhythm sections ever, hear him on Harry Edison's "Sweets," with Ben Webster, Jimmy Rowles, Barney Kessel, and Alvin Stoller. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B-8VIgCCao&spfreload=10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 I know of Mondragon, for sure. One of the most logical regrets I have about my "career" was turning down a gig that Mondragon called me for in Santa Fe ca. 1982, not long after I had moved to Albuquerque, and had begun sitting in all over town, playing what I knew in order to "impress" (i.e. - get called for local gigs). Phone rings and the guy says, "Is this Jim Sangrey, tenor player?" yeah "This is Joe Mondragon. I got a gig and my tenor player just cancelled are you open?" Wait...are you the Joe Mondragon who played with Mulligan and all that? "Yeah, that's me. Can you do the gig?" Well, y'all got a book? "No man, just standards, all the old tunes." Well, I knew that what this guy knew as "all" the old tunes and what I knew "as "all" the old tunes, would no doubt vary considerably, and I was still in my "Don't EVER make a fool of yourself on purpose" days, so I told him, uh, gee man, I'd LOVE to play with you, but from what you're saying, I don't think I'm the guy for the gig, REALLY sorry and thanks for the call and"Ok man, bye. CLICK." In retrospect, it would have been worth the professional and personal shame to have been on a gig with Joe Mondragon just for one night, at least it probably would have, I mean, he might have gotten old and rurnt and sucked, you never know, but I know that I not been up for THAT gig once he started calling those "deep" standards that I would have know and heard maybe like once or twice and wouldn't have been able to even semi-respectably fake my way through. I mean, it might have been Blue Bossa & Friends all night long, but hell, if you were Joe Mondragon and it was your gig, would YOU call tunes like that? I sure as hell wouldn't. If I had it to do over again, I'd have sucked up my nerve, taken the gig, gone up there and stepped all over my dick, schmoozed everybody, acted like nothing was wrong, gotten paid, passed out my card, and left the impression of a "good guy, shows up, tries hard, call him for the occasional sub job, see if he gets better". That's the way you get a career, but you know me, career has always been one of those words that I only know phonetically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted March 20, 2015 Report Share Posted March 20, 2015 (edited) I'm also hearing "Gong". You're the minor's gong or the minus gong or the minah's gong? Doesn't make a lick of sense, but I think she was looking for something to rhyme with "song" in the next line. Edited March 20, 2015 by Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Not a lot of people today remember early bop popularizer Theminous Gong, but in his time he was more popular than Jesus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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