“Oh...she's as harmless as one of those stuffed birds”
(8 downloads)Saturday, Dec 22, 2007
“Pal of My Cradle Days”…Those of you who are interested in pondering the psychology of a momma’s boy, listen to this three minute guilt trip; the soundtrack to extended family situations across the Western Hemisphere. I know I might hear it for all this somewhere along the line, but this song displays all the traits of a healthy mother-child relationship that we find in the ‘Manchurian Candidate’ or the first few seasons of the ‘Sopranos’. That said, this tune definitely had more staying power than its flip side, “Who’s Taking Care of the Caretaker’s Daughter?” performed by Earl and Bell, as it has maintained its currency with the likes of Jimmy Roselli and Ann Breen and the contemporary Irish folk circuit. I suspect this tune has turned up a lot at weddings and funerals too.Speaking of longevity and funerals, the vocalist on this cut, Irving Kaufman’s career spanned over 60 years from 1914 until his death in the mid-70's. He was contemporary with the likes of Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor yet managed to perform much later on with Tiny Tim. Dan Lieberfeld performs the piano accompaniment on this record.
“Pal of My Cradle Days” was written by Marshall Montgomery (words) and Al Piantadosi (music) in 1925 and was first performed Franklyn Baur.
Vocalion 15041, 1925