Can I Help It?
Careless
Chapel In The Valley
Chattanooga Choo Choo
Cinderella (Stay In My Arms)
Ciribiribin
Conchita, Marquita, Lolita, Pepita, Rosita, Juanita Lopez
Crosstown
Cuckoo In The Clock
 
 
 
 
 
 


Can I Help It?

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on October 3rd 1939 with Ray Eberle.
Words by Eddie DeLange, music by James Van Heusen.
 

You left one yesterday
You took my heart away
And now I dread each newborn day
Can I help it?
Can I help it?

Along each thoroughfair
While people stop and stare
I talk to you but you’re not there
Can I help it, sweetheart?

I try to sleep
My dreams are haunted
By a million stars that pry
How can I sleep?
Your eyes look just that way
The day we said goodbye...

I tried forgetting you
I tried to hurt you too
But now I find I still love you
Can I help it, sweetheart?
 


Careless

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on November 18th 1939 with Ray Eberle.
Written by Lew Quadling, Eddy Howard and Dick Jurgens.
 

Careless, now that you've got me loving you
You're careless, careless
In everything you do
You break appointments
And think you are smart
If you're not careful
You'll break my heart

Careless, now that my bridges all are burned
You're careless, careless
In things where I'm concerned
Are you just careless as you seem to be
Or do you just care less for me...?
 


Chapel In The Valley

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on December 27th 1940 with Ray Eberle.
Written by Leon Rene, Johnny Lange and Lew Porter.
 

There‘s a chapel in the valley
In the valley of my dreams
And the organ‘s playing just for you and me
There’s a choir in the chapel
In my reverie it seems
I can hear their voices sing, „Oh, promise me“

My heart began to falter
As the bells began to chime
We knelt before the altar
For it was our wedding time

It was there we made a promise,
I was yours and you were mine,
In the chapel in the valley of my dreams...
 


Chattanooga Choo Choo

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on May 7th 1941 with Tex Beneke, Paula Kelly and the Modernaires.
Words by Mack Gordon, music by Harry Warren. (From the movie „Sun Valley Serenade“, featuring the Glenn Miller Orchestra!)
Note: This song was the very first to be rewarded with a gold-coated record for 1 million sold copies – the first Gold Record ever!
 

Hi there, Tex, whatcha say?
Step aside partner, it's my day!
Bend an ear and listen to my version
Of a really solid Tennessee excursion...

Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?
Yes, yes, track 29!
Boy, you can give me a shine!
Can you afford to board the Chattanooga Choo Choo?
I got my fare
And just a trifle to spare.

You leave the Pennsylvania station 'bout a quarter to four
Read a magazine and then you're in Baltimore
Dinner in the diner, nothing could be finer
Than to have your ham and eggs in Carolina
When you hear the whistle blowin‘ eight to the bar
Then you know that Tennessee is not very far
Shuffle all the coal in
Gotta keep it rollin'
Whoo Whoo, Chattanooga, there you are!

There's gonna be a certain party at the station
Satin and Lace
I used to call funny face!
She's gonna cry
Until I tell her that I'll never roam
So Chattanooga Choo Choo
Won't you choo choo me home
Get aboard...
All aboard...
Chattanooga Choo Choo
Won‘t you choo choo me home...!
 


Cinderella (Stay In My Arms)

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on May 25th 1939 with Ray Eberle.
Written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr.
 

Stay in my arms, Cinderella,
While the clock is striking I’ll hold you
At the stroke of twelve don’t run away
Oh, can’t you hear my heart, it begs you to
Stay in my arms, Cinderella,
Maybe I’m that fellow Prince Charming,
Since I met you I‘ve had one design
Your wedding shoes placed next to mine
Midnight of midnights and so divine
Cinderella, stay in my arms!
 


Ciribiribin

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on November 18th 1939 with Ray Eberle.
Written by Alberto Pestalozza in 1898 (a famous Italian song!), words by Rudolf Thaler; it was later adapted by Harry James and Jack Lawrence as Harry James‘ theme song.
 

When the moon hangs low in Napoli
There’s a handsome gondolier
Every night he sings so happily
So his lady love can hear
In a manner so bravissimo
He repeats his serenade
And his heart beats so fortissimo
When she raises her Venetian shade...

Ciribiribin, he waits for her each night beneath her balcony;
Ciribiribin, he begs to hold her tight, but no, she won’t agree...
Ciribiribin, she throws a rose and blows a kiss from up above,
Ciribiribin, Ciribiribin, Ciribiribin, they’re so in love!
 


Conchita, Marquita, Lolita, Pepita, Rosita, Juanita Lopez

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on June 17th 1942 with Marion Hutton, Tex Beneke and the Modernaires.
Words by Herb Magidson, music by Jule Styne.   (From the movie „Priorities On Parade“)
 

He was a handsome young Irish lad
She was a Mexican beauty
It was fiesta and I might add
Love was doing its duty

His Irish heart went bing-o when he saw the rose of Juarez
Conchita Marquita Lolita Pepita Rosita Juanita Lopez
„Oh, you’re a lovely thing-o,
For me there‘s but one girl“, he said,
„Conchita Marquita Lolita Pepita Rosita Juanita Lopez“
Mandolins began to play
And her lips were there to kiss
As we danced I heard him say,
„New Jersey was never like this!“

The bells began to ring-o
And they rode away on a mule
To prove I’m not jokin‘
If you’re in Hoboken
Drop in for a minute and you’ll
Meet Conchita Marquita Lolita Pepita Rosita Juanita O’Toole...

There’s Little Theresa, Maria, Elisa
And sure and begorry*
The rest of the story is Patsy and Molly and Mike
There’s Jose and Pancho and Pedro and Sancho
To be sure when they‘re seen they‘ll be wearing the green**
´Tis Tommy and Timmy and Spike
That’s right!

The bells began to ring-o
And they rode away on a mule
To prove I’m not jokin‘
If you’re in Hoboken
Drop in for a minute and you’ll
Meet Conchita Marquita Lolita Pepita Rosita Juanita O’Toole!

(*: Irish talk for: „By God!“;
**: The national color of Ireland)
 


Crosstown

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on August 8th 1940 with Jack Lathrop.
Written by James Cavanaugh, John Redmond and Nat Simon.
 

Ev‘ry night at eight you’ll find me waiting for a bus to take me crosstown
Someone I adore is waitin‘ for me by the door way over crosstown
I used to go uptown but that romance fell through
I used to go downtown but she found someone new...

Never realized they advertise so many things to fill a blue room
I can even see the day that we will have our little Tea-For-Two room
I found a real sweetheart who’ll never let me down
Got no time to fuss, I’ll miss the bus and maybe Baby will be cross crosstown!
 


Cuckoo In The Clock

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on February 6th 1939 with Marion Hutton.
Words by Johnny Mercer, music by Walter Donaldson.
 

There they were, there they were, he was baby-talkin‘ her
And the cuckoo in the clock went „Cuckoo!“
Every fifteen minutes he crew, „Cuckoo, cuckoo!“

„Be a pal, be a pal“, said the fella to the gal
And the cuckoo in the clock went, „Cuckoo!
I believe they’re startin‘ to woo, woo-woo, woo-woo!“

They didn’t know that everything they said was overheard
They didn’t hear that little birdie givin‘ them the bird...

So he said with a sigh „Who’s your little peachy-pie?“
And the cuckoo in the clock went, „Cuckoo!
Though I’m just a little cuckoo,
I’m not as cuckoo as you!“
So he closed the door and withdrew,
„Cuckoo, cuckoo“!

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