Saturday, February 4, 2012

At the Music Hall: I've Danced With a Man Who Danced With a Girl who Danced with the Prince of Wales, 1927

He danced with a girl who danced with a man who married the Prince of Wales.

I've danced with a man, who's danced with a girl, who's danced with the Prince of Wales.
It was simply grand, he said "Topping band" and she said "Delightful, Sir"

Glory, Glory, Alleluia! I'm the luckiest of females
For I've danced with a man, who's danced with a girl, who's danced with the Prince of Wales.
My word I've had a party, my word I've had a spree
Believe me or believe me not, it's all the same to me!
I'm wild with exultation, I'm dizzy with success
For I've danced with a man, I've danced with a man-
Who
Well, you'll never guess
I've danced with a man, who's danced with a girl, who's danced with the Prince of Wales.
I'm crazy with excitement, completely off the rails
And when he said to me what she said to him -the Prince remarked to her
It was simply grand, he said "Topping band" and she said "Delightful, Sir"
Glory, Glory, Alleluia! I'm the luckiest of females;
For I've danced with a man, who's danced with a girl, who's danced with the Prince of Wales.


“I've Danced with a Man, who's Danced with a Girl, who's Danced with the Prince of Wales” was written in 1927 by Herbert Farjeon at the height of the popularity of Edward, Prince of Wales – eldest son of King George V and Queen Mary. Such celebrity for a Prince of Wales was unprecedented to that date and “David” (as he was known to the family) loved every minute of it. Of course, he went on to be one of the greatest disappointments in Royal history when he chose American two-time divorcee and rumored lady-boy Wallis Simpson over the throne, breaking his mother’s heart in what I call “The Abdication Kerfuffle” ™ and what is more normally called, “The Abdication Crisis.”

The girl that inspired the song is thought to be one Edna Deane--a ballroom dancing champion of the era. The song, notably, was used as the theme for the 1978 ITV television series “Edward & Mrs. Simpson” which is a lot of fun to watch, but frustrating because it is so very pro-David. Nonetheless, thank God for the while Kerfuffle because without it, World War II would have had quite a different end.

Speaking of the Abdication Kerfuffle ™, we’ve commemorated the whole mess with a rather charming line of products available exclusively in our online store.

1 comment:

Mike said...

No, World War II would not have had any different outcome had Edward VIII not abdicated. Aside from the fact that he was not, in fact, pro Nazi (read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Schirer for the inside scoop), in the 1940s the British sovereign was already a figurehead with absolutely no political role and no power to determine policy. He still would have had to accept Churchill as Prime Minister, and the rest still would have been history.