"My Girl's Pussy" (or simply "Pussy!")[a] is a 1931 vocal jazz song recorded by the British bandleader and clarinetist Harry Roy and His Bat Club Boys.
The lyrics play on the two meanings of the word pussy (i.e. cat/female genitalia) in a series of double entendres.[2]
Harry Roy is credited with both the lyrics and the music; he also performs the singing.[3]
Release
editThe song was released in August 1931[4] by Oriole Records (UK),[1] described by the record company as a "fox trot with vocal chorus".[1] It was the A-side of the record, with 'If You Haven't Got Love'[b] on the B-side.[1]
Description
editThe track duration is approximately three minutes and ten seconds.
It opens on sounds imitating a cat’s meowing (after a few bars), followed by the theme before the vocal part starts, developed in two sequences separated by a piano solo.
Background
editThe song was performed by Roy and his ad hoc orchestra at The Bat club on Albermarle Street, where it became the club's "unofficial anthem" in the early 1930s.[5]
On more recent genre compilations
edit"My Girl's Pussy" later appeared on various dirty blues compilation albums, such as The Copulatin' Blues, Volume Two,[6] The Ultimate Dirty Blues collection,[7] Risqué blues (vol.1)[8] or Baby How Can It Be? Songs of Love, Lust and Contempt From the 1920s and 1930s.[9]
Lyrics
editThe lyrics[10] develop constant puns on the sexual connotation of the title word, such as:
There's one pet I like to pet / And every evening we get set / I stroke it every chance I get / It's my girl's pussy
Cover versions
edit"My Girl's Pussy" was covered in 1976 by Ian Whitcomb,[11] in 1978 by R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders,[12] in 1981 by Bob Kerr and His Whoopee Band,[13] in 2004 by Kitten on the Keys,[14] and in 2007 by Blag Dahlia[15] among others.
Use in films and series
edit"My Girl's Pussy" was on the soundtrack of the 2004 film Head in the Clouds, performed by John Duigan.[16] Its cover version by R. Crumb and his Cheap Suit Serenaders was used as the theme song to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's series Laid in 2011–12.[17] It was sung by the character of Ben Siegel during his capture/kidnapping in the 5th season of Boardwalk Empire (2015).[18] It also features in the first episode of the MGM+ limited series A Spy Among Friends.
In Babylon (2022)
editThe song appears in the 2022 film Babylon, in the first sequence, sung by Lady Fay Zhu, a character based upon Anna May Wong[19] and portrayed by Li Jun Li.[20] Its original version also can be heard partially in a later scene of the film,[c] during which the song is played on a phonograph in a subterranean gathering space.[21]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ The title appears as 'PUSSY!', in capital letters, on the label of the original 78 rpm record.[1]
- ^ ’If You Haven’t Got Love’ was originally sung by Gloria Swanson in Indiscreet, a film that had come out in May the same year.
- ^ Albeit not present on the soundtrack album, as considered incidental music.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Harry Roy & His Bat Club Boys - Pussy ! / If You Haven't Got Love, retrieved 2023-01-24
- ^ "The 1930s The Dirtiest Decade In Music?". Tone Deaf. 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
- ^ "Recording "My Girl's Pussy" by Harry Roy and his Bat Club Boys - MusicBrainz". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ "Oriole UK". www.mgthomas.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
- ^ "The Bat Club, 13 Albemarle Street". Cocktails With Elvira. 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
- ^ "Release "The Copulatin' Blues, Volume Two" by Various Artists - MusicBrainz". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ "The Ultimate Dirty Blues Collection: 100 Song Mega Pack (Remastered) by Various Artists album lyrics". Musixmatch. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ Various Artists - Risque Blues, Vol. 1 Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2023-01-24
- ^ "Various Artists: Baby How Can It Be? Songs of Love, Lust and Contempt From the 1920s and 1930s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
- ^ Harry Roy & His Orchestra – My Girl's Pussy, retrieved 2023-03-29
- ^ Faust, Wayne. "Ian Whitcomb's CDs". Picklehead.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-30. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
- ^ "A Cheap Suit Serenaders Page". Timshome.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
- ^ "Song: My Girl's Pussy written by Harry Roy | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
- ^ "Kitten On The Keys | (it's Not A) Pretty Princess Day | CD Baby Music Store". Cdbaby.com. Archived from the original on 2012-09-23. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
- ^ "Dwarves / Blag Dahlia - Dwarves / Blag Dahlia (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-07. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
- ^ "Head in the Clouds (2004) Soundtrack". RingosTrack. Retrieved 2023-01-26.
- ^ "Australian Television: Laid". www.australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ Latham, Brandon (2014-10-20). "Review: 'Boardwalk Empire' Season 5 Episode 7, 'Friendless Child,' Brought Nucky to his Knees". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ ""Babylon" Star Li Jun Li on Capturing Anna May Wong Onscreen". Vanity Fair. 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
- ^ December 21, Maureen Lee Lenker; EST, 2022 at 12:22 PM. "'Babylon' number 'My Girl's P---y' is, in fact, a real song". EW.com. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Babylon Soundtrack (2022) - All the Songs List, Listen to Full Music". New Soundtracks, Scores - Film Music, Ratings and Reviews. 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2023-01-26.