Talk:I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am

• Previous deletion debate

Sung also by Patty Duke on her show as Kathie Lane

Vfd link

After the page move, there is now a ghost link on the Vfd template. 66.245.28.59 03:32, 13 Nov 2004 (UTC)

I'm not advocating that they be reinstated, but I should point out that if the lyrics are from 1910 then they weren't a copyright problem. Isomorphic 03:33, 13 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Henery/Henry

Well, I guess it's more complicated than I thought, and needs to be researched. Preliminary Googling suggests that when it is the Herman's Hermits that are being referenced, the spelling is usually "Henry," five letters, but when Harry Champion and traditional British music hall are being referenced, it is "Henery." At least I think that's the pattern. Someone needs to find a good source... Dpbsmith (talk) 14:55, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

It is purely arbitrary, depending on where you look. There is no doubt that "Henery" scans into the music with three syllables wheras "Henry" with two syllables does not. However, researching song titles on records and CDs almost always gives the title as "Henry". "Henry" is the predominant spelling in books and articles too. The definitive answer would be to have a scan of the title page of various sheet music and/or music album editions, and also the labels of the various issues on 78 rpm records. The excellent Windyridge record label specialises in reissues of music hall material, here is their catalogue which gives the spelling "Henry": [1]. My own research shows that "Henry" is the majority spelling, I guess about 2 – 1 at least, and I think it would be all-round less confusing to use this spelling in the article heading. Guy 22:17, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

At the very least, the Herman's Hermit's versions were released as "Henry". I think this should be moved, or the leading para should at least include "Henry" as an alternative spelling. --DropDeadGorgias (talk) 16:56, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

I think the spelling deserves at least a mention. Especially because the Herman's Hermits version I heard actually spells "H-E-N-R-Y" in the song. If the article mentions this version maybe it should include something about the spelling to avoid confusion. NeuGye (talk) 04:32, 29 March 2008 (UTC)

The fourth paragraph and the first footnote go into this in some detail. Dpbsmith (talk) 13:05, 29 March 2008 (UTC)

A Joke?

The article pretty emphatically states that the song is not about Henry VIII, the monarch. But really, isn't is just a joke, a pun, a play on words, a double entendre if you will? So yes, it's true in the strictest sense that the song is not really about Henry VIII, but it's definitely related to and inspired by him. Right? ElCamino42 23:46, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

I'd say it's obviously intended to be a joking play on the king's name, a reference to him, but would I call it a pun or wordplay or double entendre? Not really. Succubus MacAstaroth (talk) 10:46, 29 November 2014 (UTC)

"Top" vs. "Have"

Since the article mentions the difference between the Herman's Hermits version and the older one ("Henery" vs. "Henry"), could we have a mention of the phrase "She wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam"? In the Herman's Hermits version, I'm pretty sure it's the racier "She wouldn't top a Willy or a Sam." Not sure where in the article this would go, though.Graymornings 16:50, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Does anyone honestly believe that this song is supposed to be about Henry the 8th?

I noticed the following in the article: "Meaning Contrary to popular belief, the song is not about King Henry VIII, the British monarch, but instead about a man named Henry whose wife has been married to seven men before him, all of whom were named Henry." The song is pretty clear that its about a guy who marries a woman who's been married 7 times before, all to men named Henry, thus making a comical reference to the fact that he should also be known as Henry the Eighth. Does this really need to be in here? Who thinks that the song is about the monarch? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.87.52.49 (talk) 23:00, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Repeating

My mother used to sing this and always repeat it. After the last line she would sing "second verse, same as the first!" and repeat. Then "third verse, same as the first!" etc. Anyone else heard this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.167.68.36 (talk) 04:46, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

Yes, that's true. In the record, there are two repeatings, connected by „Second verse, same as the first!“ and spelling „H–E–N–R–Y“, as written here in Lyrics Library. The question is, if this is important.
Josef Plch, 6. 3. 2010 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.100.47.83 (talk) 10:17, 6 March 2010 (UTC)

Where is here an ibid/cit in the references section?

I can't see one, but perhaps the warning is there for something else? The Crab Who Played With The Sea (talk) 20:39, 31 July 2010 (UTC) Has the article got the words right? My copy ends:"I'm her eighth old man named [not "I'm"] Henery, I'm Henery the Eiigth I am" Bukovets (talk) 12:12, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

In verse 3 someone at the waxworks exhibition says that the singer is "Charlie Peace" and the singer "gets the spike", presumably loses his temper. Has anybody seen that expression anywhere else? Why does Henry "get the spike"? Surely, what would annoy him would be the reality, that he is Henry Peace, or whatever his surname is. When I perform this song I change "Charlie Peace" to "Henry Smith". Does anybody know where "Charlie" and "Peace" come from? Bukovets (talk) 01:01, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

referring to a criminal & historical act of heads of the executed being put on spikes as a warning to others? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Peace maybe a joke about the singer murdering the song &/or disrespecting the real Henry the 8th & getting/deserving the same treatment as some of his wives? is the Waxworks exhibition Tussauds chamber of horrors or similar? - eta: from actually looking at the linked lyrics - the visitors either mistake him for a waxwork or mockingly compare him to a criminal and he gets the spike ie executed either due to mistaken identity or for disrespecting genuine royalty. 109.224.137.121 (talk) 04:15, 9 April 2013 (UTC)

Original research for guitar part

The citation for who plays the guitar solo on the Herman's Hermits version explicitly says "pers. corres.", which is primary research. (The accompanying cite is incomplete, too, but I figured too many templates junk up the page.) --Triplingual (talk) 17:37, 9 June 2018 (UTC)

"in the Hermits' version, Peter Noone ends each chorus with "I'm her eighth old man, I'm 'Enery" and never sings "named"."

I think that the poster misheard the Cockney pronunciation of "named," in which a long "a" is pronounced like a long "i" in standard English.Kostaki mou (talk) 15:45, 21 September 2021 (UTC)