Well, my morning post was a bit dour, but the one bright thing it did was remind me of this song! It is not my favourite of Herman’s Hermits, but I have to admit it is a fun song with an upbeat melody and lyrics, so let’s start this new year, such as it is, with this, shall we?
Herman’s Hermits are an English beat rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. Produced by Mickie Most, they charted with number ones in the UK and in America, where they ranked as one of the most successful acts in the Beatles-led British Invasion.
I’m Henery The Eighth, I Am was first published in 1910, and was the signature tune of the great music hall star Harry Champion; the title is a reference to Henry VIII, the much married King of England; the twist is that here the narrator ties the knot with a much married widow.
The original I’m Henery The Eighth, I Am has a bunch of verses, but the Herman’s Hermits rendition has just one, repeated three times (“second verse, same as the first”, which is where I got my idea for the title of my a.m. post). That’s because the band only knew the one verse, which is actually the chorus.
According to Peter Noone …
“I have the original Harry Champion recording of that, on wire. It’s from a time when people were just lucky enough to be in the music business. If you were at my house you’d get Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Fats Waller and a lot of that hymn stuff that my grandfather liked. Because of the BBC we were exposed to multiple types of music, and rock ‘n’ roll was only 30 minutes a day.”
I’m Henry the 8th
Herman’s Hermits
I’m Henry the eighth I am
Henry the eighth I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She’s been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn’t have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I’m her eighth old man, I’m Henry
Henry the eighth I am
Second verse same as the first
I’m Henry the eighth I am
Henry the eighth I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She’s been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn’t have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I’m her eighth old man, I’m Henry
Henry the eighth I am
I’m Henry the eighth I am
Henry the eighth I am, I am
I got married to the widow next door
She’s been married seven times before
And every one was an Henry (Henry)
She wouldn’t have a Willy or a Sam (no Sam)
I’m her eighth old man, I’m Henry
Henry the eighth I am
H-E-N-are-why
Henry (Henry) Henry (Henry)
Henry the eighth I am, I am
Henry the eighth I am yeah
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Fred Murray / R P Weston
I’m Henry the 8th (Re-Record) lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG Rights Management