Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor (On The Bedpost Over Night)
Encyclopedia
"Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)" is a novelty song
by Lonnie Donegan
. Released as a single in 1959, it peaked at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart
. It was also Donegan's greatest chart success in the United States, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in 1961.
The song is a cover version of "Does The Spearmint Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?", a song first released in 1924 by The Happiness Boys
(Ernie Hare
and Billy Jones), and later a hit for Lulu Belle and Scotty
and The Two Gilberts. The song is humorous in content, the verses each describing a dramatic or urgent scenario leading up to the asking of the titular question.
The title and lyrics of the Donegan version were changed in the UK because "Spearmint" is a registered trademark
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/domestic?domesticnum=1199994 there, and the BBC
does not play songs which mention trademarks. Donegan's version of the song was recorded live at the New Theatre Oxford
in December 1958 and was released both as a single as a track on the album King of Skiffle
. An extended version with more banter was released on the live album The Last Tour.
, and re-worked into Czech
by Jiří Grossmann
. Additional versions of the song were recorded by The Irish Rovers
and Homer & Jethro. In Ken Kesey
's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
, the character Randle Patrick McMurphy also sings a few lines of this song to prove Chief Bromden is not deaf by making him laugh at the performance. In 2010, Donegan's version was used as the background song for a satellite TV advertisement for Savlon
antiseptic cream. It has also been recorded by Eric Nagler
(1982).
Show, appearing 54 times between the show's premiere and 2006 and selected for the Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection
double CD. It was referenced on Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation
. It was partially referenced in the lyrics of "Ahab the Arab
" by Ray Stevens
. It has also made an appearance on the children's television show, Sharon, Lois, & Bram's Elephant Show during one of their performances.
Novelty song
A novelty song is a comical or nonsensical song, performed principally for its comical effect. Humorous songs, or those containing humorous elements, are not necessarily novelty songs. The term arose in Tin Pan Alley to describe one of the major divisions of popular music. The other two divisions...
by Lonnie Donegan
Lonnie Donegan
Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan MBE was a skiffle musician, with more than 20 UK Top 30 hits to his name. He is known as the "King of Skiffle" and is often cited as a large influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s...
. Released as a single in 1959, it peaked at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It was also Donegan's greatest chart success in the United States, reaching number five on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart in 1961.
The song is a cover version of "Does The Spearmint Lose Its Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?", a song first released in 1924 by The Happiness Boys
The Happiness Boys
The Happiness Boys was a popular radio program of the early 1920s. It featured the vocal duo of tenor Billy Jones and bass/baritone Ernie Hare who sang novelty songs.-Career:...
(Ernie Hare
Ernie Hare
Thomas Ernest Hare was a bass/baritone who recorded prolifically during the 1920s and 1930s, finding fame as a radio star on The Happiness Boys radio program.-Career:...
and Billy Jones), and later a hit for Lulu Belle and Scotty
Lulu Belle and Scotty
Myrtle Eleanor Cooper and Scott Greene Wiseman , known professionally as Lulu Belle and Scotty, were one of the major country music acts of the 1930s and 1940s, dubbed The Sweethearts of Country Music.-Career:Cooper was born in Boone, North Carolina; Wiseman was from Spruce Pine, North...
and The Two Gilberts. The song is humorous in content, the verses each describing a dramatic or urgent scenario leading up to the asking of the titular question.
The title and lyrics of the Donegan version were changed in the UK because "Spearmint" is a registered trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/domestic?domesticnum=1199994 there, and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
does not play songs which mention trademarks. Donegan's version of the song was recorded live at the New Theatre Oxford
New Theatre Oxford
The New Theatre Oxford is the main commercial theatre in Oxford, England and has a capacity of 1,800 people....
in December 1958 and was released both as a single as a track on the album King of Skiffle
King of Skiffle
King of Skiffle is a musical album by Lonnie Donegan. A CD version of the album was released in the UK on 18 February 1998 by Castle Music. The CD was also released by Pickwick under the title "The Best of Lonnie Donegan"....
. An extended version with more banter was released on the live album The Last Tour.
Recordings
Since Donegan's version was released, it has appeared as a Smarties jingle, a performance on The Muppet ShowThe Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, and re-worked into Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
by Jiří Grossmann
Jirí Grossmann
Jiří Grossmann was a Czechoslovak theatre actor, poet, and composer.-Life:Grossmann was born in Prague. After his graduation, he started at the technical university ČVUT, but left in 1962 when he met Miloslav Šimek in the Olympik bar. Grossmann performed with Dixie Party Band in the Olympik bar,...
. Additional versions of the song were recorded by The Irish Rovers
The Irish Rovers
The Irish Rovers is a Canadian Irish folk group created in 1963 and named after the traditional song "The Irish Rover". The group is best known for their international television series, and renditions of traditional Irish drinking songs, as well as early hits, Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn",...
and Homer & Jethro. In Ken Kesey
Ken Kesey
Kenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey was an American author, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , and as a counter-cultural figure who considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. "I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a...
's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a novel written by Ken Kesey. Set in an Oregon asylum, the narrative serves as a study of the institutional process and the human mind, as well as a critique of Behaviorism and a celebration of humanistic principles. Written in 1959, the novel was adapted into a...
, the character Randle Patrick McMurphy also sings a few lines of this song to prove Chief Bromden is not deaf by making him laugh at the performance. In 2010, Donegan's version was used as the background song for a satellite TV advertisement for Savlon
Savlon
Savlon is a brand of first aid and medical products manufactured in the UK by Novartis Consumer Health. The name Savlon usually refers to Savlon antiseptic skin healing cream, a topical antiseptic cream sold in the UK without prescription. The active ingredients in Savlon cream are Cetrimide and...
antiseptic cream. It has also been recorded by Eric Nagler
Eric Nagler
Eric Nagler is an American-born musician and television personality known primarily for his work on Canadian children's television series such as The Elephant Show.- Biography :...
(1982).
Popularity
"Does Your Chewing Gum..." has been a popular song on the Dr. DementoDr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
Show, appearing 54 times between the show's premiere and 2006 and selected for the Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection
Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary Collection
This is a release by radio disc jockey Dr. Demento to celebrate 20 years since the beginning of his radio career.It covers many of the novelty and comedy songs from the 1950s such as Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor by Lonnie Donegan & His Skiffle Group to the then recent release of Eat It...
double CD. It was referenced on Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation
Talkin' 'bout your Generation
Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation is an Australian game show produced by Granada Productions which premiered on Network Ten on 5 May 2009. It is hosted by Shaun Micallef....
. It was partially referenced in the lyrics of "Ahab the Arab
Ahab The Arab
"Ahab the Arab" is a novelty song recorded by Ray Stevens in 1962. In the song, Arab is pronounced "Ay-rab" to rhyme with Ahab.- Lyrics :The song portrays a "sheik of the burning sands" named Ahab. He is highly decorated with jewelry, and every night he hops on Clyde, his camel, on his way to see...
" by Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
. It has also made an appearance on the children's television show, Sharon, Lois, & Bram's Elephant Show during one of their performances.