Shaving Cream (song)
Encyclopedia
"Shaving Cream" is a song written
by Benny Bell
in 1946, and originally sung by Paul Wynn. It is a novelty song
which uses innuendo
with a rhyme scheme
that implies that the last word in each verse is "shit
", while the refrain
begins with the words "Shaving Cream," with exaggerated emphasis on the "sh" sound.
The original version of "Shaving Cream" was issued on Bell's Cocktail Party Songs record label in 1946, with Phil Winston on vocals under the pseudonym Paul Wynn, and as that name was also used by Bell himself, Winston's version has often been mistaken for Bell's, and has appeared on Benny Bell compilation albums more frequently than Bell's own version.
After the song began to be played on the Dr. Demento
radio show in the 1970s, Vanguard Records
reissued the song in 1975, and it became a hit, peaking at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart. Early copies of the 1975 Vanguard single credited Bell as the performer. However, after controversy ensued, the same recording was re-released with revised labels crediting Paul Wynn as performer.
A remake of "Shaving Cream" performed as a duet with Dr. Demento was released on the albums, Dr. Demento's Dementia Royale and Dr. Demento's 25th Anniversary Collection. Dr. Demento occasionally performed the song live in concert with "Weird Al" Yankovic
's band (Yankovic playing accordion). Another 1970s cover version was recorded by a soca
group, The Fabulous Five.
Dave Van Ronk
famously performed this song at his shows over the years, and a version is included on the CD of rarities, The Mayor of MacDougal Street. He modifies the trick of the song by changing the last line to "stick your head in a bucket of shit" rather than "a bucket of shaving cream".
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Benny Bell
Benny Bell
Benny Bell was an American singer-songwriter who reached popularity in the 1940s, with a comeback in the 1970s. He is particularly remembered for his risqué but cheerfully optimistic songs.-Career:Benny Bell was born to an immigrant Jewish family in New York City...
in 1946, and originally sung by Paul Wynn. It is a novelty song
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...
which uses innuendo
Innuendo
An innuendo is a baseless invention of thoughts or ideas. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging , that works obliquely by allusion...
with a rhyme scheme
Rhyme scheme
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme between lines of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme. In other words, it is the pattern of end rhymes or lines...
that implies that the last word in each verse is "shit
Shit
Shit is usually considered vulgar and profane in Modern English. As a noun it refers to fecal matter and as a verb it means to defecate or defecate in; in the plural it means diarrhea...
", while the refrain
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
begins with the words "Shaving Cream," with exaggerated emphasis on the "sh" sound.
- "I have a sad story to tell you
- It may hurt your feelings a bit
- Last night when I walked into my bathroom
- I stepped in a big pile of ...shhhhh . . . aving cream,
- be nice and clean. . . .
- Shave ev'ry day and you'll always look keen."
The original version of "Shaving Cream" was issued on Bell's Cocktail Party Songs record label in 1946, with Phil Winston on vocals under the pseudonym Paul Wynn, and as that name was also used by Bell himself, Winston's version has often been mistaken for Bell's, and has appeared on Benny Bell compilation albums more frequently than Bell's own version.
After the song began to be played on the Dr. Demento
Dr. 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....
radio show in the 1970s, Vanguard Records
Vanguard Records
Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
reissued the song in 1975, and it became a hit, peaking at #30 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. Early copies of the 1975 Vanguard single credited Bell as the performer. However, after controversy ensued, the same recording was re-released with revised labels crediting Paul Wynn as performer.
A remake of "Shaving Cream" performed as a duet with Dr. Demento was released on the albums, Dr. Demento's Dementia Royale and Dr. Demento's 25th Anniversary Collection. Dr. Demento occasionally performed the song live in concert with "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
's band (Yankovic playing accordion). Another 1970s cover version was recorded by a soca
Soca music
Soca is a style of music from Trinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadian calypso, through loans from the 1960s onwards from predominantly black popular music....
group, The Fabulous Five.
Dave Van Ronk
Dave Van Ronk
Dave Van Ronk was an American folk singer, born in Brooklyn, New York, who settled in Greenwich Village, New York, and was eventually nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street" ....
famously performed this song at his shows over the years, and a version is included on the CD of rarities, The Mayor of MacDougal Street. He modifies the trick of the song by changing the last line to "stick your head in a bucket of shit" rather than "a bucket of shaving cream".