Open the Door, Richard
Samuel K. Conner
My 75 year old father has been attempting to remember the title and full
lyrics of a song from "[his] youth"-presumably the 1940's. All he
remembers is that the chorus is something to the effect of:
"Open the Door, Richard
Open the door and let me in
Open the Door, Richard
Open the door, and let me in"
I am not familiar with the song, but it would be greatly appreciated if
anyone out there has any information on the matter will share it with
me.
Thanks!
Sam Conner
Gerrit de Blaauw
From Lyrics World:
Open the Door Richard
Count Basie and His Orchestra
Words by Dusty Fletcher and John Mason
Music by Jack McVea and Don Howell
Peaked at # 1 in 1947 and, true to the times, six OTHER versions also
made the
Top 10
Three Flames (#1); Dusty Fletcher (#3); Jack McVea (#3); the Charioteers
(#6);
Louis Jordan (#6); and The Pied Pipers (#8)
Intro-conversations mingled in a crowded room
<All parts are spoken except where indicated>
???? at the club tonight. Ole Richard went home early-he's got the key
to the
house. I'm gonna knock on the door, see if I kin get in.
<five rapid drumbeats>
Open the door, Richard!! Ya see, Richard sleeps in the back room. It's
kinda hard
to hear.
Maybe I better knock a little louder.
<five louder rapid drumbeats>
Open the door, Richard!! I don't think Richard heard me yet. Knock one
more
time-let's see
what's gonna happen.
<five louder and even more-rapid drumbeats>
Richard, open the door, please.
SUNG: Open the door, Richard
Open the door and let me in
Open the door, Richard
Richard, why don't you open that door?
Richard, open the door, man-it's *co-hold* out here'n this air. Now
look-there's that
old woman 'cross the street lookin' out the windah
(Who's that, Widow Sweet?)
That must be her sister, I guess. She wants to make SURE this is me.
She's tryin'
to find out
what's happenin'. Yes, it's me and I'm late again!
(??, did you hear what the lady's sayin'?)
No, what is she sayin'?
(She said you sure look common out here'n the street.)
COMMON? Man, I got class I ain't never used yet. I'm gonna knock
again-
Richard's got to get up.
<five rapid drumbeats>
Open the door, Richard!! Man, you got a key to the house?
(No, ??, I don't have a key. I DON'T have a key.)
Somebody's got to get in the house. We can't climb in the transit.
(Oh, I know he's in there.)
How YOU know he's in there?
(I can hear him breathin'.)
Ooooh, let's try it one more time!
<SEVEN loud rapid drumbeats>
Richard, open that door, man. Maybe Richard's gone.
<five rapid drumbeats>
SUNG: Open the door, Richard
Open the door and let me in
Open the door, Richard
Richard, why don't you open that door? < halfway thru
this singing
part, it blends
with a background conversation.>
I know he's in there.
(how you know he's in there?)
Why, you got on the suit.
I know I got on the only suit. Ain't got but one suit between
us. That's the
reason why I don't like to roooooom with nobody.
FADE
Richard, why don'tcha open the door, man?
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: *cold."*
This entire song is done on an ad-lib basis and it varies WIDELY from
other
versions, which were considerably funnier. "??" represents the names or
nicknames of the band members which I could not comprehend. Still it IS
the
version that made #1.
--
Gerrit de Blaauw
Bunty Pritchard Jones
<sco...@mitre.org> writes
>I am in need of help finding a song title and (hopefully) lyrics.
>
>My 75 year old father has been attempting to remember the title and full
>lyrics of a song from "[his] youth"-presumably the 1940's. All he
>remembers is that the chorus is something to the effect of:
>
>"Open the Door, Richard
>Open the door and let me in
>Open the Door, Richard
>Open the door, and let me in"
>
>I am not familiar with the song, but it would be greatly appreciated if
>anyone out there has any information on the matter will share it with
>me.
>
>Sam Conner
I vaguely remember the song.
"Open the door, Richard,
Open the door and let m in.
Open the door, Richard,
Richard why won't you open that door....."
Sorry I cannot remember any more.
Bunty :}
--
Bunty Pritchard Jones
http://www.the-antiques.demon.co.uk
Mitch Drumm
: I am in need of help finding a song title and (hopefully) lyrics.
:
: My 75 year old father has been attempting to remember the title and full
: lyrics of a song from "[his] youth"-presumably the 1940's. All he
: remembers is that the chorus is something to the effect of:
:
: "Open the Door, Richard
: Open the door and let me in
: Open the Door, Richard
: Open the door, and let me in"
:
: I am not familiar with the song, but it would be greatly appreciated if
: anyone out there has any information on the matter will share it with
: me.
it was a well known song in it's day, the mid to late 1940s.
i think the original version was done by r and b bandleader and sax player
jack mcvea.
also done in the 40s by the great louis jordan, and in the 50s by rocker
billy lee riley. if memory serves, r and b artist dusty fletcher also did a
40s version. no doubt others, as it was a hit.
lst...@webtv.net
{knock, knock, knock,] "Open the door, Richard!"
louder [knock, knock, knock,] Open the door, Richard!"
louder [BANG, BANG, BANG] "HEY DICK!!! OPEN THAT DOOR!!!
[sung]
Open the door, Richard.
Open the door and let me in.
Open the door, Richard.
Now Richard why don't you open that door!
The only other line I remember in full is...
[spoken]
Now here I am fumblin' through my coat pocket.
Now here I am fumblin' through my pants pocket.
And here I am fumblin' through my shirt pocket.
And I don't know, I just can't find that key, I don't know...
Another line which I vaguely remember involves the singer/narrator
recalling an incident, something to the effect of...
"and there sittin' on the middle of the bed, sat Richard, eatin' an
onion and cryin' like a baby"
As for the singer of this particular version I am fairly certain it is
NOT Louis Jordan.