There was a snippet in the paper this morning saying that the writer of the Tom Jones classic "Delilah" (for our younger members http://webfitz.www.50megs.com/Lyrics/1968/801968.html ) actually wanted to write about his erstwhile love, a young lady called Delia, but couldn't make it rhyme.

So, can we help him out by adapting the song to refer to Delia?

Bingley

Bingley!!
Oh my gosh, forget "Delilah"! What memories that site brings back. I immediately bookmarked it. Thank you.

I found th'immortal:

Judy in Disguise (with Glasses)
John Fred and His Playboy Band

Judy in disguise,
Well, that's what you are,
Lemonade pie
with a brand new car.
Cantalope eyes come to me tonight
Judy in disguise with glasses.
Keep a-wearin' your bracelets
and your new rara,
Cross your heart
with your living bra.
Chimney sweep sparrow with guise
Judy in disguise with glasses.
Come to me tonight,
come to me tonight,
taking everything in sight,
except for the strings on my kite.
Judy in disguise,
Well, what you aiming for,
A circus of horrors, yeah,
Well that's what you are.
You made me a life of ashes,
I guess I'll just take your glasses
======================================================

No wonder I could never understand all the lyrics!
What on earth is a "rara", and how/where does one wear it,
if that's not too racy for a public forum?

Jackie, my band used to do "Judy" for a laugh, which it always got if only because of the stage act our singer used. He usually picked a female victim from the audience who looked as if she could take a bit of fun and make her do actions ... you can imagine. We always figured that the "rara" was short for "tiara". But your guess is as good as mine! (Judy/Jackie)

Bingley, Delia works if you mispronounce "Delia" as Dee-LYE-a instead of dee-lee-ya. The problem appears to me to be not so much of rhyming as scansion. It just won't "go" in what I assume is 2/4 timing. And, anyway, I prefer the Barron Knights' version of it as part of "The Olympic Record" recorded in early 1968! [Throat-clearing emoticon] "Why, why, whyyyyy d'ye lie there?"

what's to rhyme, seems like delia could be pronounced dee-lee-yah instead of deel-yah and therebye follow the musical time signature without stretching poetic license too greatly. Anywhooo i seem to remember an old harry belafonte song titled"Delia" (second pronunciation), a dark and forboding melody in a minor chord about death of a loved one or something so there could have been a copywrite problem encountered with the tom jones smash. almost hard to believe that one made it into the top hunnerd (want to see what enigma does with this)

spelchkr sbn

I've always pronounced Delia dee-lee-uh. I was a bit confused about the rhyme reference when I read the paper, but then I decided it meant the rhyme between why and the lie part of Delilah (Di-lie-luh).

Bingley

Love the site too. A ra-ra became a very short skirt with several layers later (80s) but that was after the song.

I've clearly been singing the wrong lyrics to "Jumping Jack Flash" for years, I don't remember any "toothless bearded hags"! http://webfitz.www.50megs.com/Lyrics/1968/271968.html

I heard on the radio, that the next lyric was the first time that the concept of a child being born outside marriage was mentioned in a song. Was "love child" coined for the song, or did it already exist?
http://webfitz.www.50megs.com/Lyrics/1968/141968.html

I'm glad that they had space for what must be one of the worst renditions of all time:
http://webfitz.www.50megs.com/Lyrics/1972/351972.html

I've always pronounced Delia dee-lee-uh.
Ooh, Bingley my sweet, how very elegant! Much lovelier than my down-home DEEL-ya.

C.K., I really wish I could have heard your band! [heaving sigh-of-regret emoticon] I would have worn my rara proudly!
(Whatever it is.)

Jo, (interesting--most people, I refer to by their screen names, but you are always and ever, just Jo)--
Yes, love child was already in use here when the song came out. There was great stigma about it then.
But I have to disagree with your choice of worst rendition:
of this list, the worst has to be "Yummy yummy yummy, I've got love in my tummy". Dead serious, folks--that was a real song, actually played on the radio.

I dunno, Jackie. Yummy, Yummy, Yummy is pathetic, but I think has a modicum more of musical merit that its sequel, Chewy, Chewy, Chewy. But, you decide:

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy:

http://webfitz.www.50megs.com/Lyrics/1968/371968.html

Chewy, Chewy, Chewy:

http://webfitz.www.50megs.com/Lyrics/1968/681968.html

[bushusuru emoticon]

[bushusuru emoticon]

Now that is one that would be useful!

Yes all "much of a muchness" here's another saccharine repetition song - sticky sticky by a band that never existed:
http://webfitz.www.50megs.com/Lyrics/1969/21969.html

[bushusuru emoticon]
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Sorry, translation required! bushusuru is............?

"Yummy yummy yummy, I've got love in my tummy". Dead serious, folks--that was a real song, actually played on the radio

"And I'm gettin' it from lovin' you!"

Yep, sung by the 1910 Fruitgum Company. Could have been the source of the expression "bubble-gum music"?