I enjoy being a girl

I did it better!

And another song that will be targeted by the cancel culture. Here is a much better version.

It's *mine*.

The only version that matters.

In this song, the character's hopes/dreams/goals may not resonate so much with modern women BUT they are honestly what she wants for herself. No one is forcing her into this mold. Sure, you can argue that she is a "victim of societal pressure" or something like that, but in the end the character is fully self-actualized and able to pursue what she wants. Let it go. It's just a song. It happens to be a very good song -well-written and fun to watch in performance.

Weil ich'n Mädchen bin

A-M

[quote] With a pound and a half of cream upon my face!

I too love being pounded and then creamed upon my face

A highlight of a wonderful score containing some of R and H's loveliest songs. The lyrics of the hated Chop Suey are terrific.

These days, being a female -female means something else entirely!

Who knew Oscar was so prescient?

You *must*...

R2, it wasn't canceled. You just want an excuse to whine about cancel culture

[quote]well-written

That's just not true. The lyrics are awful, and ridiculously twee.

"I adore being dressed in something frilly

When my date comes to meet me at my place!

Out I go with my Joe or John or Billy

Like a filly who is ready for the race!"

*

*

*

"Joe or John or Billy"???

Don't get me wrong: Oscar Hammerstein II was a superb lyricists when he was younger (the lyrics to "Show Boat" are extraordinary). But by the time of "Flower Drum Song" he was producing some hackwork, and he was also pretty much out of step with the rest of his culture.

Donna's predicament...

I can't believe a Datalounger is actually [italic]threatened[/italic] by reproducing lyrics from a song from "Flower Drum Song." As if Hammerstein cannot even be excerpted lest he be somehow subjected to criticism.

Not buying that, R13. You neglect to mention the carefully-structured internal rhymes and alliteration that are hallmarks of craftsmanship. Hammerstein wasn't trying to make a social-political comment -he was writing for a specific character, helping us to understand who she is and what motivates her.

I've always loved the song "Femininity" from the musical Oh, Captain! but wish it wasn't bowdlerized with alternate lyrics. It's a song about sex and sexual desire, for fuck's sake!

[quote]Don't get me wrong: Oscar Hammerstein II was a superb lyricists when he was younger (the lyrics to "Show Boat" are extraordinary). But by the time of "Flower Drum Song" he was producing some hackwork, and he was also pretty much out of step with the rest of his culture.

Oh please.

Out of touch with the rest of the culture? In 1965 "The Sound of Music" was the year's highest grossing film and the next year became the highest grossing film of all time.

"The album reached the number one position on the Billboard 200 that year in the United States."

"It remained in the top ten for 109 weeks, from May 1, 1965, to July 16, 1967 and remained on the Billboard 200 chart for 238 weeks"

This BTW, was during the thick of Beatlemania and the British Invasion.

As for the lyrics:

"I adore being dressed in something frilly

When my date comes to meet me at my place!

Out I go with my Joe or John or Billy

Like a filly who is ready for the race!"

It is absolute perfection.

Hammerstein gets such a bad rap at times I am completely incredulous especially that with Showboat and Oklahoma and South Pacific he might very well be the most influential individual of the American musical theater of the 20th Century. Of course the one person who should have been the most grateful to him behaved towards his legacy by acting sometimes like a little shit. He has a problem with 'when the sky is a bright canary yellow'? I'm glad the audience gets it because he sure doesn't. Was he being intentionally obtuse? Was he jealous of his popularity with the mass general audience? I don't know.

There's not enough solo work for her to be a patron saint of DL, but let's hear it for BJ Baker, who dubbed me in the film. Her voice is much friendlier than Ms. Suzuki, who was never considered for the film of FDS. Ross Hunter bought it for me.

The lyrics came true: Pearl Cream is the pound and a half of cream upon my face!

When I'm not in my luxurious pearl bath, I'm busy fending off "friends" who actually accuse me of having had a face lift.

Let the horse jokes begin

I sing this to myself in front of my makeup mirror every morning!

Early camp.

BTW, the Maureen McGovern nun character in Airplane sang IEBAG but it was cut.