Yes, very true. Whoever was accompanying Mr Coward was a true professional.

I don't understand a word.

@@richtrophicherbs Sorry to read that. It probably helps that I know the words quite well, having learnt them years ago in hospital awaiting an operation!! It is a great song. Best wishes.

​@@richtrophicherbs All you need to hear and understand is the bit where he sings, "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun". Or, you can listen again and read the lyrics I have so generously provided just for you, below: PS: Climes means the climate of a region. In tropical climes there are certain times of day When all the citizens retire To take their clothes off and perspire It's one of those rules the greatest fools obey Because the sun is far too sultry And one must avoid its ultry-violet ray The natives grieve when the white men leave their huts Because they're obviously, definitely nuts! Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun The Japanese don't care to The Chinese wouldn't dare to Hindus and Argentines sleep firmly from twelve 'til one But Englishmen detest a siesta In the Philippines they have lovely screens To protect you from the glare In the Malay States there are hats like plates Which the Britishers won't wear At twelve noon the natives swoon And no further work is done But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun It's such a surprise For the Eastern eyes to see That though the English are effete They're quite impervious to heat When the white man rides Every native hides in glee Because the simple creatures hope he will impale his sola topee On a tree It seems such a shame When the English claim the Earth That they give rise to such hilarity and mirth Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho He-he-he-he-he-he-he Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun The toughest Burmese bandit can never understand it In Rangoon, the heat of noon Is just what the natives shun They put their Scotch or rye down and lie down In a jungle town where the sun beats down To the rage of man and beast The English garb of the English sahib Merely gets a bit more creased In Bangkok at twelve o'clock They foam at the mouth and run But mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun The smallest Malay rabbit deplores this foolish habit In Hong Kong they strike a gong And fire off a Noonday Gun To reprimand each inmate who's in late In the mangrove swamps where the python romps There is peace from twelve to two Even caribou lie around and snooze For there's nothing else to do In Bengal to move at all Is seldom if ever done But mad dogs and Englishmen go Out in the midday Out in the midday Out in the midday Out in the midday Out in the midday Out in the midday Out in the midday sun

@@listen2meokidoki264 fanx!

Noel Coward and Vivian Stanshall....two of my favourite English eccentrics.

His genius accompanist/musical director Peter Matz made Sir Noël's mischievous timing possible. All praise.

These days a genius. Is meaning less. As the Woke amongst us insist. Equality is something No-one can resist.

Better than rap

@@freddybloggs6324 Absolutely!

Cowards ditties are Not actually in Rap Since Rap is actually not a thing. Unless talking is.

It's all lyrical poetry, and always has been. The ancient Greeks would have considered him a barbarian, but they would have recognized him as a tribal singer, simply from his rhyme and meter. The same is true of Rap, they're all just stylistic differences on the same art form.

Tom Lehrer was funnier.

Agreed. Such a treasure.

You beat me to it! But they're both wonderful. How lucky that we can still enjoy such talent!

Spot on about his breath control! What an AMAZING demonstration!

Second that . . . .

These days a genius. Is meaning less. As the Woke amongst us insist. Equality is something No-one can resist.

@@listen2meokidoki264 The song and its creator represent a generation and era that is complete anathema to the 'wokerati'.

Well, for starters, he'd write new lyrics for the title song of his hit show "Anything Goes".

Just don't take it out in public?

Sounds a great guy, your music master.

Neither of the other 2 you mention wrote their own material - Noel Coward was absolutely unique.

@@alidabaxter5849 Benny Hill did, he actually traveled around Europe getting his material first hand to use in his acts.

Seamus He was actually known as "The Master" with long A, sounding like Marster.

@Sol Cutta Where's the evidence?

@Sol Cutta I'm listening to what you're sating. But I only hear what I want to. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qJ6gociUma7coKc.html

So "sola topee" is Hindi for pith helmet. I'm actually not sure what the inference is here of impaling a helmet ion a tree - maybe it just means hang their hat up and NOT go out in the sun? Or something more sinister like an Englishman still wearing the helmet while being impaled? Curious if anyone from this era knows?

Pure Brilliance!!

@@steveliveshere I think it means simply that they hope the white man's dignity will suffer through having his hat knocked off by a low-hanging branch. (Try putting it in those exact words, and getting it to rhyme and scan - can't be done!!)

But it rhymes.

God I love this man

@@listen2meokidoki264 Rap rhymes. Irritatingly so:- ''Rap Rhymes, it aint no crime, they do it all da time, it's really out of line..'' Like that.

@@terryperring104 Poor Rap. Its simply in com prehensible. But old Noel Coward. Went down in a constant spiral. And ended up Teaching In high school. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p-BheJZhmKfbhoU.html

@@listen2meokidoki264 You're tell us that normal Rap IS comprehensible?

It is very well rehearsed, and the out of kilter time changes are carefully planned.

Rigorous training - plus constant practice thereafter - in vocal projection and diction. He made it look easy, but it sure ain't!

Radio 4 watchdogs deleted a clip of him singing a few lines of the song,in a program about the structure of song lyrics,on the grounds that it “ reflected colonialism “ 🙄

Reasonable people can make allowances for things from an earlier time when casual racism was accepted. But I'm sure you really miss the days when you could use ethnic slurs freely and colonialism was considered normal behavior. So sad that the "good old days" are over, isn't it? All those uppity foreigners who don't know their place anymore.

@@premanadi Such arrogance from someone who knows absolutely nothing about me, “you assume much but know little” is a phrase the covers people such as yourself.

@@mrjockt Your words speak plenty about you.

@@premanadi As I said “you assume much but know little”.

Maybe, though I think it's more likely to just be that the old video camera had a slow shutter speed, or something went wrong with the frame rate when it was transferred to film, etc. I don't know too much about old TV cameras, but I highly doubt Coward, or anyone back then, would have gone through the trouble to dub themselves in a TV broadcast after it had aired.

No way, it's absolutely live. They didn't post-sync live TV in 1955. Didn't have the technology to do it.