Whispering Grass
"Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees)" is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher.[1] The song was first recorded by Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra in 1940.[2] The Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny also recorded it the same year.[3] A live instrumental version was played and recorded by Johnny Hodges with Duke Ellington and his orchestra in the Cristal Ballroom, Fargo, North Dakota, also in 1940.[citation needed]
The words of the song are reminiscent of those of Kahlil Gibran: "If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.”[4]
"Whispering Grass" was a 1975 UK number-one single by Windsor Davies and Don Estelle.[5] Davies and Estelle were actors in the successful sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum. It was number one in the UK Singles Chart for three weeks from 7 June 1975.[5] The record is a comic version of The Ink Spots' 1940 recording, and was sung in character.
Other versions
The song was also recorded by:
- Ringo Starr on his 1970 album Sentimental Journey.[6]
- Sandy Denny on her 1973 album Like an Old Fashioned Waltz.[7]
- Kay Starr on her 1962 album I Cry By Night.[8]
- Kat Edmonson on her 2012 album Way Down Low.[9]
- The Skatalites, as 'Whispering Dub' on their Herb Dub Collie Dub album first issued in 1976, re-issued in 2001.[10]
References
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/song/whispering-grass-dont-tell-the-trees-mt0011395355
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/coleman-hawkins-with-erskine-hawkins-and-their-orchestras-mw0000678700
- ^ https://www.discogs.com/Ink-Spots-Whispering-Grass-Dont-Tell-The-Trees-Maybe/release/1041707
- ^ http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/168281-if-you-reveal-your-secrets-to-the-wind-you-should
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 187. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Miles, Barry (1998). The Beatles a Diary: An Intimate Day by Day History. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780711963153.
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/like-an-old-fashioned-waltz-mw0000269424
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-cry-by-night-mw0000760866
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/way-down-low-mw0002323772
- ^ https://www.discogs.com/Skatalites-Herb-Dub-Collie-Dub/release/799693
External links
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