"I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am" (also "I'm Henery the VIII, I Am" or "I'm Henery VIII, I Am") is a 1910 British music hall song by Fred Murray and R. P. Weston. It was a signature song of music hall star Harry Champion, and became the fastest-selling song in history to that point when revived in 1965 by Herman's Hermits.[1], becoming the group's second number-one on the Hot 100 chart. In the well-known chorus, Henery explains that his wife had been married seven times before:
I'm Henery the Eighth, I am!
Henery the Eighth I am! I am!
I got married to the widow next door,
She's been married seven times before.
Every one was an Henery
She wouldn't have a Willie or a Sam
I'm her eighth old man named Henery
Henery the Eighth I am.
According to one source, Champion "used to fire off [the chorus] at tremendous speed with almost desperate gusto, his face bathed in sweat and his arms and legs flying in all directions."[1] The song is often sung with a Cockney pronunciation, "I'm 'er eyeth ol' man nymed 'Enery." Earlier sources usually spell the name "Henery"[2][3][4] (as do some old sources when referring to the historical King of England[5]), and the music requires the name "Henery" to be pronounced as three syllables. The sheet music for the 1965 Herman's Hermits revival, however, presented the name as "Henry", as do sources referring to this version.[1][6]
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Meaning
Contrary to popular belief, the song is not about King Henry VIII, the British monarch, but instead about a man named Henry whose wife has been married to seven men before him, all of whom were named Henry.
Cultural references
In the movie Ghost from 1990, the Ghost Sam tortures Oda Mae Brown by preventing her from sleeping by singing this song over and over again in a bad English accent. Homer Simpson sings this song in an episode of the Simpsons, but with much different lyrics. Homer is playing King Henry VIII of England and substituting many words to state he is eating multiple course meals.
References
- ^ a b c MacInnes, Colin (1965) "The Old English Music Hall Songs Are New." The New York Times, November 28, 1965, p. SM62: "Henery—which hit the top of the record lists and, according to one American expert, was 'the fastest-selling song in history'—was in fact an old English music hall song enjoying a new lease on life. Description of Champion's performance: p. 95. Spelling of title: image on p. 62 shows title presented in all-caps, "I'M HENRY VIII, I AM." Text of article, however, uses the spelling "Henery" throughout, even when referring to the Herman's Hermits revival. Perhaps the most correct spelling is "'Enery"; that is certainly how Harry pronounces it.
- ^ Sharpe, R. A. (2005). Philosophy of Music: An Introduction. McGill-Queen's Press. ISBN 0-7735-2928-4. "I shall give an example of the first, Harry Champion's music-hall song 'I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am', although I suspect readers may not thank me. (You probably won't be able to dislodge it from your mind for a week or two). p. 161
- ^ Lawrence, D. H. (1987). Mr. Noon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-27247-5. "He strayed on inconsequentially, singing: Henery the eighth I am, I am/Henery the eighth I am" p. 258
- ^ Lynch, William J. (2003). Just a Philadelphia Boy. ISBN 1-4010-7911-3. "We had a neighbor, a skinny little Englishman... He would saunter merrily up our street... singing 'I'm Henery the Eighth, I am" at the top of his voice..." p. 42
- ^ Child, Francis James; George Lyman Kittredge (1883). The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. Houghton, Mifflin. "And lowlye kneeled his prince before/And sayd, My soueraigne king, Henery the Eighth" p. 356
- ^ Guiheen, Anna Marie (1995). Sheet Music Reference and Price Guide. Collector Books. ISBN 0-89145-648-1. "I'm Henry the Eighth I Am by Fred Murray and L. P. Weston, 1965, Herman's Hermits" p. 102
See also
- Henry VIII of England, British monarch known for having had six wives. (A listener new to the song might assume the narrator is claiming to be Henry VIII until the third or fourth line.)
External links
- An MP3 download of a 1911 recording is available at Archive.org: I'm Henery The Eighth
| Preceded by "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single (by Herman's Hermits August 7, 1965 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "I Got You Babe" by Sonny and Cher |
