BALLAD OF LYDIA PINKHAM, THE

Created on 29/06/2010
Latest update on 20/05/2023

Artist: Oscar Brand
Author: traditional
Label: Audio Fidelity
Year: 1961

As Four For Three (aka Lydia Pinkham) on lp Bawdy Songs Goes To College, noting: "The fellow who taught me this one must have spent some time in the van of the Salvation Army, because he kept pounding on a nonexistent bass drum during the singing. This may well have been America's first singing commercial. Every campus has its own version of the songs, since each man passes it on and one woman tells another".

Covers:

1968:

Scaffold [as Lily The Pink; n°1 UK with Graham Nash, Tim Rice and Reg Dwight backing up and Jack Bruce on bass; different melody and the lyrics are a parody on the original but this is it; melody under the 'human ra-a-ace' part was borrowed from UK bus song Sippin' Cider (Through A Straw)]

1968:

Irish Rovers [idem]

1969:

Richard Anthony [as Le Sirop Typhon; n°1 Fr]

1969:

Thijs van der Molen [as Drinke Totteme Zinke; hit NL]

1969:

Johnny Hoes [idem]

1969:

Ted de Braak [as Kom Drink]

The real Lydia Pinkham was a 19th century seller of a commercially successful herbal women's tonic, intended to relieve menstrual and menopausal pains, while solving infertility problems on the side. Her slogan was "A Baby in Every Bottle".

Contact


If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:

Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)

info@originals.be

No Facebook No Twitter