Artist: Al Trace & his Silly Symphonists
Author: Al Hoffman/Milton Drake/Jerry Livingston
Label: Hit
Year: 1944
Alias Al Hoffman. Introduced on radio and intrigued instantly: Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey. A kiddley divey too. Wouldn't you? The own refrain gives the answer: Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy. A kid 'll eat ivy too, wouldn't you. Inspired by Al Hoffman's four year old daughter who came home with a similar phrase. The line "A ditty nutty as a fruitcake, goofy/screwy as a goon and silly as a loon" came from I'm Nuts About Screwy Music (see there).
Covers:
Merry Macs [n°1 US]
Stan Laurel [in film The Big Noise]
Ambrose [vocal: Anne Shelton]
Andrews Sisters [on V-disc]
Carlo [rock version; part of The Belmonts]
Innocence [hit US]
Claude François [as Quand rien ne va plus]
Chas & Dave [as Mairzy Doats And Dozy Doats]
Hoffman also wrote If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake.
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)