Wednesday 29 June 2022

Celebrity Jukebox #3: Peter Lorre


"Wondering who else is going to pop up in this series now," said Alyson in last week's comments. "I know of one song where Peter Lorre is mentioned but surely there can't be many more. Maybe time to prove me wrong."

Well, I do like a challenge. And Casablanca was on TV this weekend... though Lorre has a better role in The Maltese Falcon, in my humble opinion. He and Bogie were mates, apparently. 

Let's see if I can find the song Alyson was referring to...

Could it be this?


I would cut my legs and tits off
When I think of Boris Karloff and Kinski
In the dark of the moon
It made me dream of Nosferatu
Trapped on the isle of Doctor Moreau
Oh wouldn't it be lovely

Hang on, Lou. It's Peter Lorre we're looking for, not those guys...

I was thinking Peter Lorre
When things got pretty gory as I
Crossed to the Brandenburg Gate
I was feeling snappy perhaps I'd been napping
As I just ate
A following heart can tear you apart
On a midnight to eight shift
A graveyard romance can only give one chance
As the tombstones weave and breathe

That'll do.

Do you know what? I've never heard that before. But I like it far more than I expected to.

This one, on the other hand, has actually featured on this blog before...


You wake up in the morning and you're feelin' blue
Because Vicki is gone and your money is too
She's more sinister than Peter Lorre
And this is just two of 8 million stories

Probably not the one Alyson was referring to though. Are there any songs actually named after Mr. Lorre? Turn out: yes... this one even has 80 views on youtube!


This one, however, actually comes from my own record collection...

Peter Lorre, Peter Lorre 
He's a brick, he's a brick
You can count on him in trouble 
Even if it's really thick
Any crisis, he'll be there 
Like a little squidgy bear
Peter Lorre, Peter Lorre 
He's a brick

Peter Lorre, Peter Lorre 
Runs a nightclub way downtown
Peter Lorre, Peter Lorre 
Always wears a evil frown
Don't spit on his shoes 
Or mess up his hair
Or he will shoot you dead 
And go back upstairs

A real gentleman
Never bad and never rude
Never mad and never crude
Just like Sydney Greenstreet
Just like Sydney... Green...street
In any crisis he'll be there
Like a little squidgy bear
That's Peter Lorre, not Sydney Greenstreet


You know I'm going to declare that today's winner, don't you? Even though it's not the song Alyson was referring to. Let's call that a worthy runner-up...

On a morning from a Bogart movie
In a country where they turn back time
You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre
Contemplating a crime

Sorry, Alyson!



5 comments:

  1. I was of course referring to the Kurtis Blow song. Am I really so predictable?

    Kidding…, it was Year of the Cat I immediately thought of and yes, I know I’m really predictable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alyson.

      Impressed by how many songs that refer to him. Few people under 50 will have heard of him.

      Delete
  2. And to think I had Alyson marked down as a Lou Reed/Metallica fan!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I might surprise you over at my place some day! (Alyson)

      Delete
  3. That Jazz Butcher track is fantastic. Suddenly I'm 26 again.

    ReplyDelete

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