Newley had a successful pop music career, with two number one hits in 1960: "Why?" and "Do You Mind?". He won the 1963 Grammy Award for Song of the Year for "What Kind of Fool Am I", but he was also well-known for "Gonna Build a Mountain" and comic novelty songs such as his version of "Strawberry Fair". He wrote songs that others made hits including Goldfinger (the title song of the James Bond movie), and Feeling Good, which became a hit for Nina Simone. With Leslie Bricusse, he wrote the musical Stop the World - I Want to Get Off in which he also performed, earning a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. His other musicals included The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd (1965) and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971), based on the children's book by Roald Dahl. The play was released in a film version in 1971.
Newley's vocal style has been recognised as a major influence on that of David Bowie. In recognition of his creative skills and body of work, Newley was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1989.
The shortlived 1960 ATV series "The Strange World of Gurney Slade" in which Newley starred, continues to have a cult following due to its postmodern premise that the Newley character is trapped inside a television programme. Apart from a repeat of one episode on Channel 4 in 1992, it has not been seen in the UK in recent years. The show's theme tune by Max Harris may be better-known today than the series itself.
His last feature role in the cast of EastEnders was to be a regular role, but Newley had to withdraw after a few months when his health began to fail.
Yes! we have no bananas
Anthony Newley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's run by a Greek.
And he keeps good things to eat
But you should hear him speak!
When you ask him anything, he never answers "no".
He just "yes"es you to death, and as he takes your dough
He tells you
"Yes, we have no bananas
We've string beans, and onions
Cabbageses, and scallions,
And all sorts of fruit and say
We have an old fashioned to-mah-to
A Long Island po-tah-to
But yes, we have no bananas.
We have no bananas today."
Business got so good for him that he wrote home today,
"Send me Pete and Nick and Jim; I need help right away."
When he got them in the store, there was fun, you bet.
Someone asked for "sparrow grass" and then the whole quartet
All answered
"Yes, we have no bananas
We have-a no bananas today.
Just try those coconuts
Those walnuts and doughnuts
There ain't many nuts like they.
We'll sell you two kinds of red herring,
Dark brown, and ball-bearing.
But yes, we have no bananas
We have no bananas today."
Yes, we are very sorry to inform you
That we are entirely out of the fruit in question
The afore-mentioned vegetable
Bearing the cognomen "Banana".
We might induce you to accept a substitute less desirable,
But that is not the policy at this internationally famous green
grocery.
I should say not. No no no no no no no.
But may we suggest that you sample our five o'clock tea
Which we feel certain will tempt your pallet?
However we regret that after a diligent search
Of the premises
By our entire staff
We can positively affirm without fear of contradiction
That our raspberries are delicious; really delicious
Very delicious
But we have no bananas today.
Yes, we gotta no banana
No banana
We gotta no banana today.
I sella you no banana.
Hey, Marianna, you gotta no banana?
Why this man, he no believe-a what I say.
Now whatta you want mister?
You wanna buy twelve for a quarter?
No? well, just a oneofadozen?
I'm-a gonna calla my daughter.
Hey, Marianna
You gotta piana
Yes, banana, no
No, yes, no bananas today
We gotta no bananas.
Yes, we gotta no bananas today.
The song Yes! We Have No Bananas was written by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn in 1923 and was first recorded by Eddie Cantor. The song describes a fruit store run by a Greek man who always answers customer queries in the affirmative, regardless of whether he has their requested items or not. The song plays with the idea of language and communication, specifically the use of the word "yes" in response to questions - the Greek owner would rather say "yes" than "no" and disappoint his customers.
The song was written at a time when America had a shortage of bananas due to a "Panama disease" that wiped out entire banana plantations. Though the song itself may have no deeper meaning, it has been interpreted as a commentary on America's economic fluctuation during that period. The crux of the song is not about the lack of bananas, but rather about how the store owner responds to the customers who ask for them.
The final verse of the song is particularly humorous, as the owner attempts to offer alternative fruits and vegetables to the frustrated customers who just want bananas. The owner's refusal to offer a substitute that is "less desirable" highlights his commitment to providing high-quality produce, even if it means losing a sale. The song is a lighthearted commentary on language, communication, and the power of customer service.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a fruit store on our street
On our street, there's a shop where you can buy fruits
It's run by a Greek.
The shop is being operated by a person from Greece
And he keeps good things to eat
The shopkeeper sells varieties of delicious foods
But you should hear him speak!
Although he sells good products, he has a funny way of speaking
When you ask him anything, he never answers "no".
Whenever you ask him a question, he always agrees with a 'yes'
He just "yes"es you to death, and as he takes your dough
He just keeps agreeing even if it's not true and takes your money
He tells you
After taking your money, he says...
"Yes, we have no bananas
We don't have bananas
We have-a no bananas today.
We don't have any bananas available now
We've string beans, and onions
However, we have other food items like string beans and onions
Cabbageses, and scallions,
We also have cabbages and scallions for sale
And all sorts of fruit and say
In addition to that, we have other fruits as well
We have an old fashioned to-mah-to
We sell tomatoes, the old-fashioned sort
A Long Island po-tah-to
We sell potatoes, the kind that grows in Long Island
But yes, we have no bananas.
Again, we don't have bananas to sell
Business got so good for him that he wrote home today,
His business has been doing great lately that he sent a message to his family
"Send me Pete and Nick and Jim; I need help right away."
He asked for additional staff for his shop to accommodate the demand
When he got them in the store, there was fun, you bet.
Upon their arrival at the shop, they all had fun
Someone asked for "sparrow grass" and then the whole quartet
When a customer asked for 'sparrow grass', all four of them answered...
All answered
...all of them said
"Yes, we have no bananas
We don't have bananas for sale
We have-a no bananas today.
Unfortunately, we don't have bananas today
Just try those coconuts
But maybe you could try our coconuts
Those walnuts and doughnuts
You can also buy walnuts and doughnuts
There ain't many nuts like they.
We assure you that you can't find such nuts anywhere else
We'll sell you two kinds of red herring,
We can offer you two flavors of red herring
Dark brown, and ball-bearing.
The two flavors are dark brown and ball-bearing
But yes, we have no bananas
Again, we don't have bananas for sale
We have no bananas today.
We don't have any bananas available right now
Yes, we are very sorry to inform you
We apologize for this inconvenience
That we are entirely out of the fruit in question
The fruit that you're looking for is currently out of stock
The afore-mentioned vegetable
The fruit mentioned earlier
Bearing the cognomen "Banana".
That fruit is called Banana
We might induce you to accept a substitute less desirable,
We could suggest that you buy other fruits, but they might not be what you're looking for
But that is not the policy at this internationally famous green grocery.
But since we're a well-known green grocery shop, we don't do that
I should say not. No no no no no no no.
Absolutely not, no way, it's not our policy
But may we suggest that you sample our five o'clock tea
Another suggestion we have is that you try our tea at five in the afternoon
Which we feel certain will tempt your pallet?
We have confidence that you would like our tea
However we regret that after a diligent search
Despite checking thoroughly
Of the premises
Inside the shop
By our entire staff
With the help of everyone working in the shop
We can positively affirm without fear of contradiction
We can safely say without any doubts
That our raspberries are delicious; really delicious
Our raspberries are very tasty, very very tasty
Very delicious
Extremely, highly delicious
But we have no bananas today.
In conclusion, we are still lacking bananas as of this time
Yes, we gotta no banana
We have no bananas
No banana
None at all
We gotta no banana today.
Unfortunately, we don't have bananas today
I sella you no banana.
I'm sorry, but we don't have bananas for sale at the moment
Hey, Marianna, you gotta no banana?
Marianna, do you have any bananas?
Why this man, he no believe-a what I say.
He doesn't believe me when I told him we don't have bananas
Now whatta you want mister?
What do you want, sir?
You wanna buy twelve for a quarter?
Do you want to buy twelve pieces for a quarter?
No? well, just a oneofadozen?
No? How about just one piece of it?
I'm-a gonna calla my daughter.
I'll call my daughter
Hey, Marianna
Marianna,
You gotta piana
Do you have a piano?
Yes, banana, no
Yes, (we don't have) banana(s)
No, yes, no bananas today
We don't have bananas for sale today
We gotta no bananas.
We don't have bananas available now
Yes, we gotta no bananas today.
We don't have bananas for sale today
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: FRANK SILVER, IRVING CONN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind