Bartholomew has been active in many musical genres, including rhythm and blues, big band, swing music, rock and roll, New Orleans jazz and Dixieland. Although many musicians have recorded Bartholomew's songs, his partnership with Fats Domino produced some of his greatest successes. In the mid 1950s they wrote more than forty hits for Imperial Records, including two songs that reached Number One on the Billboard R&B chart "Goin' Home" and "Ain't That a Shame". He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
He first learned to play the tuba but the trumpet later became his main instrument after his parents moved to New Orleans in 1933 where he played in local jazz and brass bands including Papa Celestin's, as well as Fats Pichon's on a Mississippi Riverboat whom he later evolved to become bandleader of before WWII. After serving in the military during the war his professional career took off back in Nawlins, when he put together a group that included Alvin 'Red' Tyler, Earl Palmer and Lee Allen called Dave Bartholomew and the Dew Droppers who played the popular segregated local night spot The Dew Drop Inn.
He began recording in 1947 for De Luxe Records, but the company folded and he received little recognition. In 1949, however, he began working with Lew Chudd's Imperial Records as an arranger, bandleader and talent scout. He produced hits from Earl King, Tommy Ridgley, Robert Parker, Frankie Ford, Chris Kenner, Smiley Lewis, Shirley & Lee and Fats Domino, among others. He was responsible for the arrangements on the Fats Domino hits in the 1950s including the best seller "Blueberry Hill". He left Imperial in the mid-1960s and moved between several labels, including his own Broadmoor Records (named for his neighborhood of New Orleans, Broadmoor).
As of 2009 he was still involved in the music business and releasing recordings of his own. He also occasionally played traditional jazz trumpet in his senior years at Preservation Hall in the French Quarter, despite his millionaire status.
Bartholomew helped develop and define the New Orleans sound which was so influential in the 1950s. He was key in the transition from jump blues and big band swing to rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Bartholomew and Domino co-wrote many songs that were hits, including "Ain't That a Shame", "I'm in Love Again" "Blue Monday" and "I'm Walkin'".
He wrote many of his best known songs with his first wife Pearl King, including "I Hear You Knocking" which has been recorded by at least 100 artists but was first a hit for Gale Storm in the 1950s, and later notably Dave Edmunds in the 1970s; "One Night" and "Witchcraft" were both hits for Elvis Presley. Pat Boone's cover of "Ain't That a Shame," and Ricky Nelson's version of "I'm Walkin'" were top twenty hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Chuck Berry's only #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit was a cover of Bartholomew's "My Ding-a-Ling", although Berry substantially changed the arrangement and verses.
Bartholomew produced a series of memorable hits such as "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" with Lloyd Price; and "I Hear You Knocking" and "One Night (Of Sin)" with Smiley Lewis; plus "Let the Good Times Roll" with Shirley & Lee.
In 1991 Bartholomew was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer owing to his role in producing early rhythm and blues songs. Drummers Terces LaBune and Randy Quinson and guitarists Larry Sands and Samuel Kane played in his later band.
He remained a lifelong resident of New Orleans, and celebrated his 100th birthday on Christmas Eve 2018, but plans for a celebration concert were suspended after he was hospitalized.
Bartholomew died of heart failure at East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie, Louisiana on June 23, 2019, and was buried at St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church in Gentilly Louisiana.
The Monkey
Dave Bartholomew Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The monkey speaks his mind
And three monkeys sat in a coconut tree
Discussing things as they are said to be
Said one to other now listen, you two
"There's a certain rumour that just can't be true
That man descended from our noble race
No monkey ever deserted his wife
Starved her baby and ruined her life
Yeah
the monkey speaks his mind
And you've never known a mother monk
To leave her babies with others to bunk
And passed them on from one to another
‘Til they scarcely knew who was their mother
Yeah
the monkey speaks his mind
And another thing you will never see
A monkey build a fence around a coconut tree
And let all the coconuts go to waste
Forbidding other monkeys to come and taste
Why, if I put a fence around this tree
Starvation would force you to steal from me
Yeah
the monkey speaks his mind
Here's another thing a monkey won't do
Go out on a night and get all in a stew
Or use a gun or a club or a knife
And take another monkey's life
Yes, man descended, the worthless bum
But, brothers, from us he did not come
Yeah
the monkey speaks his mind
The lyrics to Dave Bartholomew’s “The Monkey (Speaks His Mind)” veer into a satirical and thought-provoking territory that subverts the common wisdom of the time. They propose an argument that asserts the superiority of monkeys over human beings on moral and ethical grounds. The song begins with the assertion that the monkey expresses his thoughts candidly without any polite filters, thus setting the tone for what’s to follow. The next few lines describe a conversation between three monkeys who are discussing human evolution. They collectively deride the theory that humans descended from the monkey species and suggest that it undermines their inherent nobility.
The song goes on to highlight a few unique traits of monkeys that put them in better stead compared to humans. They argue that whereas a monkey never deserts its mate, human beings often do so, causing a great deal of pain and disruption in the process. Similarly, a mother monkey would never abandon her offspring, whereas humans are known to leave their babies under the care of others without a second thought. Another instance of contrasting behavior is when a monkey comes across a coconut tree laden with fruits, it never encircles its boundaries with a fence, thereby preventing its fellow monkeys from getting access to food. However, humans often practice hoarding and monopolization of resources, leading to hunger and poverty.
The song reaches a crescendo when the three monkeys unequivocally state that they have never seen any of their kind use a weapon or take another living creature’s life. In contrast, humans are characterized as “worthless” beings who have descended from a lower order of beings. The lyrics are a clever commentary on human hypocrisy and the notion of superiority that humans believe they possess due to their perceived dominance over the planet. The song serves as a reminder for people to question their assumptions and consider alternative perspectives.
Line by Line Meaning
And three monkeys sat in a coconut tree
Three monkeys were sitting on a coconut tree
Discussing things as they are said to be
They were discussing things that were said to them to be true
Said one to other now listen, you two
One monkey said to the others, 'Listen up'
"There's a certain rumour that just can't be true
He then said, 'There's a rumor that can't possibly be true'
That man descended from our noble race
The false rumor was that humans descended from monkeys
Why, the very idea is a big disgrace
The monkey found this idea shameful and wrong
No monkey ever deserted his wife
Monkeys are faithful and do not leave their mates
Starved her baby and ruined her life
They don't neglect their offspring like some humans do
And you've never known a mother monk
Mothers monkeys never abandon their babies
To leave her babies with others to bunk
They don't leave their babies with others to care for
And passed them on from one to another
They never pass their babies on from one monkey to another
‘Til they scarcely knew who was their mother
To the point where the babies were unsure of their mother's identity
And another thing you will never see
Another thing you'll never see with monkeys is
A monkey build a fence around a coconut tree
A monkey building a fence around a tree filled with coconuts
And let all the coconuts go to waste
Then let the coconuts go to waste and not share them
Forbidding other monkeys to come and taste
Preventing other monkeys from sharing in the food
Why, if I put a fence around this tree
If I put a fence around my tree
Starvation would force you to steal from me
It would lead to you stealing from me to survive
Here's another thing a monkey won't do
One more thing monkeys will never do is
Go out on a night and get all in a stew
Getting angry, drunk or into trouble at night
Or use a gun or a club or a knife
Using weapons to harm others
And take another monkey's life
Monkey's don't kill members of their own species
Yes, man descended, the worthless bum
The monkey believes that humans are worthless and have descended from them
But, brothers, from us he did not come
But humans did not come from the monkeys.
Yeah, the monkey speaks his mind
The monkey is speaking his thoughts honestly and directly.
Contributed by Caleb R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
504daniel
rest up mr dave, it was an honor knowing you, the last think we joked about together was your age, i told you that you were 100 but you told me you were 60 and if not you felt 60 and even at 100 that you were the most badass trumpet player in new orleans, i will forever remember you rest up mr dave
Raymond Gill
His obituary in the Times sent me hear. I have loved so much of his work with Fats Domino for years. RIP and thank you for The Big Beat.
marko gavranovic
I can't stop to listen this song.....just fall in a loop. Pure Masterpiece.
sonny wagner
I feel the 4/4 and the swing. Great rhythmic interplay groove.
Wombat Care Bundanoon
Great man, Great music, and one of his many great songs....Thank you Mr. Dave Bartholomew.
Greg Boardman Band
Another great song
Manoel Luiz
Excelente, aqui no Brasil é conhecido por alguns simplesmente como um compositor americano, e nas composições do Fats Domino. maneco -RGS - Brasil
Rick Bernardy
This is the original recording? I can’t believe this is from 1957. Incredible
Giorgio Curcetti
Wow this is the original! I know the great great cover that Mano Negra did in 1994 which appears on their last album Casa Babylon, but I thought it was an original and didn’t have a clue it was a cover. The original is just so good!!!
moi
that beep beep keeps going on and on forever. rip dave. king of rock and roll.