His first musical success was Rosemary Clooney's "Come on-a My House", which he based the lyrics on dialogue from his famous cousin William Saroyan's novel The Human Comedy. He had a moderate hit in 1956 under the name Alfi & Harry with the novelty record "The Trouble With Harry." As David Seville, he had another #1 record in his song, "The Witch Doctor", which was also his first experiment with the technique of speeding up the playback of an audio track to get the "most-distinctive" higher pitched squeaky comical sound. This success led to his recording of "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" with The Chipmunks.
Bagdasarian also appeared in minor film roles, including Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954), in which he plays an obsessed, piano-playing songwriter who composes, plays, and sings a song called "Lisa." Bagdasarian's dialogue is not clearly heard, and he appears only in long shots, but he is the only other person seen during Hitchcock's notorious cameo appearance. He also had bit parts in The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), Viva Zapata! (1952), Destination Gobi (1953), Stalag 17 (1953), Alaska Seas (1954), The Proud and Profane (1956), Three Violent People (1956), Hot Blood (1956), The Deep Six (1957), and The Devil's Hairpin (1957).
He also provided the voice for the David Seville character in the Chipmunks' 1961 animated television series The Alvin Show.
Bagdasarian died of a heart attack at the age of 52. He was subsequently cremated at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles, California. His son, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr., continued to release Chipmunks recordings and took over as the voice for the Chipmunk characters in subsequent iterations of the cartoon.
Little Brass Band
David Seville Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh the piccolo plays and the banjo plunks and the bass drum goes [two drum beats]
I've got a little brass band that plays inside my heart
I've got a little brass band that plays inside my heart
Each time I look at you that crazy band'll start
That crazy little brass band starts jumping when we meet
And when I hold your hand they really feel the beat
And then the piccolo plays and the banjo plunks and the bass drum goes [two drum beats]
Oh the piccolo plays and the banjo plunks and the bass drum goes [two drum beats]
I've got a little brass band that rocks each time we kiss
I've got a little brass band that rolls each time we kiss
Come on and be my love and then you'll never miss
The way the piccolo plays and the banjo plunks and the bass drum goes [two drum beats]
Oh the piccolo plays and the banjo plunks and the bass drum
goes [two drum beats]
The song "Little Brass Band" by David Seville is a happy and upbeat tune that talks about how the singer feels when he is with the person he loves. The song has a simple structure, with a repeating chorus and short verses that describe how the singer's "little brass band" starts playing when he sees his loved one. The lyrics "Oh the piccolo plays and the banjo plunks and the bass drum goes" describe the instruments that make up the "little brass band," which is a metaphor for the emotions that the singer feels when he is around his loved one.
The first verse talks about the "little brass band" inside the singer's heart, which starts playing whenever he sees his loved one. The second verse talks about how the band starts "jumping" and "thumping" when they meet and how the singer feels the beat when he holds his loved one's hand. The final verse talks about how the band rocks and rolls when they kiss and invites the loved one to be with him so that they can both feel the joy of the "little brass band."
Overall, the song is a fun and happy tune that expresses the joy of being with someone you love. The metaphor of the "little brass band" makes the song unique and adds a whimsical touch to the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the piccolo plays and the banjo plunks and the bass drum goes [two drum beats]
This line is simply describing the sound of the instruments mentioned playing together.
I've got a little brass band that plays inside my heart
The singer is saying that he has strong feelings for someone that he associates with a little brass band that he feels inside his heart.
Each time I look at you that crazy band'll start
The singer is saying that just by looking at this person, he feels like the little brass band inside him starts playing wildly.
That crazy little brass band starts jumping when we meet
The singer is saying that when he is around this person, he feels an intense excitement or happiness that he associates with his little brass band.
And when I hold your hand they really feel the beat
The singer is saying that when he touches this person, he feels a strong connection that makes the little brass band inside him play more strongly.
I've got a little brass band that rocks each time we kiss
The singer is saying that kissing this person intensifies the feeling of the little brass band inside him, making it play more strongly like it's rocking out.
Come on and be my love and then you'll never miss
The way the piccolo plays and the banjo plunks and the bass drum goes [two drum beats]
The singer is inviting this person to be his love and experience the intense, joyous feeling of the little brass band inside him playing when they are together.
Contributed by Charlie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lionheart Roar
I find myself liking this..wth??
xxTheChipmunksxx
did you get terminated?
onthegoldenline
Utter, total crap.