During World War II, he wrote 1942's "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition". Formerly a successful lyricist in collaboration with other composers, this was the first song for which Loesser composed the melody in addition to the lyric.
Loesser was awarded a Grammy Award in 1961 for Best Original Cast Show Album for How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.
He wrote the following Broadway musicals:
* Where's Charley? (1948) (starring Ray Bolger)
o "Once in Love With Amy"
* Guys and Dolls (1950)
o "A Bushel and a Peck"
o "Fugue for Tinhorns"
o "I'll Know"
o "If I Were A Bell", a favorite of Miles Davis, featured in recordings with John Coltrane
o "Luck Be a Lady Tonight"
* The Most Happy Fella (1956)
o "Standing on the Corner"
o "Big D"
o "Somebody Somewhere"
o "Joey, Joey"
* Greenwillow (1960)
* How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying (1961)
o "I Believe In You"
o "The Brotherhood Of Man"
* Pleasures and Palaces (1965)
Some well-known songs he composed for movies and Tin Pan Alley:
* "Baby, It's Cold Outside" from Neptune's Daughter (1949). This was originally a song which Loesser and his wife Lynn (born Blankenbaker) performed at parties for the private entertainment of friends. They also recorded the song for Mercury Records. Under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to supply a full score for Neptune's Daughter, Loesser included this song which he had created in 1944, originally for their housewarming party.
* "Heart and Soul" (from the Paramount Short Subject A Song is Born) -- lyrics
* "I Don't Want to Walk Without You" (from the Paramount Pictures motion picture Sweater Girl)
* "Inch Worm" (from the motion picture Hans Christian Andersen)
* "(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China"
* "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year" (from the motion picture Christmas Holiday)
* "Thumbelina" (from Hans Christian Andersen)
* "Two Sleepy People" (music by Hoagy Carmichael, 1938)
* "What are You Doing New Year's Eve?"
* "Wonderful Copenhagen" (from Hans Christian Andersen), which is now the official song of the city of Copenhagen.
He was also the author of "The Ballad of Rodger Young".
2006 saw the release of the PBS documentary, Heart & Soul: The Life and Music of Frank Loesser.
Take Back Your Mink
Frank Loesser Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the gown the following fall
Then the necklace, the bag, the gloves, and the hat,
That was late '48 I recall
Then last night in his apartment
He tried to remove them all
And I said as I ran down the hall.
Take back your pearls
What made you think
That I was one of those girls?
Take back the gown
The gloves and the hat
I may be down
But I'm not flat as all that.
I thought that each expensive gift you'd arranged
Was a token of your esteem
But when I think of what you want in exchange
It all seems a horrible dream
Eek.
So take back your mink.
To from whence it came
And tell them to alter and rise it
For some other dame
Take back your mink
Take back your pearls
What made you think
That I was one of those girls?
I'm screaming:
Take back the gown
The gloves and the hat
I may be down
But I'm not flat as all that.
I thought that each expensive gift you'd arranged
Was a token of your esteem
But when I think of what you want in exchange
It all seems a horrible dream
Eek!
Take back your mink
Those old worn out pelts
And go shorten the sleaves
For somebody else.
Well, wouldn't you?
The song Take Back Your Mink is a classic feminine anthem that was first heard in the musical comedy Guys and Dolls. The song's lyrics are rich in meaning and symbolism. It tells a story of a woman who had been showered with gifts by her partner, including expensive fur mink, pearl necklace, a gown, hat, and gloves. The girl thought that the lavish gifts were tokens of her partner's love, but he later reveals that he expects something in return, which leaves her feeling used and humiliated. The singer then finds the courage to stand up for herself as she tells him to take back all his gifts, including the mink, pearls, gown, gloves, and hat. She declares that although she may be down, she is not flat and will not be used for his selfish means.
The song is symbolic of women's struggle for independence and challenges the societal expectations of women at the time. It is a reminder that women are not objects to be bought or sold and should be treated with dignity and respect rather than expected to provide sexual favors in exchange for gifts.
Line by Line Meaning
He bought me the fur mink five winters ago
He gifted me a fur mink five years ago.
And the gown the following fall
The guy gifted her a gown in the next fall.
Then the necklace, the bag, the gloves, and the hat, That was late '48 I recall
Then the guy gifted her a necklace, the bag, gloves, and a hat late in 1948.
Then last night in his apartment He tried to remove them all
Last night, that guy tried to remove all her clothes in his apartment.
And I said as I ran down the hall.
Then she ran down the hall and said this:
Take back your mink Take back your pearls What made you think That I was one of those girls? Take back the gown The gloves and the hat I may be down But I'm not flat as all that.
She is saying that he must reclaim all those gifts and expresses her thoughts on his perception of her with the question, 'Why did you think I'm one of those girls?', meaning loose or easy. Although she is in a bad place currently, she is still strong and resilient.
I thought that each expensive gift you'd arranged Was a token of your esteem But when I think of what you want in exchange It all seems a horrible dream Eek.
She initially believed that the guy gave her those gifts as a sign of his appreciation, but when she understands that he expects something in return, it horrifies her. 'Eek' is just an expression of her shock.
Take back your mink To from whence it came And tell them to alter and rise it For some other dame
She wants him to take the fur to its original owner and customize it according to some other woman's preferences.
Take back your mink Take back your pearls What made you think That I was one of those girls? I'm screaming: Take back the gown The gloves and the hat I may be down But I'm not flat as all that.
She repeats her message to take back all those expensive gifts and emphasizes that he was wrong in perceiving her character to be like 'those girls.'
I thought that each expensive gift you'd arranged Was a token of your esteem But when I think of what you want in exchange It all seems a horrible dream Eek!
She repeats the shocking realization of his expectation in return for the expensive gifts.
Take back your mink Those old worn-out pelts And go shorten the sleeves For somebody else.
Finally, she asks him to take the mink, now old and worn-out, and gift it to somebody else whereas asking him to shorten the sleeves as per the other person's preferences.
Contributed by Colton M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@joby19881
Man alive, the orchestration in this number is so brilliant. That ending gets me every time. And of course the dancers are amazing, love Vivian Blaine
@tejaswoman
Nelson Riddle among the arrangers, I noticed today
@BadBigBuelah
I love this number in the show. A few years ago I saw a Regional Production of Guys and Dolls. The point in the song where they remove the clothing, Adelaide had a costume malfunction and what she was wearing underneath began to also fall off. The chorus girls jumped into action and surrounded her as they finished the number.
@femalemuto4481
I'm doing this as a school play now and we saw this in school everybody screamed at this part
@salmon3862
hot box dancer here, we had tear away dresses💀
@femalemuto4481
@@salmon3862 i didnt expect the return here after 3 years but what- 💀
@classicalduck
I conducted an eight-performance run of this show at a community theater in Minneapolis, forty years ago. I still remember all the cues!
@MVHS85
This, along with West Side Story are two of the musicals I never did get to be in
@thekiss2083
Oh, nowwwww this song makes sense. Weird that this is so widely-performed in high schools when it only makes any sense as a burlesque number
@slydoll7877
Ha ha I was in a production of this in high school but the drama group was a bit risque and the director pretty much stuck to the traditional direction. We had a TONNE of complaints from parents! We thought it was the best thing ever though!