He was born in Great Lever, Bolton, Lancashire and died in London.
In 1965 a televised tribute to Hylton called The Stars Shine for Jack was held in London at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It included many artists including Arthur Askey, The Crazy Gang, Marlene Dietrich, Dickie Henderson, and Shirley Bassey.
Button Up Your Overcoat
Jack Hylton Lyrics
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Now that you got me made
Goodness, but I'm afraid
Somethin's gonna happen to you
Listen, big boy
You gotta be hooked, and how
I would die if I should lose you now
Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Eat an apple every day
Get to bed by three
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Be careful crossing streets, ooh, ooh
Cut out sweets, ooh, ooh
Lay off meat, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum
Wear your flannel underwear
When you climb a tree
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Button up your overcoat
When the wind is free
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Boop-boop-a-doop
When you sass a traffic cop
Use diplomacy
Just take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Beware of frozen funds, ooh, ooh
Stocks and bonds, ooh, ooh
Dockside thugs, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your bankroll
Keep the spoon out of your cup
When you're drinking tea
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
Don't sit on hornet's tails, ooh, ooh
Or on nails, ooh, ooh
Or third rails, ooh, ooh
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum
Keep away from bootleg hooch
When you're on a spree
Oh, take good care of yourself
You belong to me
In Jack Hylton's "Button Up Your Overcoat", the singer (likely a woman) is instructing her man on how to take care of himself now that they are together. She acknowledges that he might have been wild and carefree in the past, but now that she's "got him made", and "hooked", she's afraid of losing him. She instructs him to "button up your overcoat when the wind is free", which could be interpreted as a metaphor to mean that he should protect himself from danger, the "wind" being a stand-in for any potential trouble that might come his way.
The lyrics contain other instructions too, such as eating an apple every day, getting to bed early, wearing flannel underwear when climbing trees and using diplomacy when sassing a traffic cop. There are also warnings about things to avoid, such as frozen funds, stocks and bonds, and bootleg hooch. The song ends with the singer urging the man to take good care of himself because he belongs to her.
The lyrics are essentially a list of rules for taking care of oneself which are expressed in a playful way. While the tone of the song is lighthearted, there is an underlying message of responsibility and caring for one's well-being. It's an example of the social commentary that was often present in popular music of the 1920s.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen, big boy
Hey you, paying attention to me
Now that you got me made
Now that you have charmed me into loving you
Goodness, but I'm afraid
Wow, I love you so much I'm afraid of anything bad happening to you
Somethin's gonna happen to you
I'm afraid something bad might happen to you
You gotta be hooked, and how
You've got me completely under your spell
I would die if I should lose you now
I love you so much that I couldn't bear to lose you
Button up your overcoat
When it's windy outside, wear your coat properly
When the wind is free
When the weather is windy
Take good care of yourself
Take care of yourself well
You belong to me
I care about you, and it's important to me that you take care of yourself
Eat an apple every day
Eat a healthy diet
Get to bed by three
Get enough sleep
Be careful crossing streets, ooh, ooh
Be careful when crossing the road
Cut out sweets, ooh, ooh
Avoid sugary foods
Lay off meat, ooh, ooh
Reduce meat consumption
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum
You'll experience stomach problems
Wear your flannel underwear
Dress appropriately for cold weather
When you climb a tree
When you're doing anything physical that might cause you to feel cold
Button up your overcoat
Wear your coat to protect yourself from the cold
When you sass a traffic cop
When you argue with a police officer
Use diplomacy
Be polite and respectful
Beware of frozen funds, ooh, ooh
Be careful of your finances
Stocks and bonds, ooh, ooh
Invest wisely
Dockside thugs, ooh, ooh
Be cautious of dangerous people
Keep the spoon out of your cup
Don't put the spoon in your mouth when drinking
When you're drinking tea
When you're consuming hot beverages
Don't sit on hornet's tails, ooh, ooh
Don't do things that will cause you physical pain
Or on nails, ooh, ooh
Avoid physical injury
Or third rails, ooh, ooh
Keep away from dangerous electrical equipment
Keep away from bootleg hooch
Don't drink illegal alcohol
When you're on a spree
When you're having fun
Oh, take good care of yourself
Make sure you're looking after yourself properly
You belong to me
I care about you deeply
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Gard Buddy Desylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@myronbarbsayre7745
Thanks to YouTube for keeping these wonderful old songs available to us, to hear once again and to pass along to our grandchildren who don't even know yet how much they will love them. You do a service to our next generations.
@Wuffenberg
how true!
@momoqin9296
I am 13, and I can prove that you are right!
@esmeephillips5888
The song was the big hit in a 1929 Broadway revue, 'Follow Thru'. A reprise of it, the 16th of 19th numbers, was a wordless solo dance by a 16 year old who had just learned to tap. It got her noticed, and she went on to become the greatest dancer ever filmed. Her name was Eleanor Powell.
@kayned
This is the best version of this song, in my opinion.
@Ronald070
One of my favourite Hylton recordings, in a very fine transfer. Thank you! My copy is much more worn...And what a fine arrangement! Do you know who arranged the music for the Hylton band in the late twenties, early thirties?
@davidwalsh3439
Toe tappingly good. A great fun recording. In the right circumstances this music could still be most enjoyable
@capon33
Love it!
@amourrecord3076
Very good sound !
@blackpoolbarmpot
This song came from a 1929 American Film called "Follow Thru". "I want to be bad" was meant to be the big hit song of the film, but "Button up your overcoat" in the end became the biggest and best known hit.