Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer. At the age of 23 he joined Mel Tormé's Mel-Tones, singing on Artie Shaw records such as "What Is This Thing Called Love?".
Baxter then turned to arranging and conducting for Capitol Records in 1950, and was credited with the early Nat King Cole hits, "Mona Lisa" and "Too Young", but both were actually orchestrated by Nelson Riddle.[1] (In later releases of the recordings the credit was corrected to Riddle.[citation needed]) Not a uncommon practice these days: Baxter himself had arranged Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" in 1947 for a recording conducted by Frank De Vol. In 1953 he scored his first film, the sailing travelogue Tanga Tika. With his own orchestra, he released a number of hits including "Ruby" (1953), "Unchained Melody" (1955) and "The Poor People Of Paris" (1956). The latter recording sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[2]He also achieved success with concept albums of his own orchestral suites: Le Sacre Du Sauvage, Festival Of The Gnomes, Ports Of Pleasure, and Brazil Now, the first three for Capitol and the fourth on Gene Norman's Crescendo label. The list of musicians on these recordings includes Plas Johnson and Clare Fischer.
Baxter also wrote the "Whistle" theme from the TV show Lassie.
Baxter did not restrict his activities to recording. As he once told Soundtrack! magazine, "I never turn anything down".
In the 1960s, he formed the Balladeers, a besuited and conservative folk group that at one time featured a young David Crosby.[citation needed] He operated in radio as musical director of The Halls of Ivy and the Bob Hope and Abbott and Costello shows.
Like his counterparts Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin and James Horner, Baxter later worked for the film industries from 1960s to 70s. He worked on movie soundtracks for American International Pictures where he composed and conducted scores for Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films and other horror stories and teenage musicals, including The Pit and the Pendulum, Panic in Year Zero!, Beach Party, The Comedy of Terrors,The Dunwich Horror, and Frogs. Howard W. Koch recalled that Baxter composed, orchestrated, and recorded the entire score of The Yellow Tomahawk (1954) in a total of three hours for $5,000.[3]
With less soundtrack work in the 1980s, he scored music for theme parks and SeaWorlds. In the 1990s, Baxter was widely celebrated, alongside Martin Denny and the Arthur Lyman Group, as one of the progenitors of what had become known as the "exotica" movement. In his 1996 appreciation for Wired magazine, writer David Toop remembered Baxter thus:
"Baxter offered package tours in sound, selling tickets to sedentary tourists who wanted to stroll around some taboo emotions before lunch, view a pagan ceremony, go wild in the sun or conjure a demon, all without leaving home hi-fi comforts in the white suburbs".
Baxter has a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6314 Hollywood Blvd.
The City
Les Baxter and His Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To exercise me donkey
And me donkey met a fun mule
So the mule said to the donkey
Saga boy now don't you molest me
Donkey oh
Don't bother me no, I tell you
A silly old donkey
And I don't like a donkey
When he's looking so funny
So the mule said to the donkey
Saga boy now don't you molest me
Donkey oh
Don't do it again, I tell you
I went to ball park city
with me uncle willy
And my uncle met a yankee girl
So the girl said to me uncle
Saga boy now don't you molest me
Uncle no
Don't do it again I tell you
So you're nothing but a donkey
A silly old donkey
And I don't like a donkey
When he's looking so funny
So the mule said to the donkey
Saga boy now don't you molest me
Donkey oh
Don't do it again, I tell you
So my uncle willy
Feeling rather silly
Whispered sweetly to the yankee girl
For I know I got no money
Stick around I'll call you my honey
But she said no
Don't do it again I tell you
So you're nothing but a donkey
A silly old donkey
And I don't like a donkey
When he's looking so funny
So the mule said to the donkey
Saga boy now don't you molest me
Donkey woah
Don't do it again, I tell you
Now you've heard my story
Of my uncle willy
Of the mule, the donkey and the girl
And if you don't like my story
It's because I owe you your money
She said no
Don't bother me now I tell you
For you're nothing but a donkey
A silly old donkey
And I don't like a donkey
When he's looking so funny
So the mule said to the donkey
Saga boy now don't you molest me
Donkey woah
Don't do it again, I tell you
The lyrics to "The City" by Les Baxter and His Orchestra tell a humorous story about a donkey and a mule in a city setting. The singer, referred to as "Saga boy," encounters a fun-loving mule who warns him not to bother or molest her. The mule dismisses the donkey, calling him silly and unlikable when he looks funny. The scenario repeats when Saga boy's uncle, Uncle Willy, meets a Yankee girl and receives the same warning from her. However, Uncle Willy tries to woo the girl by promising to call her honey, but she rejects him. The song concludes with Saga boy suggesting that if someone doesn't like his story, it's because he owes them money, emphasizing the comical nature of the tale.
"The City" is a light-hearted and entertaining song that plays on wordplay and humorous situations. The lyrics use colloquial language and Caribbean slang, adding a cultural flavor to the narrative. It explores themes of attraction, rejection, and social interactions in a playful manner.
Line by Line Meaning
I went to donkey city
I traveled to a place where donkeys are prevalent
To exercise me donkey
To engage in physical activity with my donkey
And me donkey met a fun mule
And my donkey encountered an enjoyable mule
So the mule said to the donkey
Thus, the mule spoke to the donkey
Saga boy now don't you molest me
Dear friend, please refrain from harassing or bothering me
Donkey oh
Oh, donkey
Don't bother me no, I tell you
I implore you, do not trouble or disturb me any further
So you're nothing but a donkey
Therefore, you are merely a donkey
A silly old donkey
A foolish, aged donkey
And I don't like a donkey
And I do not find pleasure in the company of a donkey
When he's looking so funny
Especially when he appears comical or peculiar
So the mule said to the donkey
Therefore, the mule addressed the donkey once more
Don't do it again, I tell you
I insist that you refrain from engaging in such behavior again
I went to ball park city
I visited a place known as ball park city
with me uncle willy
Accompanied by my uncle named Willy
And my uncle met a yankee girl
And my uncle encountered a young lady from the United States
So the girl said to me uncle
Consequently, the girl spoke to my uncle
Saga boy now don't you molest me
Kind sir, please do not harass or annoy me
Uncle no
Uncle, no
Don't do it again I tell you
I implore you not to repeat such actions
So my uncle willy
In this manner, my uncle Willy
Feeling rather silly
Experiencing a sense of foolishness
Whispered sweetly to the yankee girl
Quietly spoke in an affectionate manner to the American girl
For I know I got no money
Because I am aware that I possess no money
Stick around I'll call you my honey
Remain nearby, and I will affectionately refer to you as my sweetheart
But she said no
Yet, she declined the offer
Don't do it again I tell you
I request that you do not repeat such gestures
Now you've heard my story
Now that you have listened to my narrative
Of my uncle willy
About my uncle Willy
Of the mule, the donkey and the girl
Regarding the mule, donkey, and the young lady
And if you don't like my story
And if you happen to dislike my account
It's because I owe you your money
It may be due to the fact that I am in debt to you
She said no
She refused
Don't bother me now I tell you
I advise you not to disturb me at this moment
For you're nothing but a donkey
Because you are simply a donkey
A silly old donkey
An absurd, elderly donkey
And I don't like a donkey
Furthermore, I do not find pleasure in the presence of a donkey
When he's looking so funny
Particularly when he appears comical or peculiar
So the mule said to the donkey
Consequently, the mule addressed the donkey once more
Don't do it again, I tell you
I insist that you refrain from engaging in such behavior again
Donkey woah
Donkey, oh
Don't do it again, I tell you
I implore you not to repeat such actions
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: RADIO, K
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Obdúlio Rincón
..Hypnotic delirious vision of the city in the space..so perfect..
🎧 ! !