Lionel later changed his name to Bart derived from the name of the silk screen printing firm he and John Gorman[1] created ("G & B Arts", for Gorman and Begleiter) after he had completed his National Service with the Royal Air Force.
As a young man he was quite an accomplished painter. When Lionel Bart was six years old a teacher told his parents that he was a musical genius. His parents gave him an old violin, but he did not apply himself and the lessons stopped.
At the age of 16 he obtained a scholarship to St Martin's School of Art but he was expelled for "mischievousness", and he gave up his ambition to be a painter. However, he took jobs in silk-screen printing works and commercial art studios. He never learned to read or write musical notation; this did not stop him from becoming a highly significant personality in the development of British rock and pop music.
[edit] Songwriting
He started his songwriting career in amateur theatre. first at The International Youth Centre in 1952 where he and a friend wrote a revue together called IYC Revue 52. The following year the pair auditioned for a production of the Leonard Irwin play The Wages Of Eve at Unity Theatre, London. Shortly after Bart began composing songs for Unity Theatre, contributing material (including the title song) to their 1953 revue Turn It Up, and songs for their 1953 pantomime, an agit prop version of Cinderella. While at Unity he was talent spotted by Joan Littlewood and so joined Theatre Workshop. [2]
He first gained widespread recognition through his songwriting, which includes the hits Livin' Doll (written for Cliff Richard) and Rock with the Cavemen, Handful of Songs, Butterfingers and Little White Bull (for Tommy Steele). During this period, Mike Pratt as well as Steele were his songwriting partners. In 1957, he won three Ivor Novello Awards, a further four in 1958, and two in 1960.
He wrote the theme song for the 1963 James Bond film From Russia With Love.
His other hits include: Do You Mind? (by Anthony Newley and Andy Williams), Easy Going Me (Adam Faith) and Always You And Me (with Russ Conway)
[edit] Musical theatre
His first professional musical was the 1959 Lock Up Your Daughters, based on an 18th century play by Henry Fielding. Following that, Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be produced by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop, was notable for encouraging the use of authentic Cockney accents on the London stage. Oliver! (1960), based on Dickens' Oliver Twist was a huge hit from the very beginning, and has sustained its popularity to the present day. The original stage musical which starred Ron Moody and Georgia Brown spawned such song hits as As Long As He Needs Me and Consider Yourself. In 1968 it was made into a film starring Ron Moody, Oliver Reed and Shani Wallis which won several Oscars, including best film. Subject to belief, Lionel actually wrote the part of Nancy for singing star Alma Cogan and not his childhood friend Georgia Brown. Alma was unable to commit to Oliver! at Wimbledon Theatre. It is estimated that around this time Bart was earning 16 pounds a minute from Oliver!.
Bart's next two musicals, Blitz! (1962) (the song Far Away produced another hit for Shirley Bassey) and Maggie May (1964), had respectable West End runs (Blitz!, at the time London's most expensive musical ever, had a run of 568 performances[3]); but Twang! (1965) was a notorious flop and La Strada (1969), which opened on Broadway in New York City, closed after only one performance. Bart used his personal finances to try to rescue them, selling his rights to others of his works, including Oliver!, in order to generate capital. By 1972, Bart was bankrupt, with debts of £73,0000. He turned to drink, and a twenty-year period of depression ensued, from which he ultimately recovered, attending Alcoholics Anonymous[4].
He continued writing songs and themes for films, but his only real success in his later years was "Happy Endings", a 1989 advertising jingle for Abbey National.
In 1986 Bart received a special Ivor Novello Award for his life's achievement. Cameron Mackintosh, who owned half the rights to Oliver!, revived the musical at the London Palladium in 1994 in a version rewritten by Lionel Bart. Mackintosh gave Lionel a share of the production royalties. Lionel Bart was often publicly and romantically linked with Judy Garland or Alma Cogan.
Bart died in 1999 after a long hard struggle with cancer[4] and his funeral took place at Golders Green Crematorium.
A musical play based on Bart's life and using his songs, It's a Fine Life was staged at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch in 2006[5].
[edit] West End theatrical credits
Lock Up Your Daughters (1959) - lyricist
Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be (1959) - composer, lyricist
Oliver! (1960) - composer, lyricist, writer
Blitz! (1962) - composer, lyricist, writer
Maggie May (1964) - composer, lyricist
Twang! (1965) - composer, lyricist
La Strada (1969) - co-composer, co-lyricist
[edit] Work on Broadway
Oliver! (1963) - musical - composer, lyricist, and bookwriter - Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist, Tony Nominations for Best Musical and Best Author of a Musical
A return engagement of the original production played in 1965, and a revival in 1984.
La Strada (1969) - musical - composer and lyricis
Who Will Buy?
Lionel Bart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who will buy my sweet red roses? Two blooms for a penny. (Repeat 4 times.)
MILKMAID
Will you buy any milk today mistress? Any milk today mistress?
ROSE-SELLER
Who will buy my sweet red roses?
MILKMAID
Any milk today mistress?
ROSE-SELLER
Two blooms for a penny.
STRAWBERRY-SELLER
Ripe, strawberries ripe! Ripe, strawberries ripe!
MILKMAID & STRAWBERRY-SELLER (At same time)
MILKMAID: Any milk today mistress?
STRAWBERRY-SELLER: Ripe, strawberries ripe!
ROSE-SELLER
Will you buy my sweet red roses?
STRAWBERRY-SELLER
Ripe, strawberries ripe!
MILKMAID & KNIFE GRINDER (At same time)
MILKMAID: Any milk today mistress?
KNIFE GRINDER: Knives, knives to grind!
ROSE-SELLER
Who will buy?
KNIFE GRINDER
Any knives to grind?
STRAWBERRY-SELLER
Ripe, strawberries ripe!
ROSE-SELLER & MILKMAID (At same time)
ROSE-SELLER: Who will buy my sweet red roses?
MILKMAID: Any milk today mistress?
KNIFE GRINDER & STRAWBERRY-SELLER (At same time)
KNIFE GRINDER: Knives, knives to grind!
STRAWBERRY-SELLER: Ripe, strawberries ripe!
ROSE-SELLER, KNIFEGRINDER, MILKMAID, & STRAWBERRY-SELLER
R.S.: Who will buy my sweet red roses?
KG: Any knives to grind?
MM: Any milk today mistress?
SS: Ripe, strawberries ripe!
KNIFEGRINDER
Who will buy?
STRAWBERRY-SELLER
Who will buy?
MILKMAID
Who will buy?
ROSE-SELLER
Who will buy?
OLIVER
Who will buy this wonderful morning?
Such a sky you never did see!
ROSE-SELLER
Who will buy my sweet red roses?
OLIVER
Who will tie it up with a ribbon, and put it in a box for me?
STRAWBERRY-SELLER
Ripe, strawberries ripe!
OLIVER
So I could see it at my leisure,
Whenever things go wrong,
And I would keep it as a treasure,
To last my whole life long.
MILKMAID
Any milk today?
OLIVER
Who will buy this wonderful feeling?
I'm so high, I swear I could fly.
KNIFEGRINDER
Knives, knives to grind!
STRAWBERRY-SELLER
Ripe, strawberries ripe!
OLIVER
Me, oh my! I don't want to lose it.
So what am I to do
To keep a sky so blue?
There must be someone who will buy...
STRAWBERRY-SELLER
Who will buy?
KNIFEGRINDER
Who will buy?
MILKMAID
Who will buy?
ROSE-SELLER
Who will buy?
ALL
Who will buy?
ALL:
Who will buy this wonderful morning?
Such a sky you never did see!
Who will tie it up with a ribbon,
And put it in a box for me?
They'll never be a day so sunny,
It could not happen twice.
Where is the man with all the money?
It's cheap at half the price!
Who will buy this wonderful feeling?
I'm so high I swear I could fly.
Me, oh my! I don't want to lose it
So what am I to do
To keep a sky so blue?
There must be someone who will buy...
WASHING WOMEN
They'll never be a day so sunny,
It could not happen twice.
Where is the man with all the money?
It's cheap at half the price!
INSTRUMENTAL
ALL
Who will buy this wonderful feeling?
I'm so high I swear I could fly.
Me, oh my! I don't want to lose it
So what am I to do?
To keep a sky so blue?
There must be someone who will buy...
Buy!
BUY!
The song "Who Will Buy" features different street sellers trying to sell their goods on the streets of London. These street sellers include a rose-seller, a milkmaid, a strawberry-seller, and a knife grinder. The chorus of the song is a search for someone who will buy this wonderful morning or the wonderful feeling. The child protagonist, Oliver, joins in the chorus searching for someone to buy happiness from. It's a theme based on materialism and the purchasing power of happiness. Happiness is not something that can be bought, as it comes from within ourselves, and wealth does not necessarily equate to happiness.
The song was written by Lionel Bart and is a song from his stage musical Oliver!. The main character is Oliver Twist, an orphan, who struggles to survive in the harsh conditions of London during the Victorian era. Oliver is sold into apprenticeship to an undertaker, where he is mistreated and escapes to London. The musical premiered in London in 1960 and became a huge success, followed by a successful Broadway production in 1963.
Line by Line Meaning
Who will buy my sweet red roses? Two blooms for a penny.
A rose seller calling out to potential buyers to purchase sweet red roses for a mere fraction of a penny.
Will you buy any milk today mistress? Any milk today mistress?
A milkmaid asking if any ladies would like to buy milk, repeated twice for emphasis.
Ripe, strawberries ripe! Ripe, strawberries ripe!
A strawberry seller calling out the ripeness of their strawberries.
Any knives to grind?
A knife grinder inquiring whether any customers would like their knives sharpened.
Who will buy this wonderful morning? Such a sky you never did see!
A poetic refrain by Oliver, describing the beauty of the morning sky and looking for someone to share it with.
Who will tie it up with a ribbon, and put it in a box for me?
Oliver wondering if there is anyone who would take the time to package such beauty for him to hold and cherish.
So I could see it at my leisure, Whenever things go wrong, And I would keep it as a treasure, To last my whole life long.
Oliver explains why he desires the morning sky encapsulated, as a means of comfort and a cherished treasure for life.
Who will buy this wonderful feeling? I'm so high, I swear I could fly.
Oliver expresses the joy and elation he feels, seeking someone willing to pay for this feeling and share it with him.
Me, oh my! I don't want to lose it. So what am I to do To keep a sky so blue? There must be someone who will buy...
Oliver does not want to lose the wonderful feeling he is experiencing and looks for a solution to keep it, knowing there must be someone willing to buy and share it with him.
Who will buy?
Various street vendors and Oliver repeatedly asking if anyone would like to purchase their goods, seeking out potential buyers.
They'll never be a day so sunny, It could not happen twice. Where is the man with all the money? It's cheap at half the price!
A group of washing women singing about the availability of a beautiful day, questioning where the person with lots of money is, as it is cheap at half the price.
INSTRUMENTAL
No lyrics, just an instrumental interlude between verses.
Who will buy this wonderful feeling? I'm so high I swear I could fly. Me, oh my! I don't want to lose it So what am I to do? To keep a sky so blue? There must be someone who will buy...Buy!BUY!
The entire group singing about the desire to sell and share the wonderful feeling amongst them, hoping there is someone who will buy and join in their joy.
Contributed by Charlie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.