The Sherman Brothers wrote more motion-picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history, working for Walt Disney during the last six years of his life. Film scores of the Sherman Brothers include Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Jungle Book and The Aristocats.
Life and work
Robert and Richard Sherman began writing songs together in 1951 on a challenge from their father, Tin Pan Alley songwriter Al Sherman. The brothers wrote together and with different songwriting partners throughout the rest of the decade.
In 1958, Robert founded the music publishing company Music World Corporation, which later enjoyed a landmark relationship with Disney's BMI-affiliated publishing arm, Wonderland Music Company. That same year, the Sherman Brothers had their first top-ten hit with "Tall Paul," sung by Mouseketeer Judy Harriet on the Surf Records label and then covered by Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. The success of this song yielded the attention of Walt Disney, who eventually hired the Sherman Brothers as Staff Songwriters for Walt Disney Studios. The first song they wrote on personal assignment by Walt Disney was "Strummin' Song" in 1961. It was used in the Annette Funicello made-for-television movie called The Horsemasters.
While at Disney, the Sherman Brothers wrote more motion-picture musical scores than any other songwriters in the history of film. They also wrote what is perhaps their best-known song, "It's a Small World (after all)" for the 1964 New York World's Fair. Since then, some have claimed that this has become the most translated and performed song on Earth, although this is largely justified by the fact that it is played continuously at Disney's leisure park rides of the same name.
In 1965, the Sherman Brothers won two Academy Awards for Mary Poppins, which includes the songs "Feed The Birds," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," and the Oscar-winning "Chim Chim Cher-ee." Since Mary Poppins' premiere, the Shermans have subsequently earned nine Academy Award nominations, two Grammy Awards, four Grammy Award nominations, and an incredible 23 gold- and platinum-certified albums.
Robert and Richard Sherman worked directly for Walt Disney, completing the scores for the live-action musical films The Happiest Millionaire and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band until Disney's death in 1966. Since leaving the company, the brothers have worked freelance as songwriters on scores of motion pictures, television shows, theme-park exhibits, and stage musicals.
Their first non-Disney assignment came with Albert R. Broccoli's motion picture production Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1968, which garnered the brothers their third Academy Award Nomination.
In 1970, the Shermans returned to Disney for a brief stint where they completed work on The Aristocats and Bedknobs & Broomsticks. The latter film garnered the brothers their fourth and fifth Oscar Nominations, respectively. 1972 saw the release of Snoopy Come Home, for which the brothers received a Grammy nomination.
In 1973, the Sherman Brothers also made history by becoming the only Americans ever to win First Prize at the Moscow Film Festival for Tom Sawyer, for which they also authored the screenplay.
In 1976, “The Slipper and the Rose” was picked to be the Royal Command Performance of the year. The performance was attended by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. A modern musical adaptation of the classic Cinderella story, "Slipper", also featured songs, score, and screenplay by the Sherman Brothers. Two further Academy Award nominations were garnered by the brothers for the film. That same year the Sherman Brothers received their star on the Hollywood "Walk of Fame" directly across from Grauman's Chinese Theater.
The Sherman Brothers' numerous other Disney and non-Disney top box office film credits include The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats (1970), The Parent Trap (1961), The Parent Trap (1998), Charlotte's Web (1973) , The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh (1977), Snoopy, Come Home (1972), Bedknobs & Broomsticks (1971), and Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1992).
Outside the motion-picture realm, their Tony Award-nominated smash hit Over Here! (1974) was the biggest-grossing original Broadway musical of that year. The Sherman Brothers have also written numerous top selling songs including "You're Sixteen," which holds the distinction of reaching Billboard's #1 spot twice: first with Johnny Burnette in 1960 and then with Ringo Starr fourteen years later. Other top-ten hits include "Pineapple Princess," "Let's Get Together," and more.
In 2000, the Sherman Brothers wrote the song score for the Disney film The Tigger Movie. This film marked the brothers' first major motion picture for the Disney company in over 28t years.
In 2002, Chitty hit the London stage, receiving rave revues. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is currently the most successful stage show ever produced at the London Palladium, boasting the longest run in that century-old theater's history. On April 28, 2005, a second Chitty company premiered on Broadway (New York City) at the Hilton Theatre. The Sherman Brothers wrote an additional six songs specifically for the new stage productions. A successful third company of Chitty is currently touring throughout the United Kingdom.
In 2003, four Sherman Brothers' musicals ranked in the Top 10 Favorite Children's Films of All Time in a British nationwide poll reported by the BBC. The Jungle Book (1967) ranked at #7, Mary Poppins (1964) ranked at #8, The Aristocats (1970) ranked at #9, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) topped the list at #1.
In recent years, with Robert's move to London, England, United Kingdom, the brothers have written many new songs for the stage musical presentations of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins, produced collaboratively by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh.
For their contributions to the motion picture industry, the Sherman brothers have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6918 Hollywood Blvd. and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 9, 2005. On November 16, 2006, Mary Poppins premiered at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway.
On November 17, 2008 the Sherman Brothers received the National Medal of Arts which is the highest honor conferred upon artists or patrons of the arts by the United States Government. The award was presented by United States President, George W. Bush in an East Room ceremony at The White House.
A British Bank
Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A British home requires nothing less
Tradition, discipline, and rules must be the tools
Without them, disorder Chaos
Moral disintegration
In short, we have a ghastly mess
I quite agree
That life's a looming battle to be faced and fought
If they must go on outings
These outings ought to be
Fraught with purpose, yes and practicality
These silly words like
Superca, superca, superca
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Yes, well done, you said it
And popping through pictures
Have little use, fulfill no basic need
They've got to learn the honest truth
Despite their youth, they must learn
About the life you lead, exactly
They must feel the thrill of totting up a balanced book
A thousand ciphers neatly in a row
When gazing at a graph that shows the profits up
Their little cup of joy should overflow
Precisely, it's time they learned
To walk in your footstep, my footsteps
To tread your straight and narrow path
With pride, with pride, tomorrow
Just as you suggest pressed and dressed
Jane and Michael will be at your side
The song “A British Bank” is a satirical yet clever rendition by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman that heralds the virtues of a traditional British lifestyle. The opening lines of the song emphasize that a British bank operates with precision and perfection, while a British home demands nothing less. The song challenges the concept of the traditional British way of life and enshrines everything that is quintessentially British, including discipline, rules, and tradition. The song highlights the importance of these principles as the fundamental tools that drive a successful British lifestyle and warns against the moral disintegration that could result in the absence of these pillars of British culture.
Throughout the song, the authors mock the use of flamboyant vocabulary, including the tongue-twister “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” and instead, champion the importance of practicality and purposeful outings for children. They argue that children must learn valuable skills, including how to manage a balanced book, to walk in the footsteps of their parents and lead a successful life. The song has a humorous tone and uses irony and satire to challenge the audience's view of British culture and highlight the importance of traditional British values.
Line by Line Meaning
A British bank is run with precision
The British bank system runs with accuracy and strict attention to detail
A British home requires nothing less
British homes also require the same level of accuracy and strict attention to detail
Tradition, discipline, and rules must be the tools
The tools that are necessary for maintaining accuracy and strict attention to detail are traditions, discipline, and rules
Without them, disorder Chaos
If these tools are not followed, then chaos and disorder will ensue
Moral disintegration
Not following these tools can also lead to moral disintegration
In short, we have a ghastly mess
When these tools are not followed, there will be chaos, disorder, moral disintegration and an overall mess
I quite agree
It is agreed
The children must be molded, shaped and taught
Children require molding, shaping and teaching to ensure they develop the right behavior
That life's a looming battle to be faced and fought
Life is a struggle and must be faced and fought with enthusiasm and determination
If they must go on outings
If children must go on excursions
These outings ought to be
The excursion must be
Fraught with purpose, yes and practicality
The excursion must have a useful purpose
These silly words like
Silly words such as
Superca, superca, superca
Superca, superca, superca
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Yes, well done, you said it
Well done, you said it
And popping through pictures
Looking through pictures quickly
Have little use, fulfill no basic need
Has no basic function
They've got to learn the honest truth
Children must learn the truth
Despite their youth, they must learn
Despite being young they must learn
About the life you lead, exactly
Learn about the life you lead exactly
They must feel the thrill of totting up a balanced book
They must be taught how to balance accounting books accurately
A thousand ciphers neatly in a row
A thousand figures organized neatly in a row
When gazing at a graph that shows the profits up
They must be taught to analyze a graph correctly, showing profits increasing
Their little cup of joy should overflow
Their happiness after doing this should overflow
Precisely, it's time they learned
Precisely, it is the time for them to learn
To walk in your footstep, my footsteps
Walk in my footsteps
To tread your straight and narrow path
To follow your straightforward path
With pride, with pride, tomorrow
With pride, tomorrow
Just as you suggest pressed and dressed
As you suggest, neatly groomed
Jane and Michael will be at your side
Jane and Michael will be beside you
Contributed by Kennedy H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.