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.
The Ugly Bug Ball
Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To a sympathetic beetle by his side.
"I've got nobody to hug,
I'm such an ugly bug."
Then a spider and a dragon fly replied,
"If you're serious and want to win a bride,
Come along with us,
Annual ugly bug ball."
Come on let's crawl
Gotta crawl, gotta crawl
To the ugly bug ball
To the ball, to the ball
And a happy time we'll have there
One and all
At the ugly bug ball
While the crickets clicked their tricky melodies
All the ants were fancy-dancing with the fleas
Then up from under the ground
The worms came squirming around
Oh they danced until there legs were nearly lame
Every little crawling creature you could name
Everyone was glad
What a time they had
They were so happy they came
Everyone was glad! What a time they had!
They were so happy they came!
Come on let's crawl
Gotta crawl, gotta crawl
To the ugly bug ball
To the ball, to the ball
And a happy time we'll have there
One and all!
At the ugly bug ball.
Then our caterpillar saw a pretty queen
She was beautiful in yellow, black and green
He said, "Would you care to dance?"
Their dancing led to romance.
And she sat upon his caterpillar knees
And he gave his caterpillar queen a squeeze
Soon they'll honeymoon
Build a big cocoon
Thanks to the ugly bug ball
Come on let's crawl
Gotta crawl, gotta crawl,
To the ugly bug ball
To the ball, to the ball
And a happy time we'll have there
One and all!
At the ugly bug ball!
"The Ugly Bug Ball" is a charming and witty song composed by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The song tells the story of a caterpillar who feels alone and unloved until a group of insects invites him to the "Annual Ugly Bug Ball." The song proceeds to describe the festivities and the dance party that the insects attend. The caterpillar then sees a beautiful queen and asks her to dance. The two fall in love, and the caterpillar imagines they will build a cocoon and start their happily-ever-after.
The lyrics of "The Ugly Bug Ball" utilize an assortment of soft and gentle metaphors to convey the caterpillar's story. Initially, the caterpillar expresses his sadness at being unattractive, saying, "I've got nobody to hug, I'm such an ugly bug." The use of the words "nobody to hug" and "ugly bug" are relatable, effectively showing that readers - and the audience of the song - can empathize with the caterpillar. As the song progresses, more creatures show up, and the insects all dance until their "legs are nearly lame." The insects at the "Ugly Bug Ball" share in each other’s acceptance and happiness. Ultimately, the caterpillar meets and falls for the queen insect, and the Ugly Bug Ball is responsible for starting their love story.
Line by Line Meaning
Once a lonely caterpillar sat and cried,
At one time, a caterpillar felt very lonely and sad and cried.
To a sympathetic beetle by his side.
He confided in a beetle who was understanding and compassionate.
"I've got nobody to hug,
The caterpillar expressed his desire to have someone to hug and hold.
I'm such an ugly bug."
However, he felt unattractive and unworthy of attention.
Then a spider and a dragon fly replied,
A spider and a dragonfly overheard the caterpillar and responded.
"If you're serious and want to win a bride,
They suggested that if he was serious about finding a mate.
Come along with us,
Then he should join them.
To the glorious
They were going to a wonderful event.
Annual ugly bug ball."
The Annual Ugly Bug Ball was a celebration of all creatures, regardless of their appearance.
Come on let's crawl
The group encouraged the caterpillar and others to crawl to the ball.
Gotta crawl, gotta crawl
They emphasized the importance of crawling to reach the destination.
To the ugly bug ball
The destination of the crawl was the Annual Ugly Bug Ball.
To the ball, to the ball
They continued to encourage everyone to go to the ball.
And a happy time we'll have there
They promised a joyful experience at the ball.
One and all
All are welcome and invited to attend.
At the ugly bug ball
Once again, the destination was the Annual Ugly Bug Ball.
While the crickets clicked their tricky melodies
At the ball, the crickets played playful and challenging music.
All the ants were fancy-dancing with the fleas
The ants and fleas danced together with elegance and class.
Then up from under the ground
Suddenly, creatures emerged from the ground.
The worms came squirming around
These creatures were worms, and they wriggled their way to the dance floor.
Oh they danced until there legs were nearly lame
These worms danced so much that their legs were tired and almost unable to move.
Every little crawling creature you could name
All sorts of crawling creatures were present, and each had a dancing partner.
Everyone was glad
Everyone was happy and enjoyed themselves.
What a time they had
The party was a great success, and everyone had a blast.
They were so happy they came!
In the end, all the creatures were grateful they came to the Annual Ugly Bug Ball.
Then our caterpillar saw a pretty queen
During the festivities, the caterpillar spotted an attractive queen.
She was beautiful in yellow, black and green
The queen had striking yellow, black, and green coloring.
He said, "Would you care to dance?"
The caterpillar asked the queen to dance with him.
Their dancing led to romance.
Through dancing, the caterpillar and the queen developed a romantic connection.
And she sat upon his caterpillar knees
They got quite close and intimate during their dance.
And he gave his caterpillar queen a squeeze
The caterpillar hugged the queen tight, showing how he felt about her.
Soon they'll honeymoon
The pair are planning to go on a honeymoon together.
Build a big cocoon
During their journey, the caterpillar plans to create a cocoon to start a new life with his love.
Thanks to the ugly bug ball
The successful match and happy life ahead was all thanks to the Annual Ugly Bug Ball.
Come on let's crawl
The song ends with the group once again encouraging everyone to crawl to the ball and enjoy themselves.
Gotta crawl, gotta crawl,
They reiterate the importance of crawling to the party.
To the ugly bug ball
And end with the destination in mind - the Annual Ugly Bug Ball.
To the ball, to the ball
Once again, they emphasize the importance of attending the event.
And a happy time we'll have there
Finally, they remind listeners that attending the ball will ensure a joyful time.
One and all!
All creatures are welcome to attend and have a good time!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RICHARD M. SHERMAN, ROBERT B. SHERMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind