In 1950, he scored a huge success with his first recording for Capitol Records, John and Marsha, a soap-opera parody that consisted of the title characters (both played by Freberg) repeating each other's names. In a follow-up he used pedal steel guitarist Speedy West to parody the 1953 country hit A Dear John Letter as A Dear John and Marsha Letter.
Throughout the 1950s he made a name for himself writing and performing both original songs (Tele-Vee-Shun) and parodies of popular tunes (The Yellow Rose of Texas, Day-O, Heartbreak Hotel). With fellow voice actors Daws Butler and June Foray he produced a medieval parody of Dragnet called St. George and the Dragon-Net. The latter recording was a #1 hit for four weeks in late 1953.
Freberg's brilliant, authentic-sounding musical parodies were a byproduct of his collaborations with Billy May and his Capitol Records producer Ken Nelson. His brilliant 1957 spoof of TV "champagne music" master Lawrence Welk, Wun'erful, Wun'erful was a true collaboration with May, a veteran big band musician and jazz arranger (known for his work with Frank Sinatra among others) who loathed Welk's corny style. To replicate that sound, May and some of Hollywood's finest studio musicians and vocalists worked to virtually clone Welk's sound. Billy Liebert, a first-rate accordionist copied Welk's own accordion playing. The humor was lost on Welk; Freberg later recalled the bandleader denying he ever used the term "Wunnerful! Wunnerful!" (later the title of Welk's autobiography).
Another hit song to get the Freberg treatment was the weepy Cry, which Freberg rendered as Try ("You too can be unhappy... if you try!") Ray was furious, until he realized the success of Freberg's parody was helping sales and airplay of his own record; Ray and Freberg actually became close friends.
Freberg continued to skewer the advertising industry after the demise of his radio show, producing Green Chri$tma$ in 1958 (again with Butler), a scathing indictment of the overcommercialization of the holiday. Freberg, the son of a church minister and very religious himself, made sure to point out on that novelty record "Whose birthday we're celebrating." Despite his Jewish-sounding last name, Freberg is actually a Baptist of Swedish heritage.
"Green Chri$tma$" also foreshadowed his musical review on LP Stan Freberg Presents: The United States Of America, Volume 1: The Early Years (1961) in that both combined dialog and song in a musical-like style. Stan Freberg Presents: The United States of America, Volume 2: The Middle Years was planned for a release during America's Bicentennial in 1976 but did not emerge until 1996.
The World is Waiting for the Sunrise
Stan Freberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The world is waiting for the sunrise;
Every rose is heavy with dew.
The thrush on high,
His sleepy mate is calling
And my heart is calling you!
The opening lyrics of Stan Freberg's song, The World is Waiting for the Sunrise, are deeply symbolic of the hope and promise of a new day. The singer addresses a beloved with the endearment of "dear one," as they acknowledge the world's anticipation of the dawn. The phrase "the world is waiting for the sunrise" symbolizes the possibility of a new beginning, of a fresh start that is pregnant with opportunity and hope. As the morning dew sits heavily on the roses, the singer notes the newness and freshness of the day, a clean slate for the world to embark on.
The mention of the thrush, a symbol of freedom and hope in many cultures, calls to mind the beauty of nature and the innocence of animals. As the thrush's "sleepy mate" calls out, the singer likens it to the heart longing for the beloved, perhaps echoing the desire for a new beginning with that person. These lyrics not only symbolize the beauty of nature and new beginnings but also the yearning for connection with others, themes that are universal and timeless.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear one,
My beloved,
The world is waiting for the sunrise;
The beginning of a new day is eagerly anticipated by all,
Every rose is heavy with dew.
The morning dew has weighed down every flower,
The thrush on high,
The bird perched high above,
His sleepy mate is calling
Is calling out to its sleepy partner,
And my heart is calling you!
And similarly, my heart is yearning for you!
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ernest Seitz, Eugene Lockhart, Harry Alford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@catyronwode
Oh yes, i remember this! It's Stan Freberg doing a parody of Spike Jones doing a parody Les Paul and Mary Ford's "The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise" as if Elvis Presley had sung with them in the form of a tribute to Stan Freberg's "Wunnerful Wunnerful" parody of Lawrence Welk!! So much musical allusion! Thank you, The 78 Prof. You rock!
@MrRuplenas
I idolize Les Paul as much as anyone, but this is really funny, and yes, there is a great deal of Spike Jones in there.
@roybo1930
This Guy is NUTTS! I LOVE Him! Every Record I have heard by Him I hit the floor! OMG!
@geoffreyherrick298
I love the tinnyness of the banjo! Masterful parody!
@tombstoneharrystudios584
That’s one hella funny (and obviously affectionate) parody of Les’ trademark sound!
@CeBeeBS
Aaaaahhhh!!!! I finally found this crazy version of this greta song from Les Paul & Mary Ford !! I've been listeing to it as a kid and loved it, especially the end ;-)
@Fool3SufferingFools
Nice bit of “Tiger Rag” thrown in there for fun.
@thomastarwater2989
Screamingly hilarious! Stan Freberg was the Man of Men this side of Spike Jones when it came to song parodies.
@pjriverdale8461
The old bastard didn't take copies, parody, sound alike records well.
So funny that Capitol was one that ripped him and Mary off with this.
And funnier still that they capture the entire sound that "Mr Guitar" would NOT reveal to them as none of the records were ever recorded in Capitol's facilities.
During the break, Freberg ( I guess) goes into the hiccup thing that Spike Jones used to throw in on his records.
@dennisdivine7448
This is, to my knowledge, among the first uses of the sped-up voices on a commercially-released comedy single, pre-dating Dave Seville's Chipmunks by multiple years. During the '50s-early '60s, Freberg collaborated with Capitol Records' recording engineers and sound effects men to push the limits of recording technology for his releases, including experiments with multi-tracking and stereo. (His "Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America" album is, to this day, quite an audio engineering feat that you can use to test out hi-fi stereo equipment.)