1. In the United States, t… Read Full Bio ↴This is the name of at least two artists.
1. In the United States, the Pied Pipers were a popular singing group in the late 1930s and 1940s.
2. In Zimbabwe, the Pied Pipers were a popular singing group in the 1970s and 1980s.
The United States group originally consisted of eight members who had belonged to three separate groups: Jo Stafford from The Stafford Sisters, and seven male singers: John Huddleston, Hal Hopper, Chuck Lowry, Bud Hervey, George Tait, Woody Newbury, and Dick Whittinghill, who had belonged to two groups named The Four Esquires and The Three Rhythm Kings. Paul Weston and Axel Stordahl, who were arrangers for Tommy Dorsey's big band, heard of the group through two of The King Sisters, Alyce and Yvonne. Weston had a jam session at his home and a visiting advertising executive signed the octet for Dorsey's radio program, broadcast in New York City. They sang with Dorsey's orchestra for about six weeks before a British representative of the sponsor objected to some of the songs in their repertoire and fired them. They went back to California, but in the time they had been in New York had recorded two records for RCA Victor Records.
The Zimbabwean group began singing together as youths in a ghetto neighborhood. According to The Herald of Zimbabwe, "With time, the five -- Fungai Neganje, Chowasi Mdoka, Elisha Hwata, Tendai Masango and Evans Chatew - got more serious and started calling themselves Rhythm and Blues Band." By 1971, the band included William Mhlanga on drums, Brian Rusike on keyboards, Chowas Mdoka on bass guitar, Fungai Neganje on lead guitar and his brother Gideon Neganje on vocals. Calling themselves the Pied Pipers, they "became one of Zimbabwe's 1980s group that changed the shape of Zimbabwean pop music and was the first to break through onto the international markets. "
It's Only A Paper Moon
The Pied Pipers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
ailin'over a cardboard sea,
But it wouldn't be make believe,
if you believed in me.
It's only a canvas sky,
hanging over a muslin tree,
But it wouldn't be make believe,
Without your love,
it's a honky-tonk parade,
Without your love,
it's a melody played in a penny arcade.
It's a Barnum and Bailey world,
just as phoney as it can be,
But it wouldn't be make believe,
if you believed in me.
The Pied Pipers' song It's Only a Paper Moon is a whimsical tune that speaks of a makeshift world but with a plea to believe in love as a saving grace for an otherwise sham-like existence. The song starts with the image of a paper moon sailing over a cardboard sea and a canvas sky hanging over a muslin tree. The surrealistic image highlights the notion of a fantasy world where everything is fabricated, but it could still become a reality if someone believes in it. The singer of the song is requesting his beloved to believe in him, as his feelings and emotions are the real aspect of their relationship.
The second verse further emphasizes the distorted reality, referring to a Barnum and Bailey world that is as phony as it can be. It is a world of circus and clownery where everything is an illusion, but the singer asserts that it would not be make-believe if his love interest believed in him. The chorus beautifully puts forward the contrast of a world without love, likening it to a honky-tonk parade or a melody played in a penny arcade. In contrast, the world where they are together is magical, even though everything is faux.
The song's overall message is that love is what makes life real, even in times when the world may seem fake and make-believe. It is a song that acknowledges the surreal nature of life while also recognizing the power of love to make everything seem real, and that belief in oneself and others is a powerful thing.
Line by Line Meaning
It's only a papermoon, sailin'over a cardboard sea,
The moon and sea may be mere paper and cardboard, but their beauty is real if you have faith in yourself.
But it wouldn't be make believe, if you believed in me.
Just because something appears imaginary, it doesn't mean it's not true, especially if you have confidence in the person beside you.
It's only a canvas sky, hanging over a muslin tree,
The sky and tree might be dancing props, but if you have a belief in yourself, they are still real for your eyes.
Without your love, it's a honky-tonk parade,
When you don't have true affection or emotion, everything turns into a meaningless song, something that misses the beat of life.
Without your love, it's a melody played in a penny arcade.
A life without love is like a feeble tune that echoes from an empty, disorienting track.
It's a Barnum and Bailey world, just as phoney as it can be,
The world can be designed as a circus show to create illusions and false depictions, amusing but surreal.
But it wouldn't be make believe, if you believed in me.
The existence of the people by each other's side is the merit of each existence. So as long as one has someone by their side, nothing feels too unreal.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, S.A. MUSIC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Billy Rose, E. Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind