Cross-Word Mamma You Puzzle Me
Some would argue (me, for one) that the crossword craze has never ended. However, in the 1920s it was at another level, inspired by the publication of the first collection of crosswords in the USA in 1924. Simon & Schuster’s book, a compilation of puzzles from the newspaper New York World, was a huge success.
It also sparked a string of popular songs, including this one by Frank Crumit. Other examples include Cross-Word Puzzle of Love, The Crossword Puzzle and Cross-Words Between Sweetie and Me, all from 1925. The latter’s lyrics declaring: ‘Crosswords have made me blue as can be, Brought cross words between my Sweetie and me, She sits puzzling don’t seem to care, Whether I’m near her or taking the air’.
All serving to demonstrate that if you need a handy metaphor (or actual reason) for a lover’s emotional turmoil, a crossword is the obvious candidate.
Wheel of Fortune
When a roulette wheel is your subject matter, why not make the spinning sound of the croupier’s perennial companion part of the song? That’s exactly what Kay Starr’s 1952 version of this tune did to great effect.
It helped the singer (real name Katherine Laverne Starks) to her first no 1 single in the US and it was later used as the theme music for the TV game show of the same name.
12 years later Elvis Presley would release Viva Las Vegas and remind us that a fortune could be won or, more likely, lost at the casino. He’d also mention a card game which would be a source of inspiration for several future hits, including…
Poker Face
Lady Gaga’s second single puts the card game front and centre. I think we’re looking at the Texas Hold’em variety, but as it’s really a sexual innuendo that’s largely academic. It topped the charts in 20 countries and is one of the best-selling singles of all time.
It was also the subject of a stirring spoken word delivery from Christopher Walken on a 2009 episode of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. I urge you to check it out.
A deck of cards crops up in countless other songs, such as:
Neil Sedaka’s heartbreaking Solitaire (a game also mentioned in Flowers on the Wall by the Statler Brothers — ‘playing solitaire till dawn with a deck of 51’).
The Joker from the musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd (but perhaps better known by fans of the Australian sitcom Kath & Kim, where it features over the opening credits).
At least two different Ace of Spades — one Motorhead’s signature track and the other a 1970 soul banger from O V Wright.
And a special mention for The Gambler, most famously recorded by Kenny Rogers, for featuring some of the best life advice one could ever hope to hear in a country song:
You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em,
Know when to walk away, know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin’ at the table,
There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.
PART TWO: BEYONCE TO BEGGAR’S BANQUET
