Talk:List of patter songs

Old comment
There are no sources for any of these songs indicating that they meet the requirements of a patter song. Not even the G&S songs. I suspect all the G&S songs listed are patter songs, but not every G&S song was. Gavroche42 (talk) 12:12, 21 April 2008 (UTC)

What is a patter song?
I notice that there is a bit of an 'edit war' going on over this article. I have been collecting G&S related material for over 30 years and performing the operas for as long, and I can state that "Rising early in the morning" from The Gondoliers is regarded as a patter song. Please do not revert where there is a dispute without discussing on the talk page. That's how things are done here. Thanks. Jack1956 (talk) 07:07, 24 April 2009 (UTC)


 * I concur with Jack. A metronome or stopwatch and a representative sample of recordings would show that "Rising Early in the Morning" contains more syllables to the minute than many of the other patter songs listed in the article, including “Bin Akademiker, Doktor und Chemiker”; “Well, you're a pretty kind of fellow”; “At the outset I may mention”; “When I Was a Lad”; “If you give me your attention”; “Henceforth all the crimes that I find in The Times”; “When I; good friends; was called to the bar”; and “I've wisdom from the East and from the West”. Tim riley (talk) 13:41, 24 April 2009 (UTC)

Based on a review of recordings, I agree with Jack1956 and Tim riley. After its introductory section, "Rising Early in the Morning", launches into two speedy verses of classic patter. -- Ssilvers (talk) 14:04, 24 April 2009 (UTC)


 * Can we get a consensus on whether any of the other songs on the list should be deleted? Please see the criteria at Patter song.  I would keep "When I was a Lad", Gama's song and Judge's song, since they are classic "catalogue" numbers that recite the character's rise to power, and they have a steady, sustained rhythm, even though not blazingly fast.  As for "Henceforth all the crimes", I have to disagree: that is super fast if sung correctly.  Also, there are a lot of rather obscure numbers listed here that I have never heard: are they all patter songs at all?  -- Ssilvers (talk) 14:07, 24 April 2009 (UTC)
 * The pre-Savoy ones: the Cornelius, Donizetti, Mozart and Rossini all qualify, in my view. I don't know the Glinka and could very easily be persuaded that the Schubert isn't patter. The Savoy list seems right as it is. Of the post G&S numbers, I am familiar with the Coward, German, Lehrer, and Weill which I think are rightly included. The Fauré comes as a surprise - I must go and check it: he wasn't usually an up-tempo man. I cannot offer any opinion on the others. Tim riley (talk) 17:07, 24 April 2009 (UTC)

Regarding "Rising Early in the Morning", I'd make a couple of points since people seem fixated on claiming it as a patter song. Mainly, they're derived from the definition at the main article. In the intro paragraph, the article claims that: 1. It is characterized by a moderately fast to very fast tempo. At best, this is a "moderately fast" tempo, certainly in comparison with other G&S patter songs such as "My Eyes are Fully Open" or "I am the Very Model". When compared with the other G&S patter songs here, though, I'd venture that it's by far the slowest on the list, so perhaps "moderately fast" is incorrect. 2. a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note. True. 3. The lyric of a patter song generally features tongue-twisting rhyming text...intended to be entertaining to listen to at rapid speed. With the exception of some parts of the chorus, this simply isn't the case for "Rising Early". 4. the musical accompaniment is lightly orchestrated and fairly simple, to emphasize the text. Borderline. Again, in comparison to more obvious patter songs as listed earlier, the orchestra does a heck of a lot more. 5. often intended as a showpiece for a comic character. "Rising Early" is patently not. The two gondoliers are the heroic characters, with the comic relief being provided by the Duke and Duchess of Plaza Toro. 6. usually a bass or baritone. Prove me wrong, but surely both gondoliers are tenors. So, of the six criteria outlined in the article, "Rising Early" scores full marks on one of them (the second). Part marks awarded on numbers 1, 3 and 4, although two of those criteria are couched only in relative terms. In other words, our definition is going to exclude it quite easily.

Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful song and a wonderful operetta overall. Knowing that it's not a patter song has never diminished the enjoyment I get from it. BigHaz - Schreit mich an 23:48, 25 April 2009 (UTC)


 * To answer your Point 6, Marco Palmieri is a tenor while Giuseppe is a baritone. See here [1] Jack1956 (talk) 16:36, 26 April 2009 (UTC)


 * BigHaz: I basically disagree with 1 above, agree with 2, strongly disagree with 3, disagree with 4. Basically agree with 5, although the two gondoliers are certainly comic characters as well as romantic characters.  6 shows that you have no idea what you are talking about.  Giuseppe is a baritone, and rising early is a baritone song.  -- Ssilvers (talk) 20:31, 26 April 2009 (UTC)
 * OK, so your opinion is that it meets the criteria. Mine is that it does not. At this point, we need sources to include something as a fact, since that's the way these things work. And if you want to repeat that claim that I don't know what I'm talking about, then go right ahead. Given that there is a dispute about whether it's a fact or not, the song shouldn't be in the list. BigHaz - Schreit mich an 21:22, 26 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Cite added. -- Ssilvers (talk) 04:47, 27 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Seems a patter song to me. It at least marginally fulfils all the criteria cited above (yes, the orchestra does a bit more than in many patter songs, but I don't think that disqualifies it).  And Giuseppe is a baritone.  It walks like a duck, it quacks like same, it is a patter song.  I'm not sure why the dispute.--Wehwalt (talk) 17:13, 27 April 2009 (UTC)

Removing bad examples
If Bruces' Philosophers Song is a patter song, then I suppose Cartman's "Kyle's Mom" song must be as well... though I don't see how either fits the definition given in the Patter Song article... MarcelB612 (talk) 06:27, 5 June 2010 (UTC)


 * I removed Bruce's Philosophers Song based on the above. I imagine there are lots of examples from the "modern" song section that should not be on this list, but I don't know some of them and can't eliminate them without some assistance.  -- Ssilvers (talk) 15:21, 6 June 2010 (UTC)


 * "Ruckblick" ?! Its syllabic and fast-ish (but marked "nicht zu geschwind") yes, but it's about as funny as a kick in the teeth. In my terrifically humble opinion this should be cut! Or, if not, given its umlaut on the "u"  almost - instinct 21:59, 22 June 2010 (UTC)


 * Patter songs don't have to be funny. I'll put in the umlaut.  I agree that it's borderline in some ways, but it does require superb diction, which is, I think, the main criterion.  If we're going to trim the list down, I'd like to trim down the more recent examples!  -- Ssilvers (talk) 00:14, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Deleteophilia
Oh heck, more deletionitis. Another page catches the bug. How is "Rattlin' Bog" not a patter song? Esperanto41 (talk) 08:22, 10 December 2011 (UTC)


 * Hi. That song is not even described in the The Irish Descendants article.  If it's an important patter song and is referred to by WP:Reliable sources as a patter song, write an article about it, and we'll be happy to add it to the list.  We can't list every patter song, just the well-known ones - otherwise people would not be able to find the important ones.  As you can see from the above discussion, everyone has different ideas as to what to include and what to cut.  If you can get a consensus, or even a couple of other people who think that a particular song is very important, and it is discussed in a properly referenced article on Wikipedia, we will be happy to add it.  All the songs here are, I think, at least discussed in articles on Wikipedia.  -- Ssilvers (talk) 17:19, 10 December 2011 (UTC)

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Adding sources instead of deleting entries
Recent edits that have been made to this page suggest that the goal of some editors here is to delete any entries that are not well sourced. In response to this, I will make it my goal to thoroughly, exhaustively source any and all unsourced entries in this article. Phantomred (talk) 9:18 7 Feb 2018


 * That would be extremely useful. It needs to be clear from the source that the item is, according to a WP:RS, a patter song.  All the best, -- Ssilvers (talk) 07:09, 8 February 2018 (UTC)

Flanders & Swann: Ill Wind
Personally, I think this song fits all 6 of the criteria from the main article listed above (it's played allegro vivace, each syllable = one note, has tongue-twister-like humorous rhymes, the only accompaniment is piano which is playing the same notes as are sung, it's a showpiece for a comedian who is also a baritone), but I could only find one source referring to it as a patter song, which isn't really a good source, as it is a song list from a program of patter songs which includes "Ill Wind" along with mostly G&S songs, with a few Tom Lehrer, Noel Coward, etc. songs, which was published by Richard Stuart (a professional singer and "patterman") on his own website as an example of what he might perform in one of his "A Matter of Patter" shows. So, I'm not sure what to do in this situation, I just left it as is. ElfLady64 (talk) 22:25, 11 February 2018 (UTC)


 * I think you can cite Richard Suart's website, on the basis that he is a recognized expert in patter roles. He actually wrote a book of alternate versions of Koko's little list song. -- Ssilvers (talk) 06:02, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

Other Songs
That I was unable to find any other sources for Ill Wind, which is as patter-y of a popular song as it seems likely for you to get, does not give me much hope at finding better sources for many of the others listed. I found sources referring to a couple of songs ("We Didn't Start the Fire," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," and "I've Been Everywhere") as patter songs, but they were sort of coincidental descriptions used in literature discussing other topics, and not written by authors who would necessarily be experts in how to define such a song. I did add these as they are generally acceptable as sources, but I'm not really confident in them, so if someone else felt it necessary to remove them that would make sense to me. ElfLady64 (talk) 22:25, 11 February 2018 (UTC)


 * Well, the idea is to try to remove the least important songs that are WP:Fancruft. To the extent that we can improve the referencing, it gives us a better foundation for separating the encyclopedic from the non-encyclopedic examples. -- Ssilvers (talk) 06:02, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

I agree that the article is G&S & Broadway biased. I think some important additions that most people would know are: It's the End of the World as We Know It, Subterranean Homesick Blues, One Week (song), Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me) Tucson Indigo (talk) 05:38, 12 December 2023 (UTC)


 * User:Tucson Indigo, do you have a source for each of these songs that states that the song is a patter song? -- Ssilvers (talk) 06:46, 12 December 2023 (UTC)
 * It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine), Subterranean Homesick Blues, One Week are referenced in https://katenorlander.com/ive-got-a-little-list-of-popular-patter-songs/
 * The wiki article for the song Life_Is_a_Rock_(But_the_Radio_Rolled_Me) says it is a fast patter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Is_a_Rock_(But_the_Radio_Rolled_Me) Tucson Indigo (talk) 06:13, 2 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Neither of these sources is a WP:Reliable source. We cannot cite other Wikipedia articles, people's personal websites, etc. See WP:RS. -- Ssilvers (talk) 15:51, 2 January 2024 (UTC)

Two songs wrongly listed as patter-songs (IMHO)
I disagree with listing Schubert's "Rückblick" as a patter-song. Sure, it's fast and wordy, but that is not the point of the song. Similarly, patter is not the point of Flanders and Swann's "Ill Wind"; the point is that the tune is the same as the horn concerto. HandsomeMrToad (talk) 08:38, 13 December 2018 (UTC)


 * I agree. Please let us know if you see any other such items on the list. -- Ssilvers (talk) 09:52, 13 December 2018 (UTC)

Rearranging sections and working on article
I separated the section After G&S into After G&S: Selected showtunes and After G&S: Selected popular and classical music. I believe separating these genres makes the list easier to read. I am also trying to increase the representation of showtunes in this article - many widely regarded patter songs are not listed - and reduce the amount of popular music, many of which aren't cited/are not patter songs. Phantomred (talk) 12:47, 14 January 2019 (UTC)