I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts

"I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" is a novelty song composed in 1944 (as "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Cocoanuts") by Fred Heatherton, an English songwriter and published by Box & Cox Publications (ASCAP). In 1949, it was a top-ten hit in the U.S. for Freddy Martin And His Orchestra with vocalist Merv Griffin and sold over three million copies. The following year, it was a number-25 hit for Danny Kaye. It celebrates the coconut shy (coconut toss) at funfairs.

It was a staple song of the Billy Cotton Band Show on British radio and television. The song is still played over the public address at Cambridge United football matches after home wins. It is also sung in the dressing room after victories by Palm Tree Cricket Club.

The song appeared on I Could Go On Singing (1963), Judy Garland's last film. A portion of the song also appeared on Disney's "The Lion King" (sung by Rowan Atkinson) and "The Jungle Book". Nicolas Cage also sang part of this song in National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Ringo Starr sang an impromptu version of the song in Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles' TV special broadcast by the BBC on 26 December 1967.Gnomeo & Juliet has a portion of the song in it. Also, actors Hayden Rorke and Bill Daily performed a few lines of the song on ukulele in the 1969 I Dream of Jeannie episode "Uncles a Go-Go."

Swedish performer Povel Ramel wrote a Swedish version of the song in 1950. This version, "Far jag kan inte få upp min kokosnöt" ("Dad I can't crack my coconut open"), has little to do with the original. It is sung by a little boy who, in the course of his attempts to open his resilient coconut, disfigures his mother, demolishes the family's furniture, and finally blows their house up. This version also features prominently in the film My Life as a Dog (1985), as well as in the Swedish version of The Lion King.

External links

• Performance by Merv Griffin on the Freddy Martin Show