Written 1910 Lyricist(s) Beth Slater Whitson | Composer(s) Leo Friedman | |
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"Let Me Call You Sweetheart" is a popular song, with music by Leo Friedman and lyrics by Beth Slater Whitson. The song was published in 1910 and first recorded by the Peerless Quartet. A 1924 recording identifies a Spanish title, "Déjame llamarte mía".
Contents
Lyrics
The complete lyrics:
Trivia
The girl who modeled for the original sheet music is alleged to have been Virginia Rappe, the subject of the 1921 Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle scandal.
Among the thousands of mainstream appearances of this pop standard are a British advert for mobile phone operator and internet service provider Orange SA, involving a wind-up toy of two figures hugging. The version used in this advert was sung by Oliver Hardy from the 1938 film Swiss Miss, made with his comic partner Stan Laurel. This song was also sung in an episode of Our Gang (the Little Rascals) by Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. Victor Moore sings the song to Beulah Bondi in Make Way for Tomorrow (1937).
It was performed by George Hearn in Barney's Great Adventure, instrumentally by a band in The Greatest Game Ever Played and by Megan Follows in Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. It was also sung by a group of Boy Scouts in the film Follow Me Boys. It was also performed by Dorothy Custer (born May 30, 1911) an American comedian, harmonicist, and centenarian, who sang the song on Valentine’s Day 2012 to Jay Leno on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The song was recorded by Bette Midler for the film The Rose and the accompanying "The Rose Soundtrack". The song was sung in an episode of Downton Abbey. In the Arrow episode "Broken Hearts", Cupid sings the song while holding a couple hostage. In the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend episode "Who Is The Cool Girl Josh Is Dating?", The West Brovinas sang this song. In 2016, the Peerless Quartet recording was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry due to its "cultural, historic, or artistic significance." It was used over the end credits in the Australian film 52 Tuesdays about a transgender father and his daughter Billie. The song features prominently in the 2016 two-part television adaptation of Agatha Christie's short story "The Witness for the Prosecution" written by Sarah Phelps and directed by Julian Jarrold for Mammoth Screen. It was sung by Andrea Riseborough in character as Romaine Heilger, the eponymous witness for the prosecution.