Bette Midler

Released: November 12, 1991

Songwriter: Hoagy Carmichael Paul Francis Webster

Producer: Arif Mardin Dave Grusin Joe Mardin Marc Shaiman

Every night while I'm undressin'
Sayin' my prayers and lightly confessin'
I can hear hot licks
From a set of drums upstairs

Well, it couldn't be Johnny 'cause he isn't there;
Johnny's overseas. We no not where
But, believe it or not, every night on the dot
I can hear a tenor drum say:

Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back?
When's that kid in the G.I. lid
Gonna choo-choo down the track?

Poor ol' me, I'm beat as can be
And my rim has even started to rust
Look at these sticks tryin' to take out the licks
They're covered with an inch of dust, beep-a-dust

Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back?
When's that boy with the jumpin' joy
Gonna launch that last attack?

If he'll roll, roll, roll like a drumstick;
Chewin', chewin', chewin' on a gumstick
Jack, we'll soon have a Japenese derby
And beat it like a cymbal on a music rack

Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back?
When's that boy with the jumpin' joy
Gonna launch that last attack?

If he'll roll, roll, roll like a drumstick;
Chewin', chewin', chewin' on a gumstick
Jack, we'll soon have a Japenese derby
And beat it like a cymbal on a music rack

Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
Billy-a-dick, Billy-a-dick, tick, tack
When's that character comin' back, Mom?

Bette Midler is a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, comedienne and actress. Named in honor of Bette Davis, Midler’s career began performing off-broadway until she developed the stage persona The Divine Miss M while singing at the world-famous Continental Baths gay bathhouse. A pre-fame Barry Manilow, the venue’s in-house piano player, produced her Grammy-nominated debut album which scored three US top 40 singles including the Grammy-nominated “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”. Midler took home the Best New Artist Grammy that year, her first of three career wins.

Throughout the 1970s, Midler found further success with music, Broadway, television and film. The Rose, Midler’s 1979 acting debut, earned her both Oscar and Academy Award nominations, and its namesake song won her a Golden Globe and another Grammy – also giving Midler her first success overseas.

The early 1980s proved less successful for Midler with four under-performing singles and a box office flop with the film Jinxed. However, the second half of the decade would prove far more fruitful with a handful of very successful films including Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, Outrageous Fortune and Beaches, the latter featuring a chart-topping cover of “Wind Beneath My Wings” that won Midler her third Grammy and is considered one of the greatest songs in American film history.

more tracks from the album

For the Boys (Soundtrack)

From the album

For the Boys (Soundtrack) (1991)

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