# Tiptoe through the Tulips song question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 28, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899 "2014-06-28T23:09:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/21 "2014-06-29T12:59:34Z")
> [@chicagowhitesox1173](#): > > I’m trying to imagine somebody in 1968 listening to this song while driving around and actually liking the song. I can’t see how anyone could actually like this song. Drugs, man, they took a lot of drugs back in the '60’s. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/22 "2014-06-29T13:19:23Z")
> [@Pai325](#): > > Have you ever seen Tiny Tim? > > I remember watching his wedding to Miss Vicky on the Tonight Show. The song, the singer, the wedding - all hilarious. It was the perfect time for it, too. Miss Vicky was a native of the next town over from where I grew up–Haddonfield, NJ. After her divorce from Tim, she remained in South Jersey for a while and ran a store in Medford. (She’s no longer an SJ resident, though.) I’ve also learned that she was a girlfriend of the infamous [Fred Neulander,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Neulander) of my old hometown, who was convicted of having his wife murdered. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/23 "2014-06-29T13:58:24Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > For those who are too young for the remarkable variety show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, this is the version you are seeking: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcSlcNfThUA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcSlcNfThUA) I haven’t seen/heard Tiny Tim sing that song in more than four decades. After clicking on the link my goal is to go another four without hearing it again. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/24 "2014-06-29T17:02:09Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > The song is originally from 1929, but it was revived in 1968 by the eccentric singer [Tiny Tim](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_Tim_(musician)), who made a big splash by performing it on _Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In_. Tiny Tim was understandably (given his freakish appearance and demeanor) dismissed as a novelty act, but he really did have a scholarly knowledge of and a sincere love for the music of that era. According to this post- [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6098790&postcount=17](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6098790&postcount=17) -Tim was channeling a version sung by actress Billie Burke. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/25 "2014-06-29T17:47:55Z")
In the 60s he started out as a hilarious novelty act. NOBODY took him or his eccentricities seriously and his records were a curiosity. And after his 15 minutes were over, he was a former one-hit wonder who spent the rest of his career sadly continuing to beat the same long deceased equinne. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/26 "2014-06-29T18:04:20Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > According to this post- [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6098790&postcount=17](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6098790&postcount=17) -Tim was channeling a version sung by actress Billie Burke. If **Eve** says so, that’s good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/27 "2014-06-29T18:40:41Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > In the 60s he started out as a hilarious novelty act. NOBODY took him or his eccentricities seriously and his records were a curiosity. And after his 15 minutes were over, he was a former one-hit wonder who spent the rest of his career sadly continuing to beat the same long deceased equinne. As Biffy correctly points out, however, Tiny Tim’s knowledge of the songs of the first four decades of the 20th Century was encyclopedic, and his love for them was 100 percent genuine and heartfelt. I recall that on one of his _Tonight Show_ appearances, he actually brought an aging Nick Lucas on with him to perform the song, which seems a generous thing to do. I’m sure Tim knew that people looked greatly askance at him, yet he did his thing just the same with utter guilelessness and sincerity. What I’m saying is that I don’t think there was anything about Tiny Tim that was particularly calculated. He was a known figure in New York City for quite some time before exploding into national consciousness, and no doubt some aspects of his marketing at that time were foisted upon him from above. (The whole Miss Vicky thing may indeed have been a part of it.) So I think your characterization of him after the national spotlight stopped shining on him may be a little bit cruel. I don’t know enough about his later years to know if he pined for his former level of success, or if he was content to go back to how things were for him before that. If he beat the “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” horse as the years wore on, I’m certain it’s because it was absolutely demanded of him on the rare occasions when he did appear in the national spotlight. I have a feeling that if he had had a choice, he would have preferred playing some other, more obscure song instead. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/28 "2014-06-29T19:49:39Z")
Did Tiny Tim perform most of his night club numbers in falsetto? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/29 "2014-06-29T20:51:08Z")
I don’t know if he ever used his natural voice in public during his period of fame–everything I heard from him in the '60s was in that quavering falsetto. And when not singing, he affected a breathy, effeminate speaking voice. But I heard a country record he made, I think, in an early '80s comeback attempt on which he displayed a deep baritone completely unrecognizable as the same person who sang “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/30 "2014-06-29T21:10:29Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Did Tiny Tim perform most of his night club numbers in falsetto? He imitated the singers he was imitating. His imitation of Billie Burke doing Tiptoe Through the Tulips was falsetto but I’ve heard him sing School Days in a baritone. ---
**Author:** ![chicagowhitesox1173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@chicagowhitesox1173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicagowhitesox1173)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/31 "2014-06-29T21:40:21Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Drugs, man, they took a lot of drugs back in the '60’s. Lol I guess so. I know it’s a goofy question but after watching the movie, I couldn’t get the song out of my head for hours. ---
**Author:** ![chicagowhitesox1173](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/46a35a/32.png) [@chicagowhitesox1173](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicagowhitesox1173)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/32 "2014-06-29T21:42:27Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I haven’t seen/heard Tiny Tim sing that song in more than four decades. > > After clicking on the link my goal is to go another four without hearing it again. > mmm I feel the same way. It’s in both Insidious movies though. Actually the movie wasn’t too bad. That song really made the movie a bit creepier. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/33 "2014-06-29T22:24:12Z")
_ **Only Yesterday** _ (1933) https://www.youtube.com/embed/tZJH6kA4iuc?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=PLafBRJyOamROaPMfoaPWbnLdY1cwfOqA4&start=236 ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/34 "2014-06-29T23:14:14Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I don’t know if he ever used his natural voice in public during his period of fame–everything I heard from him in the '60s was in that quavering falsetto. And when not singing, he affected a breathy, effeminate speaking voice. But I heard a country record he made, I think, in an early '80s comeback attempt on which he displayed a deep baritone completely unrecognizable as the same person who sang “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” I can’t recall the title. But it included the line (which I think was the title) “If you’re gonna leave me, then leave me satisfied.” Tim sung it in, what seemed to me, a deep, manly voice well-suited to a Western tune. Tiny Tim also played Magnificent Mervo, a down on his luck farmer who has gone a bit insane, in the horror film Blood Harvest. I’m proud to say I have a copy on VHS. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/35 "2014-06-29T23:16:17Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I don’t know if he ever used his natural voice in public during his period of fame–everything I heard from him in the '60s was in that quavering falsetto. And when not singing, he affected a breathy, effeminate speaking voice. But I heard a country record he made, I think, in an early '80s comeback attempt on which he displayed a deep baritone completely unrecognizable as the same person who sang “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” Tiny Tim singing (part of) Earth Angel [in the same baritone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT8t0VxZXEM)(he switches to the falsetto about halfway through)… first time I heard it I couldn’t believe that was him… He did things his own way, but I think if he had trained for it, he could have had a more legitimate singing career. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2014, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/36 "2014-06-29T23:49:34Z")
> [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > Tiny Tim singing (part of) Earth Angel [in the same baritone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT8t0VxZXEM)(he switches to the falsetto about halfway through)… first time I heard it I couldn’t believe that was him… He did things his own way, but I think if he had trained for it, he could have had a more legitimate singing career. I…I…I like it! It’s like Frank Zappa, Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison meet Frankie Valli, or something. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/37 "2014-06-30T00:29:33Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I recall Pepé Le Pew singing “tiptoe dans les tulips, avec moi,” but I don’t know when this cartoon was made. > > ETA: I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a Mel Blanc improvisation. The man was a genius! [Pepé Le Pew.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP7k4LXM1rE) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/38 "2014-06-30T23:36:21Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > _ **Only Yesterday** _ (1933) > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZJH6kA4iuc&list=PLafBRJyOamROaPMfoaPWbnLdY1cwfOqA4#t=236](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZJH6kA4iuc&list=PLafBRJyOamROaPMfoaPWbnLdY1cwfOqA4#t=236) Thank you! It’s not that I don’t trust **Eve** , but I wanted to see if it matched my imagination. It didn’t; like the kid said, she was flat. Kinda odd for a girl from the Ziegfeld Follies. _rimshot_ And look! **Eve** is quoted in [Ziegfeld’s Wikipedia entry.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florenz_Ziegfeld,_Jr.) She gets around, within the confines of 1885 to 1960. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/39 "2014-07-01T00:10:35Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Drugs, man, they took a lot of drugs back in the '60’s. Of course, drugs fell completely out of fashion afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899/40 "2014-07-01T00:31:22Z")
You have to understand that not only was it an in joke, it was a put-on. This was the time of the “put-on” and the “happening”. It was also a time when, if you freaked the mundanes, they really freaked. I remember Tiny Tim being featured on a cop show as part of the dangerous counter-culture surrounding some crime. But, really, he was kind of on the edge. Not normal, but kind of hard to get worked up about. Parents didn’t go into full-on armageddon mode over him, but they got kind of uncomfortable. For a lot of the young folks, that was hitting the sweet spot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-song-question/691899.md?page=3)