Waiting at the Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "Waiting at the Church" |
|
|---|---|
| Song by Vesta Victoria | |
| Released | 1906 |
| Genre | Music hall |
| Composer(s) | Henry E. Pether |
| Lyricist(s) | Fred W. Leigh |
"Waiting at the Church" is a very old and popular British song. It was written by Fred W. Leigh, who wrote the words, and Henry E. Pether, who wrote the music. A famous singer named Vesta Victoria first performed it. The song became popular in 1906.
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Discovering "Waiting at the Church"
This song is a classic example of a "Music hall" song. Music hall was a popular type of entertainment in Britain. It was like a variety show with singing, dancing, and comedy acts.
What is "Waiting at the Church" About?
The song tells a funny but sad story. It's sung by a young woman who is about to get married. Her fiancé, a man named Obadiah Binks, was supposed to buy a wedding ring or a house. She gave him all her money for this.
However, Obadiah never showed up for the wedding. The woman was left "waiting at the church" all alone. She later found out the truth. Obadiah sent her a note saying he was already married to someone else!
The Song in Movies and Music
"Waiting at the Church" has been used in many films. Even in the early days of movies, silent films featured the song. The 1906 silent film Waiting at the Church showed Vesta Victoria performing the song.
Other silent films were made to go along with recordings of the song. Later sound films also used it. These include Here Come the Huggetts, Millions Like Us, and I Thank You.
The song has also been covered by many artists. Richard Thompson included it on his album 1000 Years of Popular Music. Even famous performers like Julie Andrews and Miss Piggy have sung it.
"Waiting at the Church" in Politics
The song became famous in British politics too. In September 1978, the Prime Minister at the time, James Callaghan, used a line from the song. He was speaking at a big meeting for workers called the TUC.
Callaghan sang part of the song's chorus. He did this to show that there would not be a general election that year. He meant that he wasn't ready to call an election yet. He mistakenly said the song was by Marie Lloyd, another famous singer. Because of this, many people still think she sang it.
