Ten Tiny Toes - One Baby Nose - Sol Ho'opi'i and His Novelty Quartette
3:16
single, 1933
Written by Jack Little, David Oppenheim, and Ira Schuster
The title on the original shellac pressing of this Hawaiian pop song includes a parenthetical "(That's All I'm Living For)," but I figure the main title, along with the artist name, is long enough already. Musically, the tune is exactly what the title suggests: a cheery, sweet novelty song about a newborn baby. Over a ukulele and a steel guitar, and with a crooning male chorus behind him, Ho'opi'i trills in a high tenor the overpowering sentiments that most new parents share: "Believe me, that little tot / In his little cot / Is all the world to me." There's a verse to the song, but as with many popular recordings of the era, Ho'opi'i just repeats the refrain twice.