Early-intermediate students will enjoy playing "Bicycle Built for Two." This old-time favorite is an American classic. Easy to learn, this piece is perfect for any occasion. It is also great for working on playing in 6/8 time.
History
"Bicycle Built for Two" also known as "Daisy Bell" was composed by Harry Dacre in 1892. As David Ewen writes in American Popular Songs:[3]When Dacre, an English popular composer, first came to the United States, he brought with him a bicycle, for which he was charged import duty. His friend William Jerome, another songwriter, remarked lightly: "It's lucky you didn't bring a bicycle built for two, otherwise you'd have to pay double duty." Dacre was so taken with the phrase "bicycle built for two" that he soon used it in a song. That song, Daisy Bell, first became successful in a London music hall, in a performance by Katie Lawrence. Tony Pastor was the first to sing it in the United States. Its success in America began when Jennie Lindsay brought down the house with it at the Atlantic Gardens on the Bowery early in 1892. Wikipedia
The song was originally recorded and released by Dan W. Quinn in 1893.
Lyrics
"Daisy, Daisy, Give me your answer, do!
I'm half crazy,
All for the love of you!
It won't be a stylish marriage,
I can't afford a carriage,
But you'll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two!"
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