This 1950s humorist had a segment about the selling of Manhattan island in his recording “Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America.” In the Freberg version, the native peoples were convinced that they were getting by far the better of the deal, until Freberg introduces the character of a real estate developer who imagines the theatre district. The musical number is called “Top Hat, White Feather, and Tails,” and even taking 1950s sensibility into account, I would not reproduce the [more than a little offensive] lyrics here. They can be easily found, though, and you can judge for yourself how satirical is Freberg’s vision of what Manhattan became.
Bill, in San Diego |
