Bididi Bot Bot: The Sound of a Typewriter?

How does one describe in three words the sound of a typewriter? Hollywood composer Jackie Burton Barnett (1920-93), a man who from 1949 wrote all of Jimmy Durante’s songs, believed he knew how. And the words were “bididi bot bot”. So convinced was Barnett that he had captured the typewriter sound he included these words in the lyrics of a song set to music composed by the great Sammy Fain (born Samuel E. Feinberg; 1902-89). It was called The Secretary Song (Bididi Bot Bot) and 12 days before Christmas 1947, The Billboard’s music staff picked this to be one of the hottest selling and most listened to records of early 1948. The version The Billboard tipped for huge success was the original, in which the Ted Weems Orchestra backed singer Shirley Mildred Richards (1924-2001). The Billboard wrote, “Weems kicks thru with a fine rendition of a new novelty. The material is stronger than most of its kind with a vocal phrase – ‘Bididi Bip’ – representing the sound of a typewriter in action recurring often enough to make it close to infectious. And the arrangement spots a half chorus with typewriter keys clicking off parts of the melody which should make for additional juke [box?] lore.”

Jackie Barnett

Shirley Richards

Ted Weems

Jersey City-born Jackie Barnett was not just a composer but an author, producer and director. He attended New York University and later worked in Las Vegas before moving to California. Fain composed music for more than 30 films and was nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar nine times, winning twice, with Secret Love from Calamity Jane in 1954 and Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing in 1955 (see earlier post on this song). He was inducted into The Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.

Peggy Lee

There were many subsequent versions of The Secretary Song, including by Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney, The Satisfiers and The King’s Men. All are readily available on YouTube.

Peggy Lee