The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-02
''Mairzy Doats And Dozy Doats,' Great And Goofy Song Sensation, Was Inspired By Child'S Chant
By NEA Service


 New York, Feb. 2-You may have thought that this 'Mairzy Doats' song, which is all over he air and the juke boxes of the nation, sounds kind of childish.
 And if so, you're right, because 1t sarted with 4-year-old named Niela Bonni Drake, who skipped around her house one day chant ing a phrase she had picked up somewhere. To the best recollcc- ton of all concerned, the phrase was simply, Mares eat oats" but in the process of what now can be dignified as continuous articula- tion." she ran he words together until her little song sounded like this:
 'sMairzy doats, mairzie dOatS,
 s'Mairy doatS, tra-la."
 Well, it happens that Niela Bon- nj Drake's father, Milton, is a songwriter who, typically, is always groping for an idea. His daughters chant was an annoyance for a whole, but later he realized that he couldn't get it out of his own head. So when next he got to- gether with his partners, Jerry Livingston and Al Hoffman, they began monkeying around with a nonsense song full of slurred lyrics. LABORED OVER LYRICS
 They wrote it over the piano in e song-plugger's cubicle in Tin Pin Alley, and they worked on it over blintzes and coffee in Lindy's. The tune came easily, but the words had to be chosen so that they could be run together and would sound like gibberish.
 It was almost exactly two years ago that the goofy product was taken to a publisher. The team Of Hoffman, Drake and Livingston had turned out several hits, and its offerings were not something to be brushed of lightly by any song wise merchant. However, this pub uisher loked startled when three presumably sane men began warb- ling:
 ''Mairzy doats and dozy dOats,
 "And fiddle lamzy alvey
 "A kiddley alvey, tOO-OOOOh. :"
 This publisher muttered some thing about the boys leaving the song with him and he'd see what he could do. Five months later, in June, 1942, he gave it back to them, somewhat in the manner of man delivering a hunk of Gmburger cheese.
 Other music companies turned up their noses at it, and for a long time the nations sanity was undis- turbed while the copy of the song gath cred dust and wrinkles in Liv- ingsyon's desk. Ten weeks ago he dug it out and gave it to Al Trace, who leads a screwball band called the Silly Symphonists at the Dixie Hotels Plantation Room. Trace de- cided it was just the thing for his corry comedians, and so it proved Signs were made to acquaint the cuSt omers with the lyrics, and Broadway began to go batty. One of the musicians had pair of trick pants which were fixed to fall of just when the song got to the ''ooooh" part.
 A publisher was found, of course, end the lyrics quoted above are used by permission of the Miller Music Corporation, which is the copyright owner and very happy about it. ''Mairzy Doats' is in 45,- 900 juke boxes and on 800 radio stations. Lily Pons, Irene Dunne and Herbert Marshall have sung it on the air. It Is selling about 25,- 900 copies of sheet music day, will easily go above million, and thus becomes the greatest freak song since "The Music Goes Round and Round"
 Thus far, due to hindrances pro- vided by MT. Petrillo of the musi- clans union, few recordings have been on sale. But Decca is bringing out one by the Merry Macs, and after that the ubiquity of ''Mairzy Doats" will be complete.