Open the Door Richard
Count Basie and His Orchestra
Words by Dusty Fletcher and John Mason
Music by Jack McVea and Don Howell
Peaked at # 1 in 1947 and, true to the times, six OTHER versions also made the
Top 10
Three Flames (#1); Dusty Fletcher (#3); Jack McVea (#3); the Charioteers (#6);
Louis Jordan (#6); and The Pied Pipers (#8)
Intro-conversations mingled in a crowded room
???? at the club tonight. Ole Richard went home early-he's got the key to the
house. I'm gonna knock on the door, see if I kin get in.
Open the door, Richard!! Ya see, Richard sleeps in the back room. It's kinda hard
to hear.
Maybe I better knock a little louder.
Open the door, Richard!! I don't think Richard heard me yet. Knock one more
time-let's see
what's gonna happen.
Richard, open the door, please.
SUNG: Open the door, Richard
Open the door and let me in
Open the door, Richard
Richard, why don't you open that door?
Richard, open the door, man-it's *co-hold* out here'n this air. Now look-there's that
old woman 'cross the street lookin' out the windah
(Who's that, Widow Sweet?)
That must be her sister, I guess. She wants to make SURE this is me. She's tryin'
to find out
what's happenin'. Yes, it's me and I'm late again!
(??, did you hear what the lady's sayin'?)
No, what is she sayin'?
(She said you sure look common out here'n the street.)
COMMON? Man, I got class I ain't never used yet. I'm gonna knock again-
Richard's got to get up.
Open the door, Richard!! Man, you got a key to the house?
(No, ??, I don't have a key. I DON'T have a key.)
Somebody's got to get in the house. We can't climb in the transit.
(Oh, I know he's in there.)
How YOU know he's in there?
(I can hear him breathin'.)
Ooooh, let's try it one more time!
Richard, open that door, man. Maybe Richard's gone.
SUNG: Open the door, Richard
Open the door and let me in
Open the door, Richard
Richard, why don't you open that door? I know he's in there.
(how you know he's in there?)
Why, you got on the suit.
I know I got on the only suit. Ain't got but one suit between us. That's the
reason why I don't like to roooooom with nobody.
FADE
Richard, why don'tcha open the door, man?
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: *cold."*
This entire song is done on an ad-lib basis and it varies WIDELY from other
versions, which were considerably funnier. "??" represents the names or
nicknames of the band members which I could not comprehend. Still it IS the
version that made #1
