Open The Door, Richard
Count Basie

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.


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Lyrics by Count Basie

  (Back Home Again In) Indiana   A Fine Romance   Ain't Misbehavin'   All My Loving   All of Me   All of Me [Live]   All or Nothing at All   Alone   Alright, Okay, You Win   Alright, Okay, You Win [Live]   Amazing Love   And the Angels Sing   Angel Eyes   Another Get Together   Anything Goes   April in Paris   April in Paris [Alternate Take]   As Long as I Live   As Long as I Live [DVD]   At Long Last Love   Autumn Leaves   B & E (Basella)/A-Tisket, A-Tasket   Baby, Don’t Tell On Me   Baby, Won't You Please Come Home   Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea   Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered   Blue and Sentimental   Blue and Sentimental [Stereo]   Blue Skies   Broadway   Bye Bye Blackbird   Bye Bye Blues   C Jam Blues   Caravan   Carolina in My Mind   Chattanooga Choo Choo   Cheek to Cheek   Chicago   Cielito Lindo   Clap Hands! Here Comes Charlie   Come Fly With Me   Come Rain or Come Shine   Come Rain or Come Shine [*]   Come Together   Corrine, Corrina   Danny Boy   Dickie’s Dream   Did you see jacie robinson hit that ball   Dinah   Do Nothin til You Hear From Me   Don't Worry 'Bout Me   Dream a Little Dream of Me   Drifting   Dum Dum   East of the Sun   Easy Living   Eleanor Rigby   Every Day I Have the Blues   Every Day I Have the Blues [*]   Everyday (I Have the Blues) [Stereo]   Exactly Like You   Farewell Blues   Fascinating Rhythm   Feedin’ The Bean   Fine and Mellow   Fine and Mellow [DVD]   Firefly   Fly Me to the Moon   Fly Me to the Moon In Other Words   Flying Home   Flying Home [DVD]   Fools Rush In   From Russia With Love   Gee, Baby Ain't I Good to You?   Get Me to the Church on Time   God Bless the Child   Goin' to Chicago Blues   Going To Chicago Blues   Gone With What Wind   Good Morning Blues   Good Morning Blues [1st Take]   Good Morning Blues [2nd Take]   Hallelujah, I Love Her So   Hello, Dolly!   Here, There and Everywhere   Hey Jude   Honeysuckle Rose   Honeysuckle Rose [DVD]   How High the Moon   I Believe in You   I Can't Stop Loving You   I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me   I Could Write a Book   I Cover the Waterfront   I Cried for You   I Didn't Know About You   I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You   I Got a Woman Crazy for Me   I Got Rhythm   I Left My Baby (Alternate Take)   I Left My Heart in San Francisco   I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart   I Never Knew   I Surrender, Dear   I Wanna Be Around   I Want a Little Girl   I Want a Little Girl [Stereo]   I Wish You Love   I've Got a Crush on You   I've Got the World on a String   I've Got You Under My Skin   If Dreams Come True   If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)   If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight   If I Had You   If I Were a Bell   If I Were a Bell [*]   If I Were a Bell [Stereo]   In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)   In the Mood   Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall   It Had to Be You   It Was a Very Good Year   It's Sand, Man   Ja-Da   Japan   Jeepers Creepers   Jeepers Creepers [Stereo]   Jump The Blues Away   Just in Time   Just You, Just Me   Lady Be Good   Laura   Lil' Darlin'   Little White Lies   Live And Love Tonight   Lonesome Miss Pretty   Lost in the Stars   Louisiana (Alternate Take)   Love Is Here to Stay   Love Me Baby   Love Me or Leave Me   Lover Come Back to Me   Lover Man   Luck Be a Lady   Lullaby of Birdland   Ma (He's Making Eyes at Me)   Make Me Rainbows   Make Me Rainbows [DVD]   Make Someone Happy   Make the Man Love Me   Mean to Me   Memories of You   Minnie the Moocher   Miss Thing Pt. 1   Miss Thing Pt. 2   Misty   Moonglow   Moonlight Serenade   More   My Baby Just Cares for Me   My Heart Cries for You   My Kind of Town   My Kind of Town [*]   My Kind of Town Reprise   My Last Affair   My Last Affair [Alternate Take][#]   My Last Affair [Alternate Take][#]   Nevertheless   New York City Blues   Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)   Now That I Need You   Oh Lady Be Good   Oh, Lady Be Good   Oh, Lady Be Good [Concept 1]   Oh, Lady Be Good [Concept 2]   Oh, Lady Be Good [Concept II]   Oh, Lady Be Good [DVD]   Oh, Lady Be Good [From Lady Be Good]   Oh, Lady Be Good!   Ol' Man River   On the Sunny Side of the Street   One O'Clock Jump   Only Forever   Our Love Is Here to Stay   Pennies from Heaven   Pennsylvania 6-5000   Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone   Please Send Me Someone to Love   Plymouth Rock   Polka Dots and Moonbeams   Poor Little Rich Girl   Quicksand [DVD]   Robbins Nest (Breakdown) [breakdown take][#]   Robbins Nest [complete take][#]   Robbins Nest [complete take][#]   Robbins Nest [complete take][#]   Rock-A-Bye Basie   Roll 'Em Pete   Satin Doll   Shake, Rattle & Roll   Shangri-La   Shiny Stockings   Silent Night   Smack Dab in the Middle   Smack Dab in the Middle [*]   Smack Dab in the Middle [CD Only]   Smack Dab in the Middle [Live]   Solitude   Some Other Spring   Some Other Spring [DVD]   Song Is You   Song of the Islands   Song of the Islands (Na Lei O Hawaii)   Spring Is Here   Squeeze Me   St. James Infirmary   St. Louis Blues   St. Louis Blues [DVD]   Stampede In G Minor   Stardust   Stormy Weather   Strangers in the Night   Street of Dreams   Strike up the Band   Sugar [Live]   Sugar Hill Blues [Instrumental]   Sweet Georgia Brown   Sweet Georgia Brown [DVD]   Sweet Lorraine   Sweet Sue, Just You   Swing, Brother, Swing [Live]   Switch in Time   Take The A Train   Take The A Train [The Count Departs] [Rehearsal & ...   Taking a Chance on Love   Taxi War Dance   Taxi War Dance (Alternate Take)   Tea for Two   Teach Me Tonight   Teach Me Tonight [*]   Teach Me Tonight [Stereo]   That Old Feeling   That Warm Feeling   The Best Is Yet to Come   The Fool on the Hill   The Gentleman Is a Dope   The Girl from Ipanema   The Good Life   The King   The Lady Is a Tramp   The Late, Late Show [Stereo]   The More I See You   The More I See You [Live]   The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)   The Second Time Around   The September of My Years   The Shadow of Your Smile   The Song Is You   The Whiffenpoof Song   The World Is Mad Pt. 2   Them There Eyes   There Are Such Things   There Will Never Be Another You   These Foolish Things   These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)   These Foolish Things [Alternate Take]   Thou Swell   Thunderball   Time on My Hands   Too Close for Comfort   Too Close for Comfort [take 1][#]   Too Marvelous for Words   Tuxedo Junction   Twelfth Street Rag   Volare   Wee Baby Blues   What’s Your Number   When I Fall in Love   Where or When   Whirly-Bird [*][Instrumental]   With Plenty of Money and You   Wives and Lovers   Yeah Man!   Yesterdays   You Go to My Head   You Make Me Feel So Young   You Turned the Tables on Me   Young at Heart

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