The song "Yes we have no bananas today." was based on a Greek fruit seller that became an unlikely but timeless hit after it was released for the first time in March 1923.
The tune was composed by Frank Silver and Irwin Cohn after their encounter with the Greek fruit seller who had the unique practice of beginning every sentence with a "yes" as Silver explained to Time Magazine.
"I am an American of Jewish ancestry with a wife and a young son, About a year ago my little orchestra was playing at a Long Island hotel. To and from the hotel I stopped at a fruit stand owned by a Greek who began every sentence with "yes." The jingle of his idiom haunted me. Finally, I wrote the verse and Cohn composed the tune," Silver recalled.
Upon its release, the song was an unlikely hit with its silly yet endearing verse and catchy lyrics.
"Yes, we have no bananas today" was sung by some of the famous stars of the day, including Billy Jones, Billy Murray, Arther Hall, and Irving Kaufman.
The opening verse which might seem silly today reads: "There's a fruit store at the end of the street that is owned by a Greek and keeps good things to eat. But you should hear him speak!"
He never answered no he just said "yes there are no bananas today. The refrain, which became iconic, reads "Yes, we have no bananas today but we have string beans and onions, cabbages and scallions and all sorts of fruit we have an old-fashioned "tomahto" and a Long Island "potahto" (like the English pronounce it but not the potato). Yes, we have no bananas today.
Many people, especially girls danced to the catchy tune.
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