Anna May’s These Foolish Things

Talking of Anna May in a couple of posts recently (on the actor Ley On and on her  French-English movie Hai-Tang) and listening to some favourite songs on New Year’s Eve I was reminded that Eric Maschwitz, the song writer, around 1936 wrote These Foolish Things for Anna May Wong (lyrics below). What I’d forgotten, much as I love that song, is that Maschwitz wrote the song after having worked in America, had had a rather romantic and deep felt affair with Anna May Wong and then, after it broke up, returned to England to be Head of Variety at the BBC. He missed Anna May terribly (as you would) and it inspired him, in a melancholy moment, to write These Foolish Things.

The song was recently re-recorded and has become well known again thanks to Rod Stewart and I note this version is online with a collage of Anna May images – so as it’s the end of the holidays and its back to wage slavery soon – relax with a little Rod and Anna May Wong…

A cigarette that bears a lipstick’s traces
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you

A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumblin’ words that told you what my heart meant
A fairground’s painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you

You came, you saw, you conquered me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be

The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who’s to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings
These foolish things remind me of you

The scent of smouldering leaves the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Oh how the ghost of you clings
These foolish things
Remind me of you

How strange, how sweet, to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you so near to me

The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh how the ghost of you clings
These foolish things
Remind me of you
Remind me of you
Remind me of you