The Greatest Ears In Town
(Bette Midler and Marc Shaiman)
I knew a Turkish gentlemen from far across the sea
He loved the blues
He loved the brass
He loved a melody
He left his home a catacomb
Not far from Istanbool
And landed in the state of jazz
That’s where he went to school
They dropped him off in Harlem
He quickly learned what swings
He’d boogie and he’d be bop
And he heard some crazy things
And in his dreams harmonics streamed
And trumpets hit high “c”
He grabbed a pen and said “amen”
The rest is history
CHORUS:
Mr. Mardin make your music
Cause your music makes my day
Mr. Mardin all those violins
They carry me away
Mr. Mardin hear those harmonies
Please run to write them down
You’re so darn hot, you’ve simply got
The greatest ears in town
A bass line in his briefcase
A martini in his hand
He whirled across the city
Like a windstorm in the sand
They flipped out when they heard his sounds
Hey, “Dig that crazy turk!”
Then Ahmet says (Take off that fez)
We’re putting you to work
He wove a magic carpet
From the strange sounds that he heard
From threads on soul and rock and roll
A wonderous thing occurred
That carpet made of music
Took off like a bird and soared
And with each note this giant wrote
The whole world climbed aboard
CHORUS
STUDIO TALKBACK SESSION
The greatest ears in town
Mr. Mardin
Mr. Mardin
Mr. Mardin take those violins
And carry me away
Mr. Mardin hear those harmonies
And run to write them down
‘Cause when you’re hot
You’ve simply got
The greatest ears
in town
Hey, Arif!