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There weren't many songs about the father's view of burgeoning parenthood, but this one, written in mid 1921, proved a fairly sizeable hit. Four people were involved in writing it: Ira Schuster (who also co-wrote "In a Shanty in Old
Shanty Town" and "Keep Your Eye on the Girlie You Love"), Ed G. Nelson (co-author of "Peggy O'Niell" as well as "Oh You 'Babe' Ruth"), Harry Pease (co-wrote "Pretty Kitty Kelly" and
"I Don't Want to Get Well") and Johnny White (known only for
this song). Billy Jones and Ernest Hare weren't called "the Happiness Boys" yet when this record was made - this was one of their first, and their mutual joviality is evident from the start. They recorded three takes for Edison Labs on
September 14 of 1921, and this is take "B". The singers are a bit far from the horn on this take, and the surface noise of the record threatens to get the upper hand in the beginning, but after sampling with several needles the best one was
chosen and some noise reduction applied to it. The result is not perfect, but it is better than before. (Take "C" of this recording, on the cylinder version, can be heard on the
"Antique Phonograph Music Program" radio show for September 2, 2003.)
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