I think this expression is from Shakespeare's play MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
2006-08-10 16:43:01 · 9 answers · asked by Corky 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Theater & Acting
"Hey nonny nonny" is a common nonsense line in madrigals, from the English Renaissance. There is a song in Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" that uses it thus:
Then sigh not so
But let them go
And be you blithe and bonny
Converting all
Your songs of woe
To "Hey Nonny Nonny"
The idea here is to turn your sad sighs into a happy, silly song that doesn't mean anything.
"Ha cha cha" is a set of nonsense syllables that was used about 350 years later in American Jazz songs. There are a number of songs from that period that go further and put the two lines together for comic contrast. The "Hey Nonny Nonny" reminds listeners of boring old madrigals, and the "Ha cha cha" brings them smack into the latest slang of the time.
The first example I found of this expression is in a song from the musical "Of Thee I Sing", in 1931, by George and Ira Gershwin. The chorus sings "With a hey nonny nonny and a ha-cha-cha" when they are jubilantly celebrating the announcement that the President is going to have a baby.
I also remember hearing the line in the Marx Brothers movie "Duck Soup" from 1933, They make a mockery of big musical numbers when their country decides to go to war, and they bring in all kinds of silly cliches and lines from other songs of the time. This is one of the lines they steal.
The most popular film to use the line is probably "Singin' in the Rain", from 1952. There it appears in the song "Fit as a Fiddle", which is supposed to be a rowdy "old" number from the vaudeville days. Again, it is used as a silly expression of fun, and also to remind the audience of an earlier time (although the vaudeville show would have been even earlier than the 1931 appearance in "Of Thee I Sing".)
My conclusion is that the line doesn't really "mean" anything, but it is commonly used in fun songs to fill out a phrase with happy nonsense.
2006-08-10 20:06:25 · answer #1 · answered by greenman 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There is a Little Rascals episode where Spanky is quite young and getting ready to go play. He is singing "It's Saturday It's Saturday, Hey noni noni and a hot cha cha"" into the mirror. There may be other origins of the phrase, but I clearly remember that one.
2006-08-10 16:48:54 · answer #2 · answered by Mike R 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
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RE:
What does the expression "With a hey noni noni and a hotcha cha" mean?
I think this expression is from Shakespeare's play MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
2015-08-08 09:36:00 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm pretty darned sure that Shakespeare never used the phrase "Hotcha cha."
I have a mental image of Graucho Marx saying that line...
2006-08-11 03:09:04 · answer #4 · answered by shkspr 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ha Cha Cha
2016-09-29 10:17:37 · answer #5 · answered by kaad 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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The verse clearly suggests that the practice of cat dancing can have negative consequences especially for females, leading not only to lunacy in cows, but in the case of maids, to a complete loss of proper muscle control.
2016-04-01 08:55:45 · answer #6 · answered by Lynne 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There's no subliminal message behind "Hey diddle diddle" because people back then weren't even thinking up pervertive things like they do now.
2016-03-19 09:50:49 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's similar to, but not at all the same as Ibbity, bibbity, bop
2006-08-10 17:05:07 · answer #8 · answered by Mark 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
lol ive never heard that before, but i like it.
2006-08-10 16:47:42 · answer #9 · answered by crazyinlove5314 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋