June 16, 2026

David Rose ~ The Stripper

 ~     
      

 
Today is the birthday of British-American songwriter, composer, arranger, pianist, and orchestra leader David Rose. His best known composition was The Stripper, the song that every stripper in the world used at least once in their career, that included me (link below).    
 
Rose was born in London, England, to Jewish parents, and raised in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The family name was originally Rosenberg. Rose's career in music began when he worked with the Ted Fio Rito band when he was 16. Rose also worked as a standby pianist for NBC Radio. There in the early 1930s, he first gained a reputation, while arranging for the Frank Trumbauer orchestra, and later leading a house band at station WGN.     
 
In 1955, Rose was commissioned by MGM Studios to compose the score for their forthcoming science-fiction project Forbidden Planet. The music was completed and recorded, and based on the surviving track, it combined conventional instrumentation with some electronic elements. Rose was discharged from the project at the end of 1955 after the producers heard the electronic music of Louis and Bebe Barron and hired them to provide the final all-electronic soundtrack. A 7" single of Rose's unused theme from the film, backed by the Bronislaw Kaper theme for the MGM film The Swan (1956), was released during 1956 on MGM Records on which it was credited as being "inspired" by the film. Reportedly, Rose later destroyed all the original session recordings of his Forbidden Planet music.  
 
His first big hit was Holiday for Strings written in 1942, in 1957, his rendition of Calypso Melody by Larry Clinton became Rose's second million-selling record and was awarded a gold disc
 
His Holiday for Strings was covered as parodies; In 1945, Spike Jones and his City Slickers recorded a version for RCA Victor with various sound effects laughter and a clucking chicken.  In 1964, Allan Sherman did a version entitled Holiday for States mentioning all the 50 states in the union. (SOURCE: The Allan Sherman album Allan in Wonderland.    

He also wrote music for many television series, including It's a Great Life, The Tony Martin Show, Little House on the Prairie, Highway to Heaven, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, and Highway Patrol, some under the pseudonym Ray Llewellyn.              
      
      
     
     
     
Viewfinder links:       
         
Forbidden Planet.       
Spike Jones       
Bronislaw Kaper        
        
        
David Rose         
Allan Sherman         
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
     
Net links:       
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
     
YouTube links:       
         
Bonanza           
Forbidden Planet         
Leave It to Beaver        
Spike Jones and his City Slickers ~ Holiday for Strings         
David Rose & His Orch ~  
          Calypso Melody      
          Forbidden Planet         
          The Stripper         
Allan Sherman ~ Holiday for States        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Sunday, May 16, 2021