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March 28, 2026

45 RPMs 104: Herman's Hermits – I'm Henry VIII, I Am

Herman's Hermits ~ I'm Henry VIII, I Am

45 RPM front cover

In 1965, the first of February to be exact, Herman's Hermits recorded my very favorite song by them, I'm Henry VIII, I Am. It is one of the wackiest songs ever written! It's a bouncy high energy tune that roars along like a train out of control and there's some really great guitar work by Derek Leckenby.

I saw the Hermits on the The Ed Sullivan Show in 1965 and thought the lead singer, Peter Noone, was the cutest thing EVER! He was an energetic 18 year old with skinny legs that rapidly bounced in and out to the beat of the tune.

The song was originally a British music hall song written by Fred Murray and R. P. Weston in 1910 and recorded by Harry Champion in 1911. It is so completely different from the Hermits cover that it is a totally different song with three verses. According to one source, Champion "used to fire off [the chorus] at tremendous speed with almost desperate gusto, his face bathed in sweat and his arms and legs flying in all directions." Noone kept that part of the act in. In later versions recorded by Champion, "Willie" is changed to "William" because the former is a British slang term for "penis".

I'm Henry VIII, I Am lyrics

I'm 'Enery the Eighth, I am,
'Enery the Eighth I am, I am!
I got married to the widow next door,
She's been married seven times before
And every one was an 'Enery
She wouldn't have a Willie nor a Sam
I'm her eighth old man named 'Enery
'Enery the Eighth, I am!

Herman's Hermits ~ The End of the World
45 RPM back cover

The "B" side of the record is The End of the World which was originally recorded by Skeeter Davis, who was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs.

Herman's Hermits ~ I'm Henry VIII, I Am

45 RPM side 1

Herman's Hermits ~ The End of the World
45 RPM side 2

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - I'm Henry VIII, I Am, written by Murray*, Weston* - 1:49

Side 2:

B - The End Of The World, I Am, written by Kent*, Dee* - 2:57

Companies, etc.

Published By – Miller Music
Published By – Summit Music
Manufactured By – Reverse Producers Corp.
Record Company – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
Pressed By – MGM Record Manufacturing Division

Credits:

Producer – Mickie Most

Notes:

Catalog number appears with a hyphen on the picture sleeve.
Catalog number appears without any spaces on disc labels.
Reverse Productions credit is abbreviated. on labels.

from Album E/SE 4295 "Herman's Hermits On Tour"
A Mickie Most Prod.

Mf'd by Reverse Prod. Corp.

MGM Records--a division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc.
Made in U.S.A.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Rights Society: ASCAP
Matrix / Runout (Label side A): 65-XY-453
Matrix / Runout (Label side B): 65-XY-454
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 1): K13367 65XY453-3
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 1): K13367 65XY454
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 2): K13367 65XY453-2 4 [block S]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 2): K13367 65XY454-3 [block S]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, variant 3): K13367 65XY453-2 [block S]
Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, variant 3): K13367 65XY454-3 [block S]

Herman's Hermits – I'm Henry VIII, I Am / The End Of The World MGM Records – K-13367, MGM Records – K13367
Format: Vinyl, 7", Single, 45 RPM, MGM Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1965
Genre: Pop
Style: Rock & Roll, Music Hall

Viewfinder links:

Harry Champion

Skeeter Davis

King Henry VIII

Derek Leckenby

Fred Murray

Peter Noone

Net links:

Fred Murray

R. P. Weston

YouTube links:

Joe Brown & The Bruvvers ~ I'm Henry the Eighth I Am

Harry Champion ~

I’m Henry VIII, I Am