Porter, Cole. (1891–1964)
Bingo Eli Yale
New York: Jerome H. Remick. 1910. First edition. Upright folio. 5 pp. Light staining along left third, pages disbound, edges creased or with small tears reinforced with tape. In unfortunate condition, but nevertheless a very rare example of one of the composer's earliest published songs."Porter enrolled at Yale in 1909 at 18...and became a campus hero as a sophomore with Bingo, Eli Yale. The Yale Daily News had sponsored a competition for a new football song (Down the Field referred to the great Tackle Jim Hogan, who had since graduated), and Porter's contribution was outstanding in its avoidance of verse that could become dated. The song also was decidedly easy to memorize:
Bingo! Bingo!
Bingo! Bingo! Bingo!
That's the lingo....
Introduced near the end of Yale's undistinguished 1910 football season, Bingo became an instant campus favorite when it was sung at baseball games the following spring. It was even published by Remick, the leading New York sheet-music company." (Robert Cantwell, "Sing a Song for Alma Mater," Sports Illustrated, 9/6/76) (6271)
Printed Music Song