The Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay Interview
A rare glimpse into the life of the sensational English stage star Lottie Collins, who candidly discusses the exhausting reality of performing the world's most popular song.
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Lottie Collins, the original performer of the global phenomenon 'Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay,' was interviewed in her dressing room at a Seattle theater. Despite her vibrant stage persona, she admitted to being utterly exhausted by the song, which she had been singing up to four times a night for two years. Collins expressed a preference for American audiences, noting their honesty: 'If they think a thing is funny, they laugh. Not so in England.' The star, who had been on stage since she was seven years old, described the grueling nature of her profession, where even a bout of illness could not deter her from performance. She performed her turn that evening, fulfilling her lifelong commitment to the stage.
“When you remember that I have sung the song for two years, you will understand my feelings.”
Long before viral social media hits, 'Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay' was the ultimate earworm. Collins' exhaustion with the repetitive nature of fame offers a timeless perspective on the life of a working performer in the late 19th-century vaudeville circuit.
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