Program Note

“Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise” is a satirical novelty song by the American composer William Bolcom. It is written for voice and piano, and Bolcom frequently performs it with his mezzo-soprano wife, Joan Morris, accompanying her on the piano. Composed in 1980, it is based on his experiences, in his youth, of playing the piano for women’s clubs, and being fed absurd and unappetizing cuisine, including foods resembling Jello salad.

An accomplished classical composer and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, Bolcom has written a number of cabaret songs which he has recorded with Morris on a series of 25 albums. “Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise” is particularly noted as an example of his trenchant sense of humor.

Bolcom has stated that “Lime Jello Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise” was originally written as a novelty piece to be performed in encores. The song featured at the end of concerts all over the US and Europe, always to an enthusiastic audience response. In response to public demand, Bolcom and Morris eventually recorded the song as part of an album of cabaret songs in 1986.

Source: Wikipedia