One needs to wonder why Nelson even knows the song. Sophie Tucker was known for her risqué ditties and was nicknamed "The Last of the Red Hot Mammas." Was Nelson a bad boy, listening to naughty music, fantasizing about Tucker, even (gasp) touching himself while looking at her photos and playing her records?
They say the French are naughty They say the French are bad They all declare that over there The French are going mad They have a reputation of being very gay I just got back from Paris and I just want to say
When they go parlez vi and parlez vous That for me and this for you 50 million Frenchmen can't be wrong When they go oo la-la la-la la-la on the boule- boulevard 50 million Frenchmen can't be wrong
They shake-a the hand, they shake-a the feet They roll the eyes and kiss ??? right on the street And even though the Irish and the Dutch say it don't amount to much 50 million Frenchmen can't be wrong
All of our fashions come from gay Paris, and if they come above the knee 50 million Frenchmen can't be wrong And if they give the world a new design to prove a lady has a spine 50 million Frenchmen can't be wrong
They shorten them here, they shorten them there And if her name is Teddy, they make Teddy bare If they prefer to make their women dressed With more or less of less and less 50 million Frenchmen can't be wrong
When they put on a show and it's a hit no one tries to censor it 50 million Frenchmen can't be wrong And when a book is selling at its best It isn't stopped, it's not suppressed 50 million Frenchmen can't be wrong
Whenever they're dry, for brandy or rye To get it, they don't have to give up their right eye And when we brag about our liberty and they laugh at you and you and me 50 million Frenchmen can't be wrong
En viva la France, they're full of romance You'll find policemen with embroidery on their pants And when they start to sing the Marseillaise They sing it forty different ways 50 million Frenchmen can't be wrong
Didn't hear his talk but he's probably trying to say that even back in the "olden days" the majority were saying that sinful behavior was alright and even "cool". Geesh! He's getting oldie moldy. Bet that went completely over the heads of the youth.
The gist of his comment was -- Shortly after World War I there was a popular song that promoted immoral behavior that said 50 million people can't be wrong. Well, they CAN be wrong!