“There are only two kinds of music—good music and bad music”
"There are only two kinds of music -- good (music) and bad (music)" is a saying associated with Duke Ellington (1899-1974) and Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) -- two composers who died in New…
“There is a frog driving east and a trombonist walking west. What can be surmised from this?”
A trombonist joke has been cited in print since at least 1992: "There is a frog driving east and a trombonist walking west. What can be surmised from this? The frog's probably on its way…
“There is many a good tune played on an old fiddle” (proverb)
"There is many a good tune played on an old fiddle" is a proverb meaning that something (or someone) old can still perform. It's not known who originated the saying, but it has been…
“There ought to be more dancing”
"There ought to be more dancing" is a saying that has been printed on many posters. "There ought to be more dancing" was cited on Twitter on February 17, 2009.…
“There was laughter back of the theater, leading to the belief that somebody was telling jokes”
The playwright and drama critic George S. Kaufman (1889-1961) has been credited with saying this about an unsuccessful comedic play: "There was laughter in the back of the theater, leading to…
“There’s no such thing as a bad audition” (performing arts adage)
"There is no such thing as a bad audition" is an adage popular with actors, musicians and other performing artists. If an audition doesn't go well, it's a learning experience.…
“There’s nothing wrong with show business that good shows won’t cure”
Newspapers.com 3 May 1932, Daily News (New York, NY), "Behind the News" by Sidney Skolsky, pg. 34, col. 1:There's nothing wrong with the movies that money can't cure.…
“They asked if I could sing solo—so low they can’t hear me”
"Solo" sounds like "so low." "Perhaps I may more properly say, my hearers, that each of these stars sing a solo—so low (as my respected friend John Gossin would say,)…
“They asked if I could sing tenor—ten or twelve miles away”
"Tenor" sounds like "ten or." A joke was told on the comedy television series The Muppet Show on September 17, 1977: Statler : Can you sing tenor?Waldorf : What?Statler : Can…
“They laughed when I said I was going to be a comedian. They’re not laughing now”
British comedian Bob Monkhouse (1928-2003) is remembered for a classic line: “They all laughed when I said I'd become a comedian. Well, they're not laughing now.” It's not known…
“They say Jesus was a Carpenter, but you never see his name on any of their albums”
Jesus was a carpenter, but he was not a member of the American vocal and instrumental duo The Carpenters. "RT @Satans_Thong: They say Jesus was a carpenter. I can't recall him singing on…
“They’re playing our song” (romantic drama dialogue)
They're Playing Our Song is the title of a musical (book by Neil Simon, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, and music by Marvin Hamlisch) that opened on Broadway on February 11, 1979. However,…
“This next song is about subtraction. Take it away, boys”
"My next song is about subtraction. Take it away..." was posted on Twitter by sickipediabot on January 10, 2011. The joke originated on the Sickipedia website. "This next song is…
“Those who graduate with a theater degree and can’t find work suffer post dramatic stress disorder”
"It's not multiple personality disorder, it's a theatre degree!" (also given as "I don't have a multiple personality disorder. It's a theater degree" and…
“Three chords and the truth” (“Country music is three chords and the truth”)
"Country music is three chords and the truth" (or "Country music ain't nothing but three chords and the truth") has been credited to country music songwriter Harlan Howard…
“Throw your hands in the air like you just don’t care”
"Put/Throw you hands in the air and wave them like you just don't care" isa common lric line in many songs. It's so common that there is a list: "100 Songs that contain the…
“To the musicians playing it, New York is ‘The Big Apple’” (New York Is book, 1959)
New York is (1959) is a book with text by Gilbert Millstein (1915-1999) and photos by Robert Frank (1924-2019). According to Biblio.com, the book was published by the New York Times as a…
“Toi, toi, toi” (good luck saying)
It's often considered, in the theater and elsewhere, to be bad luck to wish someone "good luck." Instead, some people say, "Toi, toi, toi," and spit three times.…
“Tom’s Diner” (Nov. 18, 1981; 1984, 1987)
Suzanne Vega included the song "Tom's Diner" in her 1987 album Solitude Standing. However, the a cappella folk song has been performed by Vega in public at least since 1984. The…
“Too caustic? To hell with the cost, we’ll make the picture anyway”
Polish-American movie producer Samuel Goldwyn (1879-1974) was known for his malapropisms, or "Goldwynisms." In August and September 1934, several stories emerged about Goldwyn in a…