[FANMIX] all this love nonsense

by inconsistentlypresent (Mossy_Bench)

Summary:

Songs that a certain pair of detectives may hear as they grow up and fall in love.

(A 2-part Daisy Wells/Hazel Wong fanmix for the series Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens)

Spoiler notice: DSS is quoted extensively in the liner notes

Notes:

The idea to make a Daisy/Hazel fanmix with music from the time period (1930s and 40s) has been in my head for a couple years now. Finally, it's here! (I might have gone a bit overboard—with all the materials I made, you could hypothetically create a complete physical CD.)

When listening for the first time, I'd recommend doing it on a) 8tracks, or b) AO3 so you can read the notes while listening to the embedded YouTube video (you can also listen on YouTube with captions on). Spotify and Soundcloud versions are provided for listening ease, but some of the tracks are different or missing, so you won't get the ~full experience~.

Update: this has been fully blocked on YouTube. :/ You can listen to the playlists on there still. I'd recommend downloading or streaming from GDrive at this point, though.

I've added little notes for all the lesbian and bisexual singers, just a couple lines from Wikipedia and stuff. I hope they're interesting.

One last note: despite the recordings' age, most of them sound pretty good! Still, the lyrics of some songs may be hard to make out. In addition, not all the lyrics have made it onto the internet yet. So here they are, for your convenience!

If you do give it a listen, I'd love to hear your thoughts <3

 

April 2022 Addendum: Part One is no longer available because YouTube is bad for fanmixes. You can still listen to the individual songs through the playlist. However, if you want to save this more securely, please download it here!!!

Chapter 1: side A

 

all this love nonsense: side A

STREAM PART 1 on GDRIVE: Here!

 

a 2-part Daisy Wells/Hazel Wong fanmix

Masterpost • Listen on 8tracks, YouTube • Listen on Spotify, Soundcloud (no liner notes) • Full Download (mp3s, covers, liner notes, lyrics)

April 2022 Addendum: Part One is no longer available because YouTube is bad for fanmixes. You can still listen to the individual songs through the playlist embedded above. However, if you want to save this more securely, please download or stream it!!!

part i: falling and longing for you

01. Did You Ever Get That Feeling in the Moonlight? – Anita O’Day (1945)

[Did you ever get that feeling in the moonlight / That wonderful feeling that you want to be kissed?
You're strolling through the park, the stars so bright above / You'd love to love somebody but there's nobody there to love!]

      “Oh, do hurry up, Hazel. I don’t like waiting!” (FCM)

02. Do I Know What I’m Doing? – Ethel Waters (1929)
Ethel Waters was very private about her sexuality. During the 1920s, she was involved in a romantic relationship with dancer Ethel Williams. The two were dubbed "The Two Ethels" and lived together in Harlem.

[Do I have to say how I got this way? / I was once considered smart but now I act so sappy]

      “I am not obsessed!” said Daisy... “I do not do that sort of thing. That is Hazelish behaviour.” (DitS)
      I sighed. Daisy, I saw, was coping with her feelings as well as she ever did. (DSS)

03. Three Little Words – Ella Fitzgerald (1941)

[Three little words / Oh, what I'd give for that wonderful phrase]

      I was desperate to talk to her, to ask her how she felt—but I knew perfectly well that you cannot ask Daisy Wells something like that. I had to wait for her to admit it to me. (DSS)

04. It’s Like Reaching for the Moon – Billie Holiday (1936)
Billie Holiday had relationships with both men and women, including a tumultuous relationship with actress Tallulah Bankhead.

[You're so far above me / How can I expect an angel to love me
It's like flying without wings / Playing fiddle without strings / And a million other things / No one can do]

      I looked at Daisy, chin up, neck straight, eyes a little veiled by her lashes, every inch a golden heroine, and for a moment felt quite desperately inadequate. But then—well, then I remembered what I have learned since I first arrived in England. There is no one way for a heroine to look or be. (DSS)
      “Sometimes, Watson, I’m not sure I deserve you,” said Daisy, hugging me fiercely. “And I will never say that again, so you will simply have to remember it.” I thought that I was not likely to forget it. (DitS)

05. I Can’t Resist You – Anne Lenner (1940)

[I can't resist you / Heaven knows that I should / And I would if I could / But I can't!
I can't resist you / When I'm looking at you / You can practically do / As you please!]

      Daisy glows, not too pink and not too pale, flawless as a girl in a painting. I try not to believe the Daisy Wells myth, since I know how much of it is simply nonsense, but I also know that it would not take much for me to end up as silly as the Marys. (MMU)

06. Don’t Blame Me – Annette Hanshaw (1933)

[Ever since the lucky night I found you / I've hung around you just like a fool
My poor heart is in an awful state now / But it's too late now to call a halt / So if I become a nuisance it's all your fault!
Don't blame me for falling in love with you / I'm under your spell but how can I help it]

      “But, Daisy...promise, whatever happens—you won’t blame me?” “Hazel,” said Daisy solemnly, “I would never blame you for anything. Unless, of course, it’s your fault.” (AfT)

07. Love Me or Leave Me – Ruth Etting (1929)

[I'd rather be lonely / Than happy with somebody else]

      “And you can’t stop me, Daisy, because I’m your bother, and you wouldn’t know what to do without me.” Daisy sighed again. “It’s true,” she said at last. “I would not want to be without you, no matter how many idiot boys you fall in love with.” (TCotDP)

08. Guilty – Margaret Whiting (1946)

[Is it a sin? Is it a crime? / Loving you dear like I do
If it's a crime then I'm guilty / Guilty of loving you]

      Guilt slides straight off Daisy like butter; I don’t imagine she’s ever felt it properly. (MMU)
      Something had just slotted into place in my head. Everything around me had gone very bright and clear. Some girls are not interested in boys. (JFP)

09. You Go to My Head – Bea Wain (1938)

[Still I say to myself, "Get a hold of yourself" / Can't you see that it never can be
Though I'm certain that this heart of mine / Hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance / You go to my head]

      “Honestly, Hazel, don’t be so nice.” She pushed herself up onto her elbows and screwed up her face in despair. (AFT)

---

part ii: she loves me back!

10. It Could Happen to You – Dorothy Lamour (1944)

[Hide your heart from sight, lock your dreams at night / It could happen to you
Keep an eye on spring, run when church bells ring / It could happen to you
All I did was wonder how your arms would be / And it happened to me]

      I slipped my arm through hers. Hazel is good to lean against–she may be short, but she is comfortingly solid. “Aren’t people soppy when they get old?” I said. “All this love nonsense. I’m sure I don’t understand it. Don’t fall in love, will you?” “Of course I won’t,” said Hazel. (CBaC)
      “I look forward to you falling in love,” said George. “I only hope I shall be there to see it.” “I never shall,” I said, and I meant it then. Love is a silly emotion. (TCotMT)

11. The Way You Look Tonight – Peggy Lee (1942)

[Someday, when I'm awfully low / When the world is cold / I will feel a glow just thinking of you / And the way you look tonight
Oh, but you're lovely, with your smile so warm / And your cheeks so soft
With each word your tenderness grows / Tearing my fear apart / And that laugh that wrinkles your nose / Touches my foolish heart]

      “Can’t you pretend, Watson? Just for a while?” Her voice had gone very fierce, and even in the dark I could make out the wrinkle at the top of her nose. (JFP)
      There was a soft pink colour in her cheeks. I do think it is unfair, the way she manages to do that. (FCM)

12. Awake in a Dream – Marlene Dietrich (1936)
Marlene Dietrich, who was bisexual, enjoyed the thriving gay bars and drag balls of 1920s Berlin. She had affairs and relationships with numerous actresses throughout her life

[Now I'll walk with wings on my feet / Now I'll feel that bitter is sweet
You're here and I'm here / With your heart and my heart awake in a dream / In a dream of romance and delight / Can it be that tonight is the night?]

      We leaned together, with the rain on our cheeks and the cold dark of the evening all around us, and I was happier than I had been all term. (JFP)

13. I’m Glad There Is You – Mildred Bailey (1945)

[In this world of ordinary people / Extraordinary people / I'm glad there is you]

      “You’re not the way I thought you’d be when I first met you.” “I’m sorry to have disappointed you,” I said. “Oh no,” said Hazel. “I like the real you much better.” I looked at her suspiciously, and thought how glad I am that Hazel is my best friend. She knows far too much about me to be anything but. (CBaC)

14. It Had to be You – Betty Hutton (1944)

[Why do I do just as you say? / Why must I just give you your way?
Some others I've seen might never be mean / Might never be cross or try to be boss, but they wouldn't do / For nobody else gave me a thrill / With all your faults, I love you still]

      These days I have made my peace with it. Daisy is Daisy, and she makes demands with the pure clarity of someone who does not consider anyone else. She knows what she wants, and she will get it, no matter the cost. And I rather admire her for that. (MaM)
      “I always know when it’s you. You’d always know it was me, wouldn’t you?” (DSS)

15. Exactly Like You – Elsie Carlisle (1930)
Considering how flawed both of their mothers are, these last lines strike me as bitterly ironic...

[A wonderful vision of us as a team / Can you imagine how I feel now / Love is real now
You seem to understand / Each foolish little scheme I'm scheming / And dream I'm dreaming
Now I know why mother told me to be true / She meant me for someone exactly like you]

      Now she was smiling at me, and I could feel myself smiling back. We lit up at each other, like an electrical circuit clicked into place. (JFP)
      “You will not have to marry a man you hate, do you see?” I suddenly remembered my mother saying, Hazel will not marry. I had thought that she meant that I was too awkward and bookish to be interesting, but it hadn’t been that at all. (ASoM)

Chapter 2: side B

all this love nonsense: side B

STREAM PART 2 on GDRIVE: Here!

Side B of a Daisy Wells/Hazel Wong fanmix

Masterpost • Listen on 8tracks, YouTube • Listen on Spotify, Soundcloud (no liner notes) • Full Download (mp3s, covers, liner notes, lyrics)

September 2025 Addendum: Part Two is also no longer available because YouTube is bad for fanmixes. You can still listen to the individual songs through the playlist embedded above. However, if you want to save this more securely, please download or stream it!!!

part iii: apart but not in our hearts (the war years)

16. We’ll Meet Again – Vera Lynn (1939)

[Let's say goodbye with a smile, dear / Just for a while, dear / We must part
Don't let this parting upset you / I'll not forget you sweetheart]

      Daisy looked at me levelly, her nose just a few inches from mine. “Hazel,” she said. “Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to, to protect things we love.” (TMfM)
      I put out my hand to squeeze Daisy’s shoulder. She turned to look at me. “Buck up, Watson,” she murmured. “Remember, you are terribly important, and you can deal with anything.” (DSS)

17. Deep in a Dream – Helen Forrest (1939)

[The walls of my room fade away in the blue / And I'm deep in a dream of you
You come to my arms, may this bliss never end / For we love anew just as we used to do / When I'm deep in a dream of you
My cigarette burns me, I wake with a start / My hand isn't hurt, but there's pain in my heart / Awake or asleep, every memory I'll keep / Deep in a dream of you]

      But all the same, I felt as though half of me was gone. It should not have still been shocking to me, but it was. Every day I woke up and felt surprised... Sometimes I had a lovely second on waking where I forgot, and then I caught the memory and it dragged me down deep, so heavy that it was hard to get out of bed. (DSS)

18. I’ll Walk Alone – Martha Tilton (1944)

[There are dreams I must gather / Dreams we fashioned the night you held me tight
I'll always be near you / Wherever you are each night
Til you're walking beside me / I'll walk alone]

      “They aren’t you”. “Oh,” I said, suddenly feeling quite warm despite my chilly wind blowing through my cardigan. (AfT)
     Daisy, of course, never does bother about people. To her, they are merely pieces moving about on a board where the only real players are she and I. (DSS)

19. There’s No You – Jo Stafford (1944)

[The park that we walked in / The garden we talked in / How lonesome they seem in the fall / The stormy clouds hover / And falling leaves cover / Our favorite nook in the wall
In spring we'll meet again / We'll kiss and recapture / The summertime rapture we knew / And from that day / Never more will I say there's no you]

      I am still struggling with that. I keep imagining her behind me, but when I turn round there is no one there at all. The room feels very empty, and that is still strange. (DSS)

20. Goodnight, Wherever You Are – Mary Martin (1944)
Mary Martin was rumored to have had relationships with Janet Gaynor and Jean Arthur. Her husband, Richard Halliday, was gay. Martin is considered a lesbian icon for her musical roles, such as the titular Peter Pan.

[Goodnight wherever you are / I'll be with you, dear, no matter how near or far]

      “This is dreadful, but we shall face it together, all right? Because it will be all right. I shall make it all right.” (ASoM)

21. We’ll Be Together Again – Pied Pipers (1945)

[Someday, someway / We both have a lifetime before us / For parting is not goodbye / We'll be together again]

“But, Hazel, I can promise you this: we shall always end up together, no matter what happens. We are simply at our best around each other, and it would be foolish to ignore that.” (TMfM)

22. You’d Be So Nice to Come Home to – Dinah Shore (1942)

[You'd be so nice to come home to / You'd be so nice by the fire
While that breeze on night sings a lullaby / You'd be all my heart could desire]

      The flame leaped up, and the room was warm and bright. The tinsel on the walls shone, and it did feel like Christmas Eve. Daisy came to lean against me. (MaM)
     I hated it. We were so far apart, and it hurt so much. (JFP)

---

part iv: happily ever after

23. Time On My Hands – Nan Wynn (1939)

[Time on my hands / You in my arms / Nothing but love in view]

“I’d still know your hands,” I said. “I’d know you anywhere.” “Ugh,” said Daisy, and I could tell that she was wrinkling up her nose at me in the dark. “You’re such a – Hazel.” But her voice was pleased. (DitS)

24. You’re A Sweetheart – Dolly Dawn (1938)

[You're a sweetheart, if there ever was one
Life without you was such an incomplete dream / You are every sweet dream come true
My search was such a blind one, I was all at sea / I never thought I'd find one quite so perfect for me]

     For a while I was almost repulsed, for what use is goodness? It’s all very well to pretend to be good, but I could tell that Hazel wasn’t pretending. (MMU bonus)
     “You’re Hazel. You’re the best person I know. Don’t I keep telling you so?” (MaM)

25. Yours – Marilyn Duke (1941)

[Yours in the gray of December / Here or on far distant shores / I've never loved anyone the way I love you / How could I when I was born to be just yours]

     Daisy seized my hand, and the moment we touched, all my fears disappeared. We went rushing out of the door and into the street, giddy and spinning, and there was no one and nothing else in the world. (MaM)

26. You Grow Sweeter As the Years Go By – Connee Boswell (1939)

[You grow sweeter as the years go by / You grow sweeter as the twilight fly / I need never dream of our first kiss / When I know our last one is as sweet as this]

     Sometimes I think that even though Daisy keeps on shooting upwards, and becoming blonder and lovelier than ever, she has stayed the same inside. (JFP)

27. Old Fashioned Love – Alberta Hunter (1925)

[Perhaps it's an old-fashioned view / I love my old books / Old corners and nooks / My old home and old friends / Old memories too / One love that is true
If all the dry land turns to sea / It would never make any change in me / I've got that old-fashioned love in my heart]

     “You’re my best friend and nothing you do can change that.” “Well, I should think if I murdered someone you might be quite upset with me,” said Daisy rather huskily. “You’re a–a chump!” I said, and I hurled myself at her. (DitS)
     The red velvet curtains might be rather frayed and old, and the chairs mismatched, but a log fire crackled in the grate, and the white walls were all but hidden by shelves and shelves of books. They went up almost to the ceiling, and the books looked worn with use and love. My heart swelled. (MaM)

28. Spring / 春 – Bai Guang / 白光 (1945)

[It drives away Earth's cruel winter
Spring brings us the raging flame of love / Burning, burning in one's heart and mind]

     “Will I be with you if I do?” I asked. “For ever and ever, Hazel Wong,” said Daisy. “I promised a long time ago never to let you down or die and, as you see, I keep my promises.” (DSS)