Tiny Tim, Tip Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 51st edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024), we highlight “Tip Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me” performed by Tiny Tim.

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy 💯! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  It is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, that ONE hit earned them recognition. So, in the 51^st edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2024), we dive into “Tip Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me”,  the one-hit wonder by Tiny Tim.

“Tiptoe through the window / By the window, that is where I’ll be / Come tiptoe through the tulips with me.” Sometimes, a novelty song can translate into a hit.  That was the case for Herbert Khaury, best known as  Tiny Tim (1932 – 1996). Khaury transformed a 1929 song, “Tip Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me”, into a novel hit. Al Dubin and Joe Burke composed the gem first recorded by Nick Lucas.  Tim’s version peaked at no. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, his sole hit on the pop charts.

“Knee-deep in flowers, we’ll stray

We’ll keep the showers away.”

“Tip Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me” is a brief record that clocks in under two minutes. In the hands of Tiny Tim, it has a haunting quality.  It wouldn’t be far-fetched to describe the second track from the 1968 album, God Bless Tiny Tom, as odd.  Notably, Khaury accompanies himself on the ukulele. Beyond the ukulele, the musical accompaniment includes a rhythm section and strings. His voice is distinct… that is an understatement. His pipes are quite an acquired taste, with an incredibly ripe falsetto.  Beyond tiptoeing in the verses, and being “knee-deep in flowers” in the pre-chorus, the chorus is memorable:

“And if I kiss you in the garden, in the moonlight

Will you pardon me

And tiptoe through the tulips with me?”

What more is there to be said? “Tip Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me” is… something.

Tiny Tim // God Bless Tiny Tom // Warner // 1968

Tiny Tim, Tip Toe Thru’ the Tulips with Me: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 51 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Warner; Antoni Shkraba, KoolShooters, Pavel Danilyuk, Photo By: Kaboompics.com, RDNE Stock project from Pexels; OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay]