Daisy Bell or Daisy Daisy

The popular song "Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)", often simply called "Daisy Daisy", was written and composed by English songwriter Harry Dacre in 1892. The inspiration reportedly came after Dacre visited the United States; upon being charged import duty for his bicycle, a friend quipped it was fortunate he hadn't brought a "bicycle built for two" and incurred double the cost. This remark, possibly combined with a courtship Dacre was pursuing at the time, sparked the idea for the song.

The lyrics take the form of a courtship proposal from a suitor (Michael) to his sweetheart (Daisy). He admits he cannot afford traditional luxuries ("It won't be a stylish marriage, / I can't afford a carriage"), suggesting instead they share a ride on the then-modern tandem bicycle. The famous chorus encapsulates this blend of romance and practicality: "Daisy, Daisy, / Give me your answer do! / I'm half crazy / All for the love of you! [...] But you'll look sweet / Upon the seat / Of a bicycle built for two!".

"Daisy Bell" quickly became a major hit in British music halls, notably performed by singers like Katie Lawrence, and achieved widespread international popularity through enormous sheet music sales in the late 1890s. It became a standard parlour song, perfectly capturing the spirit of the "bicycle craze" that swept Britain and America during that decade, symbolizing simple romance combined with modern fashion.

Beyond its initial Victorian fame, "Daisy Bell" gained significant cultural resonance in the 20th century due to its association with computing history. In 1961, an IBM 704 computer at Bell Labs was programmed to sing the song, marking a landmark demonstration of computer speech synthesis. This event directly inspired its poignant and iconic use in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, where the HAL 9000 computer sings "Daisy Bell" as its cognitive functions are shut down, forever linking the tune to themes of artificial intelligence and the human-technology relationship.