"Say shant do's a" "Saint-Saëns soo say," or "Sensation in San Jose"?

Dreamtime pal Jennifer stopped by at what's becoming the one-stop shop of Theme Time Radio Hour interpretation to ask...

"...how does Bob Dylan introduce the Rolling Stones song Play with Fire [ in the "Heat" episode] -- is he saying something in French?"

In his intro to the song, Mr. D. says, "At least once during the show, I like to play a musical version of a [unintelligible], and here's this week's opportunity. It's by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards..."

The unintelligible phrase sounded as if were two or three words, and I agreed with Jennifer, it sounded as if it might be French. But, even after repeated listening, I couldn't make it out. I suspected the first word was "chanson," but my French doesn't extend much past the pen of my aunt.

I finally turned the question over to the international community at the Expecting Rain Theme Time Radio Hour forums, and quickly got the answer from two regular participants: clarx and Picasso. Our Host is saying...

"At least once during the show, I like to play a musical version of a [chanson osée], and here's this week's opportunity..."

Translated literally the phrase means "daring song," and colloquially refers to a song with risqué or suggestive lyrics. Dinah Washington's hommage to the trombone - Big Long Slidin' Thing - played in the Musical Instruments show would be a perfect example.

The Dreamtime blog and podcast, your home for translations, exculpations, and determinations.

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