You Two Lyrics – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Song Overview

Personal Review

“You Two” is the quiet heart of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - a small domestic hymn wrapped in everyday language. The lyrics don’t reach for fireworks; they make a home out of promises. Sung by Caractacus Potts to his children, it’s a breakfast-table creed, modest and sturdy, the kind of tune that steadies a story before the inventions and villains start flying around. And yes, these lyrics read simple on the page, but on screen they glow like lamplight.

Song Meaning and Annotations

The message is uncomplicated: love makes the grind worth it. The Sherman Brothers write in plain speech, which lets the melody carry warmth without syrup. On film it lands early, establishing Caractacus as a loving but harried inventor-dad - the moral compass before we hit the candy factory and the flying car. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Style-wise, think soft music-hall ballad meets English lullaby: relaxed pulse, gentle rise-and-fall phrases, and Irwin Kostal’s orchestra keeping a hush so the vocal can sit conversationally close. That’s the Shermans’ trick - write something any parent could sing at the sink, then frame it with just enough string light to make it cinematic. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

“What makes the battle worth the fighting? What makes the mountain worth the climb?”

Questions as thesis. The song opens like a bedtime catechism and answers with proximity: having someone near. It’s problem-definition, then cure.

“Someone to do for - muddle through for”

That little rhyme holds the film’s ethic. Life is improvised and frequently messy; love is the reason to keep tinkering.

“Could be we three get along so famously”

Self-effacing cheer. The line scans like a shrug and a smile, which is exactly Van Dyke’s performance temperature on the soundtrack. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Context beyond the movie: the stage musical keeps “You Two” as the family’s bonding scene, setting up the car-purchase plot point before the bigger set-pieces arrive. In some productions, it’s even labeled as a moment where father and children “prepare to eat,” which is deliciously on-brand for a song that treats care as daily routine. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Creation history

Music and words by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman; soundtrack conducted and supervised by Irwin Kostal. First released on United Artists’ original soundtrack LP in December 1968. The song also appears on later cast recordings tied to the 2002 London Palladium stage revival. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Verse Highlights

Verse 1

Rhetorical questions stack like steps, each answered by closeness. The tune settles quickly into intimacy, more spoken-than-sung at spots, which keeps sentiment from curdling.

Refrain

“I have you two” is an anchor phrase - short, steady, repeatable. It’s essentially a parent’s mantra, and it works because the harmony never over-decorates the line.

Closing tag

The echoing “we two have you - and I have you two - too” ties the trio in a bow. The alliteration feels handmade, which is exactly the point for an inventor-dad.

Key Facts

• Featured: Dick Van Dyke (Caractacus Potts), Heather Ripley (Jemima), Adrian Hall (Jeremy); orchestra under Irwin Kostal. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
• Producer/Conductor: Irwin Kostal (music supervision and conducting on the soundtrack). :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
• Composer-lyricists: Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
• Release Date: December 1968 (original soundtrack LP). :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
• Genre: film show tune, soft music-hall ballad.
• Instruments: strings-led studio orchestra with light woodwinds, gentle rhythm section. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
• Label: United Artists Records. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
• Mood: tender, reassuring, quietly hopeful.
• Length: ~2:52 on common soundtrack pressings. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
• Track #: 2 on the original LP sequence. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}
• Language: English.
• Album: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack; also present on the 2002 Original London Cast Recording. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}
• Stage placement: used in Act I as the family-bonding scene before the car’s purchase is discussed. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}

Questions and Answers

Where does “You Two” appear in the story?

Early in the film and stage musical, at home with the Potts family; it frames their bond before the plot lifts off. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}

Who wrote it and who shaped the soundtrack sound?

Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman wrote the song; Irwin Kostal supervised and conducted the soundtrack sessions. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}

Is there an official release crediting the performers?

Yes - soundtrack listings credit Dick Van Dyke with Heather Ripley and Adrian Hall for “You Two,” with Kostal conducting. :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}

Does “You Two” show up on later cast albums?

It does - notably on the 2002 Original London Cast Recording tied to the Palladium revival. :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}

Was the song a chart single?

No, but the soundtrack album itself entered the UK Official Albums Chart and reached the Top 10 in February 1969. :contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19}

Awards and Chart Positions

While “You Two” itself wasn’t a single, its parent soundtrack made UK chart noise - peaking at No. 10 on the Official Albums Chart during the week of February 8, 1969. :contentReference[oaicite:20]{index=20}

Zooming out to the film’s awards footprint: the title song received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song, and the film garnered Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Score and Best Original Song. :contentReference[oaicite:21]{index=21}

How to Sing?

Keep it close and speech-led. Aim for clean onsets and unforced vibrato; think “story first, tone second.” Verses sit comfortably for a light baritone or mezzo; let the breath sit low so phrases like “someone to do for - muddle through for” stay legible. Place consonants late and together if you’re singing with kids or a small ensemble - this one thrives on shared cutoffs. If you’re staging it, sit or move minimally; the point is domestic gravity, not show-off volume.

Songs Exploring Themes of Family

“Dear Theodosia” - Hamilton. A parent’s pledge sung in whispers. The rhythm is heartbeat-steady, the melody barely leaves midrange, and the lyric builds a future out of small promises. Where “You Two” speaks as a single dad at his table, “Dear Theodosia” splits the spotlight between two fathers imagining the world their children will inherit. Different century, same vow.

“Not While I’m Around” - Sweeney Todd. Protection as lullaby. The harmony darkens and the subtext is complicated, but the promise - “nothing’s gonna harm you” - mirrors the quiet guardianship of “You Two.” One is kitchen-warm; the other keeps glancing at the door. Both rely on simple language to say the biggest thing.

“You’ll Be in My Heart” - Tarzan. Here the orchestration swells, but the core is identical: reassurance. Phil Collins writes like a pop Shermans heir - friendly vowels, steady pulse, and a hook that speaks more than it performs. Stack it next to “You Two” and you get a family-theme triptych: promise, protection, permanence.