May 1954 - 'O piano maluco' - Der schräge Otto (Um Pau d'Agua)

1st May 1954 - Revista do Radio 242

1. O piano maluco (Alexander's ragtime medley) - Um Pau d'Agua (der schräge Otto) Polydor
2. Oh! - Ken Griffin (Columbia)
3. Blue gardenia - Nat King Cole (Capitol)
4. Vaya con Dios - Trio Los Panchos (Columbia)
5. Vida de bailarina - Angela Maria (Copacabana)

25 April to 1st of May 1954 - Ibope for 'Correio da Manhã'

1. Oh! - Ken Griffin (Columbia)
2. O piano maluco (Alexander's ragtime medley) - Um Pau d'Agua (der schräge Otto) Polydor
3. 1x1 - Jackson do Pandeiro (Copacabana)
4. Vaya con Diós - Trio Los Panchos (Columbia)
5. Blue gardenia - Nat King Cole (Capitol)

6. A mulher do Anibal - Jackson do Pandeiro (Copacabana)
7. Forró em Limoeiro - Jackson do Pandeiro (Copacabana)
8. Encantamento - Angela Maria (Copacabana)
9. Foi um sonho - Carlos Galhardo (RCA)
10. Rio antigo - Altamiro Carrilho (Copacabana)

8 May 1954 - RR 243

1. Oh! - Ken Griffin (Columbia)
2. O piano maluco (Alexander's ragtime medley) - Um Pau d'Agua (der schräge Otto) Polydor
3. Vaya con Dios - Trio Los Panchos (Columbia)
4. Blue gardenia - Nat King Cole (Capitol)
5. Vida de bailarina - Angela Maria (Copacabana)

3 to 8 May 1954 - Ibope for 'Correio da Manhã'

1. Mãezinha querida - Carlos Galhardo (RCA)
2. Oh! - Ken Griffin (Columbia)
3. O piano maluco (Alexander's ragtime medley) - Um Pau d'Agua (der schräge Otto) Polydor
4. 1x1 - Jackson do Pandeiro (Copacabana)
5. Madrecita - João Dias (Odeon)

6. Doce mãezinha (My Yiddishe Mama) - Nora Ney (Continental)
7. Vaya con Diós - Trio Los Panchos (Columbia)
8. Blue gardenia - Nat King Cole (Capitol)
9. Canção p'ra ninar mamãe - Neuza Maria (Sinter)
10. Sob o céu de Paris (Sous le ciel de Paris) - Ivon Cury (RCA)

15 May 1954 - RR 244

1. O piano maluco (Alexander's ragtime band) - Um Pau d'Agua (der schräge Otto) Polydor
2. Vaya con Diós - Trio Los Panchos (Columbia)
3. Oh! - Ken Griffin (Columbia)
4. Blue gardenia - Nat King Cole (Capitol)
5. 1x1 - Jackson do Pandeiro (Copacabana)

22 May 1954 - RR 245

1. Oh! - Ken Griffin (Columbia)
2. Vaya con Diós - Trio Los Panchos (Columbia)
3. O piano maluco (Alexander's ragtime medley) - Um Pau d'Agua (der schräge Otto) Polydor

4. Blue gardenia - Nat King Cole (Capitol)
5. 1x1 - Jackson do Pandeiro (Copacabana)

29 May 1954 - RR 246

1. O piano maluco (Alexander's ragtime band) - Um Pau d'Agua (der schräge Otto) Polydor
2. Oh! - Ken Griffin (Columbia)

3. 1x1 - Jackson do Pandeiro (Copacabana)

4. Blue gardenia - Nat King Cole (Capitol)

5. Mãezinha querida - Carlos Galhardo (RCA)

May 1954 best selling singles according to columnist Daniel Taylor for 'Carioca'

1. Oh! - Ken Griffin (Columbia)
2. Mulher do Anibal - Jackson do Pandeiro (Copacabana)
3. O menino de Braçanã - Ivon Cury  (RCA)
4. Blue gardenia - Cauby Peixoto (Columbia)
5. My flaming heart - Nat King Cole (Capitol)

6. Foi um sonho - Angela Maria (Copacabana)
7. By the light of the silvery moon - Doris Day (Columbia)
8. No other love - Ken Griffin (Columbia)
9. Pretend - Nat King Cole (Capitol)
10. Forró em Limoeiro - Jackson do Pandeiro (Copacabana)

German pianist Fritz Schulz-Reichel aka 'Der schräge Otto' was known as 'Um Pau d'Agua' in Brazil.

by the firstof May all record companies had already released their catalogue of Mother Day's recordings. The market was flooded with songs exalting the purity & sanctity of women who had given birth, with words dripping honey & molasses. Diminutives like 'madrecita', 'mãezinha' were de rigueur. 'Sweet' was the most abused adjective by far.

Continental Discos didn't sleep on the job: it released a song for Mother's Day (My Yiddish Mama) and 'Oh, mein Papa' on the flip-side just in case the kid needed a gift for his dad. 

'O piano maluco' with Der schräge Otto played a lot on the radio and became the #1 hit in the land. The A-side was a medley with American tunes: 'Alexander's ragtime band', 'Music, music, music', 'Twelfth Street rag', 'Bugle call rag' and 'Harry Line theme'; the B-side was called 'ritmos alemães' with: 'In der alten Hafenbar', 'In der Nacht ist der Mensch nichts gern alleine', 'Das machen nur die Beine von Dolores', 'Was macht der alte Seemann' & 'Spiel' mit eine alte Melodie'.