Fifty years after his hit "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts," Merv Griffin is still haunted by the tune that made him a household word to generations.
"It's become a lifetime joke. I'm always asked to sing it. Tony Bennett gets to sing 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco' and I always get asked to do 'Coconuts.' I hate that thing," the 75-year-old singer said Tuesday.
Griffin's first album in about 25 years arrives in stores this week, but don't look for 21st century rappin' Griffin. "It's Like a Dream," released this week by Pat Boone's Gold Label, includes standards like "My Funny Valentine," "The More I See You" and "You Stepped Out of a Dream."
"What was I going to be — Merv 'Puffy' Griffin?" he laughed, noting the album producer is Steve Lindsey. "He produces me and Eminem."