I make a point of being as non-political as possible and prefer to avoid controversial topics that I believe are irrelevant to the mission of this blog, but as most of my readers know, I am very music-oriented, so, at the risk of touching on the current storm of "vote this, vote that!" I am going to mention one issue that seems to be ignored (or at least down-played).
In 1960, I remember when John F. Kennedy was running for office. Frank Sinatra recorded 2 campaign songs for the candidate: "All the Way" and, my favorite, "High Hopes." I bought the 45-rpm (that's a small, vinyl record, to my under 30 readers) of the recording and played it almost to oblivion. ("Everyone wants to back Jack . . . Jack is on the right track . . . Cause he has High Hopes . . ." well, you get the idea). You can hear this here.
Campaign songs are hardly new. In fact, they provided a way to promote one's favorite candidate and/or discredit the opposition (something that is also not a new innovation . . . just more obvious in today's world of immediate communication). Check out some of the the sheet music for candidates of the past - remembered and long forgotten: Presidential Campaign Songs. Want more? Check some of the more recent selections from Gizmodo.
So far, I've heard that one music group asked Mitt Romney to discontinue using their song in his campaign promotion. Obama has not settled on a single piece but seems to have a repertoire of songs.
I think this could be a good gig for a song-writer: creating original pieces (with very catchy tunes, of course) for the preferred candidate. Why rework something that's already there (as seems to have been the common practice)? Unique is the word for this election; it should also be the word for the music. Or, if choosing a tune already in the nation's heads, select something that is in the public domain so as not to offend a composer or, big no-no, plagiarize or use something without proper permission (with use fees paid). There's lots to consider: "The Old Gray Mare," for instance (hmm, maybe not); or "Camptown Races" (I can hear it now: "Political Races, sing this song . . ." but I hesitate to suggest a substitute for "Doo-dah"). OK, how about "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain" (substitute "He" for "She" and "White House" for "Mountain"). Let's see, maybe "Skip to My Lou" ("Choose your candidate, skip to the poles" . . . maybe not).
Well, obviously this is not the gig for me, but someone should get these candidates some songs of their own or we will be forced to rely on Social Media for all the campaign propaganda. One with the catchiest song wins? And I think the rule should be only promotion of said candidate; no bad-mouthing the opposition (neither of Kennedy's songs said anything more harmful than that he could beat his opponent; no specific negative statements about the other party's choice).
That's as political as I get and I ask, if you decide to leave a comment, please leave off the political rhetoric (comments bad-mouthing or overly promoting either side will be deleted). Go to Facebook for that (though I have been unfriending those who have gone overboard in that area . . . Counting down to November when we can go back to saying positive things to each other in that arena).
Join in on the chorus, everybody sing along: "La-la-la-la-vote-la-la!"
Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Friday, May 7, 2010
Songs and Stories Keep the Past Alive: A Reflection on Kids' Camp at NGS
Last week (was it really that long ago?) I had the choice opportunity to work with some great folks to present the concept of family history research to a group of young folks (ages 8 through 16) at the NGS conference in Salt Lake City. It was an interesting experience because the "audience" included people of all ages (many adults joined their children/grandchildren) and they seemed to appreciate the "kids' songs" even more than the youth.
I started the program with the song "Old Dan Tucker," which is one I remember fondly from my own childhood (I've discussed this, and some others, on the earlier blog about my new "Songs of Early Childhood" CD). I informed the kids that their ancestors did not have CD or MP3 players, so they made their own music and this was one example. Personally, I fell in love with the song when I was a kid and would visit my grandfather. He had an extensive collection of 78 rpm records (which I have inherited).
I also performed "Tom Dooley," but didn't go into great detail about the back story on that (it's a bit racy). But I did mention something I have remembered since that song first hit the airwaves in 1958: my elementary school music teacher, Miss Shaddock (spelling may be wrong here), taught music to one of the members of the Kingston Trio (no, I don't remember which one, I'm afraid). When she told the class about that, I was quite impressed, even though I was very young - I really enjoyed their music from my earliest memory.
I told the back story of "Pretty Little Horses" (see earlier blog) and we discussed lullabies. I was pleased to see so many hands go up when I asked who had been sung to sleep by family members. I also sang "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" (which some people consider a lullaby) and "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain." In this latter one, I got the group doing the motions that accompany the words (they knew them better than I) and pointed out that the motions and some of the verses were a modern addition. This actually makes the song more of a "Play Party" piece - the songs that were created to circumvent dancing prohibition of an early American society.
In between songs, we did a little storytelling. I told a couple, then the audience members got involved. It was great: they told stories of injuries (of their own and others in the family or circle of friends - good thing no names were given as some of the narratives could have been considered embarrassing . . . you know how kids can get!), messes, disobeying rules, and scary situations. Some of the adults got into the storytelling, too, which made it even more enjoyable for me (I love stories and could hear and understand the adults' stories a little better than those the kids told). Then I informed them that they might want to share these stories in the years to come, so they should write them in their journals . . . time will dull the memory of something that seems so vivid today. But I also reminded them that, for our ancestors, stories and songs were often used to communicate a message or warning about things they should not do; many of their stories could serve that same purpose in the future with their children.
I don't know if the program had the desired effect, but I hope that my songs and stories gave those present a reminder that family history is not just names, dates, and places: it's experiences, interests, activities, occupations, and relationships. Through the songs and stories of earlier generations, we can connect with our ancestors. So take a break: tell a family story this weekend and make sure there's a record of it. Let's not lose these pieces of our lives to history!
I started the program with the song "Old Dan Tucker," which is one I remember fondly from my own childhood (I've discussed this, and some others, on the earlier blog about my new "Songs of Early Childhood" CD). I informed the kids that their ancestors did not have CD or MP3 players, so they made their own music and this was one example. Personally, I fell in love with the song when I was a kid and would visit my grandfather. He had an extensive collection of 78 rpm records (which I have inherited).
I also performed "Tom Dooley," but didn't go into great detail about the back story on that (it's a bit racy). But I did mention something I have remembered since that song first hit the airwaves in 1958: my elementary school music teacher, Miss Shaddock (spelling may be wrong here), taught music to one of the members of the Kingston Trio (no, I don't remember which one, I'm afraid). When she told the class about that, I was quite impressed, even though I was very young - I really enjoyed their music from my earliest memory.
I told the back story of "Pretty Little Horses" (see earlier blog) and we discussed lullabies. I was pleased to see so many hands go up when I asked who had been sung to sleep by family members. I also sang "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" (which some people consider a lullaby) and "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain." In this latter one, I got the group doing the motions that accompany the words (they knew them better than I) and pointed out that the motions and some of the verses were a modern addition. This actually makes the song more of a "Play Party" piece - the songs that were created to circumvent dancing prohibition of an early American society.
In between songs, we did a little storytelling. I told a couple, then the audience members got involved. It was great: they told stories of injuries (of their own and others in the family or circle of friends - good thing no names were given as some of the narratives could have been considered embarrassing . . . you know how kids can get!), messes, disobeying rules, and scary situations. Some of the adults got into the storytelling, too, which made it even more enjoyable for me (I love stories and could hear and understand the adults' stories a little better than those the kids told). Then I informed them that they might want to share these stories in the years to come, so they should write them in their journals . . . time will dull the memory of something that seems so vivid today. But I also reminded them that, for our ancestors, stories and songs were often used to communicate a message or warning about things they should not do; many of their stories could serve that same purpose in the future with their children.
I don't know if the program had the desired effect, but I hope that my songs and stories gave those present a reminder that family history is not just names, dates, and places: it's experiences, interests, activities, occupations, and relationships. Through the songs and stories of earlier generations, we can connect with our ancestors. So take a break: tell a family story this weekend and make sure there's a record of it. Let's not lose these pieces of our lives to history!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Songs and Their Back-Stories
I have entered into an agreement to begin a new music series on songs and ancestors: "Songs of Yesterday." This will be printed in the on-line e-publication, GenWeekly. The first 2 (one in Nov., one in Dec.) will address a couple of Christmas songs and their history. I just finished writing the one for Nov. on "Good King Wenceslaus" and I will get the one for Dec., on "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," "in the can" sometime in the next couple of weeks. These will be followed, in 2010, by discussions of other songs and, as I understand it, accompanied by MP3 recordings from my CDs. I am very excited about this as it is a project that I have dabbled in for most of my life (seriously, dating back to my earliest experiences with music when I was a pre-teen; I would go to the library to research the histories of songs while flunking my history classes in school . . . go figure). Now I get to do this for an audience! And it's also exciting to find that others are interested in the "back stories" behind some of these songs.
Speaking of "back stories," I had a fun experience this past week doing a podcast with Susan E. King where we discussed the use of songs to connect to each other, both as individuals and as cultures. This is certainly an aspect of the backgrounds behind the songs that we often sing without realizing what emotions and experiences went into the creations. When I wrote the song about my father being a ham radio operator for an archaelogical research project in 1928, but where he was really the communications expert for a bootlegging operation, I knew the little "sidebars" my father had told me, but they couldn't be included in the song, both for lack of time/space in the song and because of the many details involved. When I sing the song live, I can include, in my introduction, the interesting "additions" to the story the song tells, but when people hear just the song, they miss a great deal.
The songs of bygone eras are not any different. We get a few short verses that tell about an event, but all the details leading up to that event are usually left out. Or we hear about an emotional reaction to a particular experience, but "the rest of the story" is usually omitted. What happened before the song was written to inspire the author? What happened after the events of the song occurred? Did they live happily ever after? Were people punished for wrong-doings mentioned in the song? These are the things I look forward to discussing in this series of articles for GenWeekly and I hope that some of my blog readers will consider subscribing (for that and the many other valuable genealogical articles that are produced weekly).
Now that I have advertised for this genealogy resource, let me address one of the songs that I have pondered about, especially this week after viewing a History Channel special on the Search for Jesse James (both his treasure and his alleged identity). There are those who believe that Jesse James was not killed by Robert Ford after all. I'm not going to debate this (though I will admit that the evidence is quite compelling), but I find that my musician self has a big problem: I love the song "Jesse James," in which the chorus states "Jesse had a wife to mourn for his life, three children they were brave, but that dirty little coward, who shot down Mr. Howard, has went and laid poor Jesse in his grave." An alternate chorus (the one I prefer) says, "Oh, I wonder where my poor old Jesse's gone, I wonder where my poor old Jesse's gone; I will meet him in that land where I've never been before, and I wonder where my poor old Jesse's gone." Both of these do not allow for the possibility that Bob Ford "missed" or that the death was staged. Do we need a new song now? Or was the song part of the conspiracy to convince the world that Jesse had been killed? So many questions. Maybe it's time for a new verse . . . any takers? Oh, OK, I'll add that to my "to do" list!
Speaking of "back stories," I had a fun experience this past week doing a podcast with Susan E. King where we discussed the use of songs to connect to each other, both as individuals and as cultures. This is certainly an aspect of the backgrounds behind the songs that we often sing without realizing what emotions and experiences went into the creations. When I wrote the song about my father being a ham radio operator for an archaelogical research project in 1928, but where he was really the communications expert for a bootlegging operation, I knew the little "sidebars" my father had told me, but they couldn't be included in the song, both for lack of time/space in the song and because of the many details involved. When I sing the song live, I can include, in my introduction, the interesting "additions" to the story the song tells, but when people hear just the song, they miss a great deal.
The songs of bygone eras are not any different. We get a few short verses that tell about an event, but all the details leading up to that event are usually left out. Or we hear about an emotional reaction to a particular experience, but "the rest of the story" is usually omitted. What happened before the song was written to inspire the author? What happened after the events of the song occurred? Did they live happily ever after? Were people punished for wrong-doings mentioned in the song? These are the things I look forward to discussing in this series of articles for GenWeekly and I hope that some of my blog readers will consider subscribing (for that and the many other valuable genealogical articles that are produced weekly).
Now that I have advertised for this genealogy resource, let me address one of the songs that I have pondered about, especially this week after viewing a History Channel special on the Search for Jesse James (both his treasure and his alleged identity). There are those who believe that Jesse James was not killed by Robert Ford after all. I'm not going to debate this (though I will admit that the evidence is quite compelling), but I find that my musician self has a big problem: I love the song "Jesse James," in which the chorus states "Jesse had a wife to mourn for his life, three children they were brave, but that dirty little coward, who shot down Mr. Howard, has went and laid poor Jesse in his grave." An alternate chorus (the one I prefer) says, "Oh, I wonder where my poor old Jesse's gone, I wonder where my poor old Jesse's gone; I will meet him in that land where I've never been before, and I wonder where my poor old Jesse's gone." Both of these do not allow for the possibility that Bob Ford "missed" or that the death was staged. Do we need a new song now? Or was the song part of the conspiracy to convince the world that Jesse had been killed? So many questions. Maybe it's time for a new verse . . . any takers? Oh, OK, I'll add that to my "to do" list!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
A purpose! I finally found the purpose!
I'm not a blogger ... I'm a blagger ... that's a quasi-blogger who is lagging behind. Way behind. But I have figured out why, and that is a real accomplishment: I just don't know what it is I should be blogging about. There are so many blogs out there, what would make mine different and worth following? Well, I got my answer at 4 this morning, when the puppy needed a little outdoor visit (he's recovering from patella surgery and is getting whatever he wants whenever he wants it). I couldn't get back to sleep, wondering about this whole blogging thing (don't ask about the connection between a puppy nature call and blogging ... at 4am, anything can be connected).
As many know, I am a folklorist. I have been collecting and studying folk music and folklore since I was about 8 (and you can imagine how well that went over with my peer group ... everyone thought I was very strange ... and I guess they weren't too far off). It occurs to me that my genealogist friends, colleagues, and acquaintances may not be aware of the many folk songs that have connection to their ancestors. So I have decided that it should be my mission to correct this. I already do this in my musical presentations where I combine music, stories, and history, but I could expand on some of the songs (many that don't make it into presentations) as well as their history and relevance to family historians. And I can also guide people to additional resources in books, recordings, or on the Internet.
And so, with this introduction to my newly discovered purpose (why did it take me so long?), I hope that you will spread the word that those who are looking for a little more social history to add to their family history may find it (as far as the music of our ancestors is concerned) at this blogspot.
As many know, I am a folklorist. I have been collecting and studying folk music and folklore since I was about 8 (and you can imagine how well that went over with my peer group ... everyone thought I was very strange ... and I guess they weren't too far off). It occurs to me that my genealogist friends, colleagues, and acquaintances may not be aware of the many folk songs that have connection to their ancestors. So I have decided that it should be my mission to correct this. I already do this in my musical presentations where I combine music, stories, and history, but I could expand on some of the songs (many that don't make it into presentations) as well as their history and relevance to family historians. And I can also guide people to additional resources in books, recordings, or on the Internet.
And so, with this introduction to my newly discovered purpose (why did it take me so long?), I hope that you will spread the word that those who are looking for a little more social history to add to their family history may find it (as far as the music of our ancestors is concerned) at this blogspot.
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