Suggested Songs - Tumblr Posts

hey! do you have a folk song that you want to know the history of? just ask me about it, and I'll make a whole post dedicated to its history, earlier versions, why it was made, why it got popular, etc.

Suggested Song

"900 Miles" Terry Callier, 1968

origins under the cut

the origins of this song are a bit unclear. No one knows who first wrote it or some specifics with its origins. 900 miles is related to the traditional southern song, "Reuben's train," written sometime after 1860, based on the Reuben Wells Locomotive.

the earliest example of the song in print (that i could find anyway) was in 1913, from the journal of American folklore. somewhat similar to the song that Terry Callier covers. I've seen some references to the song being dated to the very early 1900s and late 1800s, so this song is older than 1913.

the first recording of the song (that i could find) was in 1924 by Fiddlin' John Carson "I'm Nine Hundred miles from home"

and in 1927 by Henry Whitter and G. B. Grayson "train No.45"

a common title for this song is Train No. 45 (which is usually just the instrumental version for the reuben train song), which is confusing because the reuben wells is actually referred to as no. 35, but maybe they changed it in the 20s because that was when the California Western Railroad No. 45 was built. I'm not really sure.

Many of the folk artists who covered this song and the music anthologists who collected have credited to hearing it from black singers originally like woody guthrie and Alan Lomax (p.245). Alan Lomax talks about its different versions in different southern states and its history as a labor song for Sharecroppers and convicts who were both white and black.

and Folklorist Norm Cohen talks about its use and connections to black folklife here (p. 502-518).

and it's featured here in the album, "Before The Blues Vol. 2 (The Early American Black Music Scene) 2016"

based on Alan Lomax's account, it seems that the 900 mile version was popularized because of Woody Guthrie's version in 1944

This song is incredibly famous and has been covered by many other traditional and revival folk artists, including: Cisco Houston (1950-1953), Odetta (1963), Barbara Dane (1961), Richie Havens (late 1960s?) and Bob Dylan (1967).

one of the most popular versions of the song "500 miles" was written in 1961 by Hedy west and is a much newer adaptation of the traditional song, it also has a much more cheery melody and fast tempo compared to the somewhat sullen "900 miles". it has been covered many times by country and folk revival artists like: the journeymen (1961), The Kingston Trio (1962), Peter Paul, and Mary (1962), and the Brothers four (1963).

the version by Terry Callier was recorded in 1965, but his folk album wasn't released until 3 years later in 1968. when he released his first album, "The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier." 900 miles was the first song on the tracklist and the album combined elements of traditional folk/blues as well as jazz. he takes traditional songs and re-imagines them with a fresh pair of eyes that makes this folk album stand out from the multitude of others at the time. While it's considered a cult classic today, it seems like it may have not performed very well monetarily considering how long it took to release and how every other Terry Callier release is completely different.

still, even though this was only his first album, and his genre and style diverged pretty heavily from this first album, it remains to me, one of the best things to come out of the folk revival scene, and 900 miles by Terry Callier will remain the best cover of the traditional labor song.

for user @paulkleefishmagic

Suggested song

"The Frozen Logger" The Weavers, 1951

"The Frozen Logger" was originally written and performed in 1929 by Jim Stevens (the man who popularized the folk legend Paul bunyan in his 1925 book "Paul Bunyan"

for his program on the ABC seattle network "The Histories of Paul Bunyan"

here's a segment of Jim Stevens talking about that himself:

Oregon Historical Quarterly Vol. 50, No. 4 (Dec., 1949) pp.235-242

it's possible that the song was performed by Ivar Haglund (notable for his prolific seafood themed songs and clam restaurant) in the early to mid 1940s on his radio show "Around the Sound" where he would sing folk music for 15 minutes, and I found a couple sources listing him as either the copyright owner of the song, or the writer (he did not write the song). He was friends with Jim Stevens, and it's likely that Stevens taught him the song.

Radio Daily, July 1944 and KJR flyer, 1942

Many secondhand sources mentioned that "The Frozen Logger" was based on an old tune or an old ballad, with words that were originally written by Jim Stevens, including Jim Stevens himself though he's not specific. I think i might be the first person ever to point out that the ballad it was based on belongs to the folk song family of "The Unfortunate Rake"/ "The Unfortunate Lad" (recorded here in the 1960s and performed by A.L. Lloyd) it has a similar story structure, similar characters, similar rhymes, and similar composition.

in " 'The Unfortunate Rake' and His Descendants" by Kenneth Lodewick, the original song is dated as being from ireland in 1790, and one of its earliest printings was in England in 1850 as a folk ballad

as you might be able to guess if you're familiar with cowboy ballads, this song is also the origin of "Streets of Laredo" or "The cowboys lament" which emerged in the late 1800s from cowhand workers. A cowhand in the late 1870s named Frank H. Maynard has claimed to write the song in 1876 and published his version in "Cowboy's Lament: A Life on the Open Range" in 1911 after it was published in Alan Lomax's "Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads" in 1910. in my opinion, i think this song could have multiple origins.

the oldest recording i could find was by Harry McClintock in 1928

as an aside, there was also ANOTHER lumberjack version of the song collected by John C. French called "The Wild Lumberjack" from Pennsylvania logging camps dated between 1870-1904/1905. performed here by Kenneth S Goldstein (1960s). This song isn't the origin of "The Frozen Logger" but it's interesting that there are two songs like this.

I believe that "The Frozen Logger" is an adaptation from the cowboy version. Jim Stevens grew up in Idaho and worked in Montana (where he mentions learning many songs) and in 1959, he gave an interview with Ivar Harglund about how he used traditional folk and country music and created new and topical lyrics for the Keep Washington Green Campaign in the 1940s

The first ever publishment and recording (That I could find) of "The Frozen Logger" was in 1947 by Earl Robinson in his Keynote Album, commented upon by the Chicago star by Raeburn Flerlage that same year.

The Chicago Star (Chicago, III.) April 5, 1947 (p.13). Library of Congress

Pete seeger, one of the Weavers, was (for some reason that escapes me) friends with Ivar Haglund (who was friends with Jim Stevens) and, like with the song "the Old Settler" , it is likely that Haglund taught the song to Pete Seeger who then, with the rest of the Weavers, performed it in 1951, popularizing the song.

for @slowtraincumming

Suggested Song

(do you want the history of your favorite folk song? dm me or submit an ask, and I'll do a full rundown like here)

"Plastic Jesus" Tia Blake, 1971

Plastic Jesus was originally written by George Cromarty and Ed Rush in 1957 and performed live in 1962 at the San Francisco State College Folk Festival, where it was recorded and released later that year in their duo band The GoldcoastSingers.

the back of their debut Album reads

"On a foggy Sunday afternoon in March of 1962, THE GOLDCOAST SINGERS clambered on stage at San Francisco State College before an unsuspecting audience of 1,000 or so. After they were introduced as the final performers at the San Francisco State Folk Festival, people in the audience mumbled, "Who?". This query was followed by shouts of "More!". The reaction was, to say the least, wild. After five encores, breathless and perspiring like pigs, they came on for one last "song," entitled "Plastic Jesus." This ode flattened the audience. All through the performance people had been walking out of the auditorium grumbling, "Mis-guided youth" and "Whippersnappers," but the finale was too much for those whose soft spots had not yet been touched. A dozen (actually twelve) marched up the aisles in righteous indignation. The remaining nine hundred some odd rose in a tremendous ovation. Fortunately that concert was taped, and this record is the product"

I think that the truth is stretched here a bit, and like with the song "Plastic Jesus," it is meant to be comedic.

This is the only album produced by The Goldcoast Singers, but George Cromarty would continue to produce music as a solo artist.

later, in 1964, the song was recorded and performed by Ernie Marrs and was mentioned in Vol. 14, no. 2 in "Sing Out! Magazine.

with Ernie Marrs being credited with writing the lyrics.

Later, in 1967, the song was featured in the movie "Cool Hand Luke", performed by Paul Newman. Interesting for taking the satirical and comedic song and reimagining it as somber. this movie is likely what popularized the song in addition to its feature in the magazine.

in 1971, Tia Blake released what is effectively her only album in France, which led to it being mostly forgotten until it was re-released in 2011. Since then, it has become more well-known. This makes me very happy because i love this album! i think all the songs on it are beautiful and wonderfully made. It's a shame she didn't record more.

I think something very interesting happened with the song, and these 4 covers effectively tell a story with how they each re-imagine it.

the original lyrics by The Goldcoast Singers are biting with satire and are funny if not a bit mean-spirited. We, as the audience, are not meant to relate with the person with the plastic Jesus bobblehead.

then, ernie marrs' version doesn't have the intro of the original duo, and shortens the lyrics a bit, but like other works that Ernie Marrs helped write like "The People are Scratching" and "What a Friend we have in Congress" (1966) and (1963)

the humor and satire are a bit more gentle and more subtle. To me, it feels like if you aren't really paying attention, you could miss it. it's comedic, but it could pretty easily be remembered as a charming fun folk song rather than a satire on Christian commercialism and a way of making fun of rednecks.

the movie version song is completely different. I'll be honest, i have not seen this movie, but it seems like this song is 1. completely genuine and devoid of sarcasm, and 2. very, very sad. the song morphs into bitter melonchy. it is the farthest thing from funny.

Tia Blake's version returns the song to its roots. kind of. Her version is certainly happy, but it's also painfully genuine. It is also the only song in her 1971 album that i would describe as happy, the rest being mournful, spooky, or full of longing. plastic Jesus is an odd choice. AND, her cover is my favorite. I think there is something beautiful and whimsical about the story presented in the song, about having so much joy come from a mundane object. Its a cheerful and hopeful song in an otherwise tragic album.

the first time i heard the song by tia blake was in a folk punk playlist. i didn't understand why it was on there at first, but i do now. there is a sort of revolutionary optimism in finding hope from the mundane in the midst of hopeless circumstances.

for @ruzqtx

Can you do "Hares on the mountain" by Shirley Collins and Davy Graham? Cheers!!

Suggested Song

(do you want the history of your favorite folk song? dm me or submit an ask, and I'll do a full rundown like here)

"Hares on the Mountain" Shirley Collins and Davy Graham, 1964

"Hares on the Mountain" is a traditional English and Irish folk song that was first mentioned in print in 1837 in "Rory O'More A National Lovestory" (vol. 1 p.234) as "blackbirds and thrishes"

It's almost certain that the song has existed prior, and it could be incredibly old.

the first time it was collected in song was by George Petrie in "The Complete Collection of Irish Music" (1902)

as "All the young maidens were blackbirds and Trushes" like the other book.

i remade this melody so you can hear what it could have sounded like

It was then later collected by Cecil sharp in 1903 and Publish 1904 in "Folk Songs of Somerset" as having two distinct versions

i remade these into melodies as well

version 1

version 2

here

Around the same time, Cecil Sharp would also collect the song, "O Sally My Dear" but wouldn't publish it because of the sexual nature of this song and its relatives, "Pretty Polly" "Nancy and Johnny" and "The Knife in the Window"

This specific family of songs could also be the descendants of an even older folk song that has almost disappeared. except for verses in its descendants. : "The Twa Magicians," which is all over Europe in various forms.

For "Hares on the mountain" The earliest recording I could find of Hares on the Mountain was in 1942 in Somerset, but i don't have access to it. i just know it exists.

The earliest recording I could find that is available publicly is by Horton Barker from just a couple of months later (in the USA), "To My Right", which is the same song as the original "Hares on the Mountain"

Shirley Collins' Version is particularly interesting for combining the lyrics of both "Hares on the mountain" and "Sally My Dear" and making it into a cohesive story. I also love how it seems that Sally is singing "Hares on the Mountain" *to* the young man.

Even though this song is old and has hundreds of versions with dozens of different names, this version is my favorite. It seems that in many versions, the lyrics are meant to be humorous or scandalous, but in Shirley Collins's version, they take on a different tone. They're sad, spooky, and tragic. I like the way that she renders the conversation between the two characters, and her voice is simply angelic. I'm glad that the traditional started to get more attention thanks to her version.

I actually didn't know anything about this song (or that it existed at all) when starting this project as my knowledge is focused on American folk, but as soon as I heard it I knew it was now one of my favorite songs ever. Also! as of last year, Shirley Collins has released another version of the song. Nothing can beat the '60s version, but this one is pretty nice too.

genuinely thank you, everyone who has asked me to do their folk song's history :)

this is like enrichment for my enclosure, i love doing it.

it may not seem like it, but writing these silly tumblr posts and doing the research takes many hours. i am planning on doing a rundown for everyone who asks, but if it takes a bit, don't worry, i promise I'll get to it !

I’ve been listening to Willie Taylor by Martin Simpson but can’t find much information about the ballad’s origin, do you know anything?

Suggested Song (do you want the history of your favorite folk song? dm me or submit an ask and I'll do a full rundown)

"Willie Taylor" Martin Simpson, 2016 Upon hearing this song, it stuck out to me for a few reasons. the active character of the song is a crossdresser, this song and its relatives are about a woman crossdressing as a man to find her husband, and in some versions, she doesn't even care that her husband remarries and attends their wedding positively. and often she marries the ship Captain and they live happily together. In my opinion, this puts it in or adjacent to the category of transgender history. Very fascinating for a folk song .

"Willie Taylor" is a rendition of the traditional English Folk song "William Taylor", (which is the oldest song I have covered on this blog) was first published in a chapbook in London in 1712 (I couldn't find a digitized copy) and would continue to be published up through the 1800s. The first publication I could find and show you is from 1792 in the chapbook "Four New Songs". in this, it is titled "Billy Taylor"

The Earliest sheet music I could find is from 1895, Collected by Frank Kidson

and here's its melody

This song also seems to be related to another song about a crossdressing sailor woman called "The Rambling Female Sailor" collected here in the 1860s by Frank Kidson, but they are classified as different songs.

The oldest recording is from 1908, which can be found here the earliest recording I could find that is available is from 1938, performed by George Vinton Graham

here's another version from 1967 by Hedy West

While in most modern (1860s onward) versions, the song is comedic, originally it was completely serious and genuine. this folk song from the early 1700s if not older, presented a crossdresser as a sort of folk hero, a figure that people would sing about with veneration. That's amazing to me. I think it would be fun to reimagine the song as either: the woman cross-dresses as a man and runs away with her husband's woman after killing him as a butchfemme relationship, or the woman could be reinterpreted as a transgender man who runs away and falls in love with the ship captain. idk I just think these would be cute fun new renditions.

Hi, can I suggest "I had to shoot that rabbit" by Tom Paxton? Thanks!

suggested song history

"I Had to Shoot That Rabbit "

Tom Paxton, 1971

This song was first written in 1968 and then recorded in 1971 by Tom Paxton as the first track on his "How Comes The Sun" album

While this is one of 3 rabbit songs he's recorded, it doesn't have any history or basis as a traditional folk song. It was entirely written and composed by Tom Paxton. This album and the one after it in 1972 did not do well. These Albums also sound very different from the rest of his music, because during this time he was experimenting with elements of folk rock and baroque folk; trying to combine British folk with American jazz and blues. I like these Albums, but Tom Paxton said he wanted to return to a more traditional folk sound.

This song could be a criticism of war or maybe violence? It feels similar to anti-Vietnamwar songs at the time. It's definitely saying something. it also reminds me a lot of this Pete Seeger song "Last Train to Nuremberg", released the same year.

There are literally no covers of this song and barely any information about it and its album, it's a nice song so I hope it gets more attention someday.

How about The Highwayman? I know Phill Ochs does a version and Loreena McKinnitt sings a longer version to a completely different tune.

Suggested Songs

do you want the history of a folk song like here? dm me or submit an ask and I'll do the full rundown

"The Highwayman" Phil Ochs 1965, Loreena McKennitt 1995 "The Highwayman" was first published in 1906 by Alfred Noyes in Blackwood's magazine as a poem, not originally as a song. This poem would be the work he's most well-known for. It's also expertly made and crafted; its alliterations and story-building make it the perfect fit for a folk ballad.

in just a few years the poem was so popular that it was already being put to music. The first time was in 1909 by Deems Taylor and then later in 1913 by Mark Andrews, and even later in 1933 by C Armstrong Gibbs. The runtime for these is all around half an hour so I am not going to digitally recreate them.

Likely, the poem as a song was recorded earlier, but the earliest recording I could find is the Phil Ochs version recorded in 1965. Also, based on its similarities to his other fully original works, his melody for the poem is also original.

Loreena McKinnet's version is much longer because she covers the whole poem while Phil Ochs only covers about half. Her composition could be original, but I'm not sure. It's always fun when two different artists cover the same song in different ways and produce two different amazing works of art

Do you have any thoughts on "Luang Prabang" by Dave van Ronk? It's such a catchy song, but I always want to know more about the wooden medals the song references.

thanks for the work!

Suggested Song

"Luang Prabang" Dave Van Ronk, 1985 "Luang Prabang" was written by Dave Van Ronk sometime before or around 1971, the oldest release I could find is from April 1973, where Patrick Sky and Dave Van Ronk both perform it live on the radio (timestamp 33:05) However, the song was first recorded in 1971 by Patrick Sky, Van Ronk's friend, for his Satirical album "Songs That Made America Famous". Still, it wasn't released until later in 1973 because they had trouble finding a record company due to the edgy and over-the-top nature of the songs featured, to put it lightly. It wouldn't be until later in 1985 when Dave Van Ronk would release a version himself.

"Luang Prabang" is based on a Traditional English tune, "Byker Hill" first published in 1812 in "Rhymes of Northern Bards", and collected around 1810. It was first recorded in 1958-9 by Sandy Paton. Byker Hill and Walker Shore, the places featured in the song, were coal mines and quarries near Newcastle, making this song a coal miners song.

Here's a modern rendition of the song for example. "Luang Prabang" is specifically an anti-Vietnam-war song. Luang Prabang is a real city in Laos. the U.S.A. also dropped 2 million tons of bombs on Laos through the 1960s and 1970s, "the bombs fell like rain." The Song details, sardonically, the physical toll on the American soldiers. The Wooden medal reference is another joke like this. It's basically saying the medal is worthless, not even a bronze medal. The joke is there to contrast the other repeated lyrics like "Now I'm a fucking hero". The only things the character singing got from the song are physical mutilation, the death of everyone else around him, and a wooden medal. It's grim and funny like most songs protesting the war in Vietnam.

Hi! Can I ask you about the history of the Wagoner's Lad? I'm a fan of Peter & Gordon their song Pretty Mary, but only today, while listening to some Peggy Seeger, I realised that it's a different pov adaptation of that ballad!

Suggested Songs

"Pretty Mary" Peter & Gordon, 1964

Like you said, "Pretty Mary" is a gender-bent version of the Traditional song "The Wagoner's Lad", which was first documented in 1907 by Cecil Sharp. Here's the fun part- if you are familiar with folk song collector Cecil Sharp and American folk songs, you might expect that it was first collected somewhere in the UK or perhaps Ireland if it was spicy. However, the song was first collected in Appalachia! Despite focusing on English folk songs, Cecil Sharp also collected and recorded folk songs in the Appalachia.

It was first published in "English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians" in 1917. and was first recorded in 1926 by Kelly Harrell as "My horses ain't Hungry".

Another Interesting part of this song is that many of its verses have ended up in the song "On Top of Old Smokey", another song collected by Cecil Sharp in Appalachia in 1916.

This makes it hard to tell the two songs apart, as they've become tangled up with each other. Both songs even contain the same Roud folk song number: 414. "On Top of Old Smokey" was first recorded in 1925 by George Reneau. Old Smokey probably refers to the Great Smoky Mountain range that exists between Tenessee and North Carolina.

This Song, throughout its history, has been adapted and recorded over and over again, here's just a few examples.

Pretty Nancy by Jean Ritchie 1970s (?) The Wagoner's Lad by the Kossoy Sisters 1956 My Horses Ain't Hungry by Mike Seeger 1977 On Top of Old Smokey by Gene Autry 1952 Fare You Well Polly by Pete Seeger, 1954 Rye Whiskey by Woody Guthrie 1940 Goodbye Old Paint by Colter Wall 2021

and there are many many many more.

Thanks for the recommendation! I hope this was helpful