tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79907800053546366482024-03-13T06:03:45.146-04:00When We SingSummer camp songs - lists, links, lyrics, and rambling thoughts about music meant to be sung by voices joined in imperfect harmony.Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-56048115581875323972021-03-24T10:56:00.003-04:002021-03-24T10:56:55.146-04:00Camp Song Karaoke #9: Old Texas<p>This is one of the easiest songs to get any group to sing; all they have to do is echo each line the song leader sings. Well suited to campfires. </p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WUyZza1mfPU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-60334901086108189582021-03-16T19:18:00.003-04:002021-03-16T19:18:50.695-04:00Camp Song Karaoke #8: Upward Trail<p>This two-part hiking song differs from most "echo" songs in that the second part finishes at the same time as the first, due to a shortcut taken during the last time through. <br /></p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ew99rCoXos0" width="560"></iframe>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-57592308391095915272021-03-08T16:48:00.004-05:002021-03-08T16:48:30.214-05:00Camp Song Karaoke #7: Dee Ah Dee Um Dum (I've Got a Girl and She is a Daisy)<p> This song's roots are in barbershop quartet tradition, where part of the repertoire includes a song known as "Tee Idle Dum Dum." Somewhere along the line the lead melody and the backing line evolved into the two parts I learned at camp - and to be honest, I think it's much improved. </p><p>The MIDI voices used for this are obviously not pronouncing the lyrics, but the melodies and words should be clear even if you've never heard this song before:</p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2Eq9IHWUQ34" width="560"></iframe>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-10015069891258391382021-03-01T09:01:00.007-05:002021-03-01T09:01:00.240-05:00Camp Song Karaoke #6: Cookie<p>At my camp, whenever a meal was especially delicious, we would sing this song and the cook would come to the door from the kitchen to the mess hall and take a bow.</p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EqwH5Efaa08" width="560"></iframe>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-76535599408222815002021-02-27T09:00:00.004-05:002021-02-27T09:06:43.911-05:00Camp Song Karaoke #5: Blow Ye Winds of Morning<p> Another sea shanty, one that's been covered by folks from Burl Ives to the Kingston Trio and the Almanac Singers and so on. </p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/06PRnwBJVp4" width="560"></iframe>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-6218552984611821012021-02-19T15:15:00.004-05:002021-02-19T15:15:51.115-05:00Camp Song Karaoke #4: Bed is Too SmallAlso known as "Lord, Blow the Moon Out, Please." <div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IuXnIpuOsus" width="560"></iframe>
</div>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-81268178399336184922021-02-14T13:46:00.001-05:002021-02-14T13:46:55.210-05:00Camp Song Karaoke #3: Titanic<p> No song has been more popular across the years for every kind of kid at summer camp than "Titanic." It's a a fun, lively song about a tragedy, so maybe that combination is a winner. In any event, I arranged this for a virtual marching band to emphasize the fun and lively aspect. </p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5mJDmAT0KwQ" width="560"></iframe>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-33697718275955741242021-02-05T22:29:00.000-05:002021-02-05T22:29:13.526-05:00Camp Song Karaoke #2: A Sea Shanty<p> "The Lifeboat Crew" is a song for which I have found very little information, just a mention in a US Navy newsletter nearly 100 years ago. Please take a listen and let me know if you have ever heard it before:</p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LS5PYF_Shhg" width="560"></iframe>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-5263487693248111192021-02-04T10:37:00.006-05:002021-02-14T13:48:40.416-05:00Camp Song Karaoke<p>I've put together instrument versions of a few camp songs, using them as the basis for videos with onscreen lyrics. You can sing along karaoke style - feel free to record yourself and upload the results on your favorite social media sites. Or maybe you just want to learn a new song or refresh your memories of a melody or lyric. Of course, my version may not be the same as yours, so please share any differences in the comments. I'm always interested in variations of these great singalong songs. </p><p>Here's the first one, a sweet song about romance on the water:</p><p><br /></p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6bb6ike_o20" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-7930991640384528632020-04-12T17:06:00.004-04:002020-04-12T17:08:40.024-04:00More "James James Morrison Morrison" - Q+A with Chad Mitchell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A while back I wrote a couple of short posts about a fun song I learned at camp that was based on a poem by A. A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh's creator). In my other music blog I have posted a new interview I did with the Chad Mitchell Trio's namesake, who set the poem to music. Please read it <a href="https://onesongsevenquestions.blogspot.com/2020/04/james-james-morrisons-mother-seems-to.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the original recording:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know if it is or was sung at other camps, schools or other group settings. If you know the song, please share your experience in the comments. </span></div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-87522595921454159472017-12-09T21:03:00.004-05:002017-12-09T21:03:57.105-05:00"The Ash Grove" and its Welsh origins <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Many camps and youth groups sing "The Ash Grove," a lovely song about the memories evoked by a walk in the woods. The melody is the same one used in the original version of the song, which appeared in Wales in the early 19th Century. The title, "Llwyn Onn," is Welsh for "ash grove."</div>
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Where it differs is the lyrics, which detail a tale of young lovers who die tragically. Here is the English translation:<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>In the grand Ash-grove Palace, there lived a bold chieftain<br />And he was a squire and ruler of the land.<br />He had a fair daughter with many to court her<br />But none would she take for to give up her hand<br />Save her sweetheart, so handsome, so poor but of pure heart.<br />Her father unwilling and threatening the worst<br />Did shoot at the lad, but the bowstring was twisted<br />So crooked the arrow struck deep in her breast.<br /><br />Too late to recall the dart back to the bowstring,<br />The poor girl lay dying, so mournful and sad.<br />In anger, the squire, his sword at the ready,<br />Did thrust at the heart of the unflinching lad.<br />Oh wealth is a master, so old and so peevish,<br />And from its cruel clutches she desperately strove.<br />"'Tis better to die by my own lover's side<br />Than to live in sorrow in the Palace Ash-grove."</b></span><br /><br />Let's listen to both versions, each sung by a popular baritone in decades past. First, the modern version:<br /><br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/N8eZWs8UQf0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N8eZWs8UQf0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />And here is the Welsh version:<br /><br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XuvfvdAr5_U/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XuvfvdAr5_U?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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Whatever the lyrics or language, the song retains its haunting beauty.</div>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-39830727775409087532017-11-28T10:24:00.000-05:002017-11-28T10:24:11.311-05:00They Go Wild (mosquitoes or the opposite sex?)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"They Go Wild" as sung at camp refers to the bothersome insects in the woods. But in the original song, a big hit in 1917 in the early days of recorded music, "they" refers to members of the opposite sex.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/zPcAAOSw9IpXxufU/s-l225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="175" height="320" src="https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/zPcAAOSw9IpXxufU/s-l225.jpg" width="248" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the camp version:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">They go wild, simply wild, over me<br />They go wild, simply wild as they can be<br />Ev’ry morning noon and night <br />In the evening how they bite<br />The wood ticks, mosquitoes, and ev’ry fly in sight<br /><br />Ev’ry morning on my pillowcase<br />A daddy longlegs stares me in the face<br />In my bathing suit and shoes<br />They assemble for a snooze<br />They go wild, simply wild, over me</span></i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here are a couple of verses from the original:</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
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<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">They go wild, simply wild, over me</span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<i>They go mad, just as foolish as can be</i></div>
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<i>I meet so many kind I have to leave a few behind</i></div>
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<i>They love me, they kiss me, I guess they must be blind</i></div>
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<i>Every night how they fight over me</i></div>
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<i>They all fall for my personality</i></div>
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<i>I'm not good looking, it is true, but it's the little things I do</i></div>
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<i>That make them wild, simply wild, over me</i></div>
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</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"They Go Wild" was composed by Fred Fisher with lyrics by Joe McCarthy. Here is Billy Murray's version, the one that popularized the song:</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The song has been recorded in many genres over the past century. I haven't found the camp version anywhere, so I will leave you with this wester swing version from the 1930s, one of my favorites:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-86539428918470077202017-11-11T17:34:00.004-05:002017-11-11T17:34:52.854-05:00Waltzing Matilda photograph<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you are familiar with what is called Australia's unofficial national anthem, you will recognize these lyrics from the third verse:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Down came the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,</blockquote>
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Down came the troopers, one, two, three! </blockquote>
The squatter and troopers find the swagman (vagrant worker) who stole a jumbuck (a sheep), but fail to detain him because he drowns himself in a billabong (pond) rather than be captured.<br />
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Little did I know until today that a picture exists showing the troopers and the squatter:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcCLCdq0b4pbCXIFc4u8D7pLFqW6_XsyXLTcPVE1Ui0Ww4QqwJbhLrDKfXHOHM1OYOpar3IAosgVkt5NGZuTape956tC3vC2r4obQYIQ7dPZIIS_PzDE-HImvsp8eYlD2STOoC-HPUVI/s1600/StateLibQld_1_50240_Troopers_at_Dagworth_Station_during_the_Shearer%2527s_Strike_in_1894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="472" data-original-width="748" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbcCLCdq0b4pbCXIFc4u8D7pLFqW6_XsyXLTcPVE1Ui0Ww4QqwJbhLrDKfXHOHM1OYOpar3IAosgVkt5NGZuTape956tC3vC2r4obQYIQ7dPZIIS_PzDE-HImvsp8eYlD2STOoC-HPUVI/s400/StateLibQld_1_50240_Troopers_at_Dagworth_Station_during_the_Shearer%2527s_Strike_in_1894.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The troopers (one, two, three!) are in the dark shirts. The fourth man from the right is the squatter (which means wealthy landowner; his jumbuck is the one that was purloined).<br />
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The words to Waltzing Matilda were written in 1895 by A. J. "Banjo" Paterson and set to music by Christina Macpherson. Paterson was staying at the Macpherson family's sheep and cattle ranch in Queensland, where he learned of an incident four years earlier. This inspired the song, and the photo above from the State Library of Queensland captures the men involved.<br />
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I'll leave you with this 1938 recording, which was the first hit version of "Waltzing Matilda."<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Eu3Pnd1LkNE" width="560"></iframe>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-28416612739484957022017-10-27T11:51:00.001-04:002021-02-04T10:45:51.482-05:00Tattoo Song (Daisy on My Toe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Many summer camps and Girl Scout troops sing this song: </span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">What they often don't know is who wrote what is generally known as "There's a Daisy on My Toe." In fact, most seem to assume it's a folk song, handed down over so many years that no one remembers where it originated. It's time to correct that misconception.</span><br />
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">In fact, "Tattoo Song" (the actual title) debuted in 1965 on a best-selling album by the Smothers Brothers, "Mom Always Liked You Best." Like most of the duo's cuts, it combines humor and music.</span><br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m7IenASw0Zc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<br />So who wrote it? A man who has been awarded an Emmy and two Grammys. A man who is an accomplished guitarist, comedian, artist, poet and author. His name is <a href="http://www.masonwilliams-online.com/" target="_blank">Mason Williams</a>, and he is best known for ""Classical Gas," a huge hit in 1968 whose popularity has never waned in the decades since its release. <br /><br />Williams received his two Grammy Awards for composing and performing "<a href="https://youtu.be/mREi_Bb85Sk" target="_blank">Classical Gas</a>." At the time, he was head writer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, a groundbreaking, controversial and popular television variety show. For this work, he landed his Emmy.</span></div>
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">Somehow, this song migrated from an album cut on a comedy album to the repertoire of summer camps far and wide. One side effect, which I am sure is not limited to my camp, is a fair number of counselors have actually gotten tattoos on their toes.</span><br />
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-32921599748041236542017-09-30T12:22:00.000-04:002017-09-30T12:22:30.484-04:00Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Perhaps the most reviled camp song, at least in some circles, "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" is a lively tune that is easy to learn. So why the animosity? Because it involves standing up and, essentially, doing calisthenics for five minutes as you touch each body part every time you sing its name (or hum it). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So any campers or staff who are sitting at the dining table, groggily finishing breakfast, let out a moan when they hear the song leader chirp, "Everybody stand!" They know what's coming. HSKandT.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After singing though the song once, it is repeated at a slightly faster tempo, this time humming the word "head" instead of singing it. Third time through, even faster and also humming the next body part (shoulders). Repeat (one body part at a time) until the entire song is hummed at a frantic pace. Finish by reprising the original tempo and singing all the words.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Head, shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Head, shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And eyes and ear and mouth and nose</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Head, shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The song is sung to the tune of "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Is_a_Tavern_in_the_Town" target="_blank">There's a Tavern in the Town</a>," which can be traced back at least as far as the 1883 edition of William H. Hill's <i><a href="https://archive.org/details/studentssongscom00hill" target="_blank">Student Songs</a></i>, a popular songbook at Ivy league colleges. I assume some student revised the words one summer while working at a camp and HSKandT spread from there.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /> The song was popularized by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_Vall%C3%A9e">Rudy Vallee</a>, one of the most popular entertainers in the early days of mass media. He released two versions in 1934 (under the title "The Drunkard Song"), the second of which featured Vallee losing control and laughing away in the middle of the song:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This recording reached #6 on the pop charts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Returning to HSKandT, there are many versions of this on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=head+shoulders+knees+and+toes" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, but almost all of them are aimed an nursery school kids, with versions from all of the usual suspects: The Wiggles, Sesame Street, Teletubbies, etc. But the song works just as well with a bunch of teenagers who could use a little waking up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That said, I'll end with a cute version I found, performed by young children learning English in Thailand:</span><br />
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-83028170344564437072017-09-20T12:25:00.000-04:002017-09-20T12:25:37.972-04:00"It's a Beautiful Day Today"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I just did a little housecleaning on the long list of camp songs featured on the right side of this page. Deleted a few duplicates, changed the title of a few, and added ten or so songs that are either newer to me or that I'd mistakenly omitted.<br />
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One of the songs I added has an unusual origin, as it's an obscure song released in 1968 by the psychedelic/folk rock band Moby Grape (great name, it's the answer to "What's purple and swims?"). It wasn't a hit at the time.<br />
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Moby Grape came out of the San Francisco scene made famous by the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, but never attained similar commercial success, despite the great musicianship of the band's members. Unfortunately, they've endured decades of legal battles with their ex-manager and two of the band members were diagnosed as schizophrenic and ended up homeless for a while.<br />
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One of these two members was bass player Bob Mosely, who wrote and sang lead on "It's a Beautiful Day Today." He now lives in Santa Cruz and performs regularly there.<br />
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I don't know how this song found its way to my camp, nor if it's sung at any other camp - but it should be. As you can hear below, it's a lovely song, perfect for campfires.<br />
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-57939608764477604052015-04-01T12:21:00.001-04:002015-04-01T12:21:15.162-04:00A book about camp songs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Just a quick note to share something I recently came across, a book that was published last year titled "Camp Songs, Folk Songs" by Patricia Averill. She has a<a href="http://www.campsongsfolksongs.com/" target="_blank"> website with an exhaustive list of songs</a> as well as information about her book and herself.<br />
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This is not a songbook, FYI, but an academic book about the history and usage of these types of songs. If that's of interest, check it out. I'll be doing the same.<br />
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-44859742844322386002015-03-23T18:46:00.001-04:002015-03-23T18:48:00.630-04:00The Ultimate Camp Song Playlist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's still a work in progress, but here is a new playlist I've put up on Spotify:<br />
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<a href="https://play.spotify.com/user/122189905/playlist/3BlgXyR8X3IhCU7JfzGOm3" target="_blank">Ultimate Summer Camp Songs</a><br />
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I'm about halfway through the @200 songs listed on the right side of this page. The low hanging fruit is gone but I'll do my best to add the missing songs. Some simply aren't anywhere to be found, some are under different names, etc.<br />
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If you know of any that I've missed - or have versions that you think are better than the ones I've selected - please let me know in the comments.<br />
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In the meantime, you can spend the next five and a half hours listening to camp songs, if you are so inclined...</div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-6906752494307695652015-02-03T20:21:00.001-05:002015-02-03T20:21:42.408-05:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I wrote about<a href="http://whenwesing.blogspot.com/2010/09/when-you-hear-cannon-song-23.html" target="_blank"> "When You Hear a Cannon"</a> nearly five years ago, wondering how there could be so little information online about this simple round. I searched again recently and found nothing new. So I decided to put up a version on YouTube and to write the sheet music. Nothing too fancy for either effort. <br />
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<strong>First, the video:</strong><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/62dEE4Nf1N4/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/62dEE4Nf1N4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<strong>Second, the sheet music:</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1SWoxjDc-1RbDTJJfK8oBO3Y6TJSS9GIdHY0Jd0cgizGPs-J-krOqIKk2KZUdotPN0uP749s_jMNFaa6VG_PCMow1fGiC4VHicVFq7e1Z_HJLp75_grWw65kQUIAXIZ6eMF8Wp-rYnM/s1600/When_You_Hear_a_Cannon-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1SWoxjDc-1RbDTJJfK8oBO3Y6TJSS9GIdHY0Jd0cgizGPs-J-krOqIKk2KZUdotPN0uP749s_jMNFaa6VG_PCMow1fGiC4VHicVFq7e1Z_HJLp75_grWw65kQUIAXIZ6eMF8Wp-rYnM/s1600/When_You_Hear_a_Cannon-1.png" height="640" width="494" /></a></div>
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<strong>Please chime in on the comments if you know this song.</strong></div>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-58493636370117466032014-10-01T22:56:00.001-04:002014-10-01T22:56:37.623-04:00Rock Versions of Camp Songs - A Playlist<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I created a YouTube playlist of rock singers covering songs from the list on the right side of this page. If you know of any videos that I should add to the playlist, please let me know in the comments. For you listening pleasure, here are Jack White, Paul Westerberg, U2, Eric Clapton, the Real McKenzies, the Hooters, the Melvins, Jeff Beck with ZZ Top, Van Morrison with Lonnie Donegan, Relient K, and Bruce Springsteen:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL9mU-kM10dGPGL_xgv-AaWULkW74uwX8o" width="560"></iframe></div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-40350836967384180862014-09-02T12:10:00.000-04:002014-09-02T12:10:22.342-04:00"One Tin Soldier" - Song #38<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This past summer, one of the more popular songs among both girls and boys at Camp Ajawah was "One Tin Soldier," a pop song from the early 1970s. Unlike many camp songs, its origins are clear and the writers are still alive. OTS was written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, who wrote many Top 40 hits, from "Don't Pull Your Love Out On Me Baby" to "Ain't No Woman Like The One I've Got."<br />
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Dennis Lambert was nice enough to do a Q+A with me. You can read at my other music blog, which consists of interviews with pop musicians. The name of the blog says it all: <a href="http://onesongsevenquestions.blogspot.com/2014/09/go-ahead-and-hate-your-neighbor.html" target="_blank">One Song, Seven Questions</a>.<br />
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Please check it out. In the meantime, here's the original version of the song from 1969:<br />
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-90385784266213465322014-08-27T21:18:00.000-04:002014-08-27T21:33:30.660-04:00Wha Saw the 42nd sheet music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As mentioned in my <a href="http://whenwesing.blogspot.com/2014/06/wha-saw-42nd-revisited-with-video.html" target="_blank">last post</a>, "Wha Saw the 42nd" has attracted more interest than any other song on this blog to date. The variation we sing at Camp Ajawah has slightly different words and melody than what I find elsewhere online. Most of what's available is a version for bagpipes, and the other traditional versions I have found mention nothing about singing it as a round.<br />
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So I created sheet music for Ajawah's version. We sing the song three times through, with each group starting the song two beats after the prior group. You can sing it with any number of groups. While the audio on my <a href="http://whenwesing.blogspot.com/2014/06/wha-saw-42nd-revisited-with-video.html" target="_blank">last post</a> may not be clear enough, perhaps you can hear how it starts with "wha saw... wha saw... wha saw" as each group joins in. And as each group finishes, the song ends with "bramble briar... bramble briar... bramble briar."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMvVhNvH1rYUGO_FGSqd_EnerHDHfjxUDcdGerwYvtws7x4r3qxePwKM-rx8zCjkguZAS5Vo7Vbq2O2OGbiHucdZWR56kpBReVeFBtEuE51xHI5MaPWCo19_vWd4gtbd9rVsvDJgG-3s/s1600/Wha+Saw+sheet+music.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMvVhNvH1rYUGO_FGSqd_EnerHDHfjxUDcdGerwYvtws7x4r3qxePwKM-rx8zCjkguZAS5Vo7Vbq2O2OGbiHucdZWR56kpBReVeFBtEuE51xHI5MaPWCo19_vWd4gtbd9rVsvDJgG-3s/s1600/Wha+Saw+sheet+music.png" height="640" width="454" /></a></div>
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If you end up singing our version, please let me know in the comments.</div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-22352760992555755472014-06-29T10:02:00.000-04:002014-06-29T10:02:34.235-04:00Wha Saw the 42nd revisited - with video<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Of all the songs I've written about on this blog, the one that received far and away the most comments was "Wha Saw the 42nd," Song #20 (to read them, click on the song's title in the list at the right side of this page). And the comments have come regularly every few months for 5-6 years.<br />
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Last week I recorded the girls at Camp Ajawah in Minnesota singing "Wha Saw." They use it as a round in the Mess Hall following meals. I missed the first second or two, and once you have nine tables of eight singing along, it's hard to make out the words and melody. The occassional loud bang you hear is girls keeping beat by banging their fists on the table at the start of a measure.<br />
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-61323233605450847932014-04-06T23:16:00.002-04:002014-04-06T23:19:19.324-04:00Another Musical Mystery: Lifeboat Crew<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Google turns up next to nothing on another one of the songs on my list; here are the lyrics in full for this short, lively tune:<br />
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<i>Oh, the lifeboat crew are we</i><br />
<i>And we sail the stormy sea</i><br />
<i>Oh the ocean waves they roll</i><br />
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<i>We heed our captain's call</i><br />
<i>Man the lifeboats one and all</i><br />
<i>And away goes the lifeboat crew</i><br />
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Can anyone solve this mystery or shed a little light upon it?</div>
Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7990780005354636648.post-8988720746566457272014-02-15T14:55:00.003-05:002014-02-22T21:07:54.794-05:00Ickey/Lollipop Song/(I'd Rather Suck on a) Lemon Drop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This song about how a lemon drop is less messy to consume than a lollipop (deep lyrics, eh?) is not widely popular nor is there a great deal of information about it online. But what info I can find shows that people sing and sang it at summer camps and to their children. <br />
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The most surprising thing is its first appearance - sung by a German ventriloquist who is going insane. I am unable to embed the video, so here is a link to the scene from 1929's "The Great Gabbo":<br />
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<a href="http://www.metacafe.com/watch/838724/the_lollipop_song_from_the_great_gabbo_1929/">http://www.metacafe.com/watch/838724/the_lollipop_song_from_the_great_gabbo_1929/</a></div>
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Joehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10155265926876994952noreply@blogger.com0