songs that are sneered at

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: BobL
Date: 26 Oct 18 - 03:22 AM

Something that bugs me is when somebody sings a version of a song as arranged by a particular artiste or band in their own distinctive style. For example Steeleye Span's "John Barleycorn". Nothing wrong with the song, the arrangement or the band, but in this case it comes over as if the singer doesn't know the original song, or is incapable of doing their own arrangement, and is just parroting the record.

Not that I haven't learned stuff from records myself.

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: GUEST,Pseudonymous
Date: 26 Oct 18 - 07:18 AM

Joleen?

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: clueless don
Date: 26 Oct 18 - 08:06 AM

GUEST,Anne Lister sans cookie - Do you mean Summertime from Porgy and Bess? or do you mean this ?

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 26 Oct 18 - 12:21 PM

"Glasgow Celtic, Liverpool & Munster rugby supporters etc use Fields of Athenry to gee their teams up at matches ! What's that about ?"

Well, I can't speak for the other two, but we Liverpool fans sing our own words (The Fields of Anfield Road) to the tune of The Fields of Athenry - not the song itself!

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 26 Oct 18 - 02:00 PM

I believe the impetus for FOA being adopted by Glasgow Celtic, was a team member singing it a some "do" or other.
I did rather like the Glasgow Rangers little song in response though. To the tune of Sloop John B. "The famine's over, why don't you go home" ??

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 26 Oct 18 - 07:48 PM

Now that reminds me of a heckler at a Christy Moore concert I went to: kept shouting "What about the potato famine, Christy?" After this had happened 2 or 3 times, Christy says, "Well, what about the potato famine then?" Heard no more from the heckler.

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 26 Oct 18 - 07:49 PM

Oops, maybe that should have been on the heckling thread!

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: Gallus Moll
Date: 27 Oct 18 - 04:13 AM

Way back when 'The Bonnie Banks o'Loch Lomond' was considered groan-worthy....until Runrig! Fair opened everyones' eyes; it is not the fault of the song, but how it is sung?

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: Mo the caller
Date: 27 Oct 18 - 06:42 AM

Jerry mentioned dances. Even experienced dancers vary in how much novelty they want in an evening. And a dance can be done to death too - in the 80s it was Levi Jackson or K&E at every dance. Now K&E is new to many, 'not done that for ages' to others. I like a dance (or a chorus song) that I can relax and enjoy, dance, rather than think too hard all the time, as well as something with an interesting new figure or combination. So whoever I'm calling for I try to give a mix of old & new, easy and testing (though the programme itself will vary widely depending on the dancers).

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: GUEST,Jerry
Date: 27 Oct 18 - 07:54 AM

Yes, quite so, Mo. Levi Jackson was a poor example on reflection, wasn’t it? I meant one of those dances that is actually hard to call and explain to a non-regular Dance crowd..

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: GUEST,DTM
Date: 27 Oct 18 - 08:34 AM

"Way back when 'The Bonnie Banks o'Loch Lomond' was considered groan-worthy....until Runrig! Fair opened everyones' eyes; it is not the fault of the song, but how it is sung?" - Gallus Moll (3 posts up)

I loved Runrig's version however,
1) it's been done to death and is fast becoming cringeworthy as a result
2) upbeat versions are divorced from the sentiment of the song lyrics. If you know what the words relate to then "Loch Lomond" is in actual fact a lament and should be sung as one. FWIW, I absolutely loathe the line "the wee bidies sing" (boak).

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: GUEST,DTM
Date: 27 Oct 18 - 08:35 AM

Oops! "birdies"

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: Mooh
Date: 27 Oct 18 - 10:08 AM

I've noticed that Danny Boy is sometimes better received as an uptempo swing rhythm instrumental. In any event, that's how my fiddle/guitar and concertina/guitar duos prefer to play it.

I wouldn't say I sneer at any kind of music except perhaps screamo and rap, but I don't enjoy Fields Of Anthenry very much, it's right up there with Billy Don't Be A Hero and Colour My World. The inanity of some modern country lyrics bore me to tears but I don't find the music offensive.

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: Cool Beans
Date: 27 Oct 18 - 12:53 PM

If anyone from Great Britain were to come over to the U.S. and sing "Fields of Athenry" it would be well-received. The song is virtually unknown here. One person's cliche is another person's discovery.

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: Helen
Date: 27 Oct 18 - 02:56 PM

Fields of Athenry has been on our session group list for over 40 years. We used to do it a lot, because we had a singer/guitarist who could sing & play the phone book and make people sit up and listen.

It's still on our list and the fiddle player has revived it a bit lately, with him playing fiddle for some of it and then singing it while we play along.

I get why the Brits are over it, but as Cool Beans said, over here it's just a good tune which we can sing along to.

In fact, on St Pat's Day this year, we decided to go and busk not far from one of the local pubs which draws a huge crowd every year and puts on an Irish band for the day. We played and sang FOA, and when we finished, we heard the band start playing it. The band was standing in the doorway and they gave us a smile & a wave as they played it.

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: GUEST,MikeOfNorthumbria (sans cookie)
Date: 27 Oct 18 - 02:59 PM

‘One person's cliche is another person's discovery.’

Cool Beans, I agree entirely with your sentiments.

And here’s another thing.   Half a century ago, an older and wiser colleague said to me: “Wherever you want to take your students, you have to start from where they are.” That piece of advice has since proved very helpful - in classrooms, and in folk clubs.

My experience has been that for every listener who wants to hear something new and challenging, there are usually half a dozen who would prefer something familiar and reassuring.   If you want to persuade an audience to like - or even tolerate - the unfamiliar, then it helps to introduce them to it gradually. And if capturing the crowd’s attention with a song that they know and like provokes sneers from the sophisticated, then let them sneer.

Wassail!

Subject: RE: songs that are sneered at
From: GUEST,Allan Conn
Date: 27 Oct 18 - 03:21 PM

I think it depends on where you are too. We have a two venue evening and the early session is really a floor spot session where maybe less common things are sung. The later session is really in the pub and what gets played is affected by the audience too and many of the songs mentioned are the ones that folks keep asking for.

We often have tourists in and I have found that Irish tourists seem to be inclined to ask you to sing Irish songs or at least songs sung by Irish bands. I've not noticed other folks asking us to sing songs from their homeland. Just seems to be a thing! Anyway one week there was a large table of Irish in and we thought we'd throw one in before they asked - so we did Athenry - and they all got up and walked out in what appeared to be a huff leaving drinks half empty on the table!! I don't think it was because we were that bad! Must have been the wrong side of the sectarian divide thing for that song!

I actually really like Bogle's songs but I too get a bit fed up with them at this time of the year. There are so many war songs that you'd think folk would thing of something else! We had one guy about this time of the year several years ago who must have been practicing Matilda all week. Anyway someone else about three turns before him sung it first - but it didn't stop the guy doing it again anyway! And it dragged relentlessly on and on......