 sj |
||
|
||
'Tactical' songs?
|
|
|
Subject: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: Turlough Date: 17 Oct 03 - 06:35 PM Hey everybody! For my "Media, Culture and History"-course (Cultural Anthropology) I have to write a small article on "Tactical media". When I was thinking of a specific subject I could write about, I immediately thought of that very funny song, "Trimble's Pimple", "The Pimple Song" or however you would call it. This is a fine example of how a song can be used in politics. I'm just curious wether there are other examples of a song being especially written for political purposes. Turlough |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: GUEST,NH Dave Date: 17 Oct 03 - 08:10 PM I believe the words to The MTA Song were rewritten to aid the election of a Boston politician. Now you citizens of Boston, don't you think it's a scandal How the people have to pay and pay? Fight the fare increase, vote for Walter O'Brien, And get Charlie off the MTA. Dave |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 17 Oct 03 - 08:12 PM David Trimble's pimple THE H-BOMB'S THUNDER Just for one. If for political purposes means about politicians, that's a bit trickier maybe, though there enough of them. Here's one I did - and what's odd about it is it actually mentioned a politican favourably (one out ofthree) - The Once and Future Ken |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 17 Oct 03 - 08:39 PM Go to American Memory and enter political song in Search. There are a bunch of Civil War vintage in the Bourbon Ballads and others also listed, if you are interested in older material. Entering campaign song brings up 82 items. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/amhome.html American Memory Search |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: Uncle_DaveO Date: 17 Oct 03 - 09:41 PM Then there's the Talking Atomic Blues, the words being found in the DT, HERE. Dave Oesterreich |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: toadfrog Date: 17 Oct 03 - 09:54 PM It is claimed that |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: toadfrog Date: 17 Oct 03 - 10:08 PM I know approximately one gazzillion songs written for political purposes. Most of them aren't very good songs, though. There are threads about Joe Hill, and threads about Jacobite Ballads, on Mudcat, and then there are a lot of union songs. Try Shall we still be slaves and work for wages? It is outrageous! Has been for ages! The world by right, belongs to toilers, And not to spoilers of liberty! or, Grover, Grover, four more years of Grover! In we'll go, out they'll go, then we'll be in clover! or, The Democratic Party is for you and you and you! The Party of the many and not just for a few! From the city and the country for the big ones and the small, Oh! the Democratic Party is the only one for all! From the East and West, from North and South they come, Singin' the Donkey Serenade, Come on and beat your drum-de-um-drum We'll march along together, and on election day, We're voting Democratic, 'cause we're voting for the U.S.A-ay-ay! Wait, it gets even worse................ |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: Leadfingers Date: 17 Oct 03 - 10:20 PM Depending on where you are, Turlough you could look at a lot of Leon Rosselon's materiel if in UK, ranging from the Diggers in the mid sixteen hundreds right through to present day, or Robb Johnson for more recent stuff.If you are Stateside, the sky is the limit, from Stephen Foster through to dare I say ? Bob Dylan. |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: Jim McLean Date: 18 Oct 03 - 04:08 AM The Ding, Dong, Dollar LP (Folkways) and nearly all the new songs written in Scotland during '59 and the early sixties in Scotland were all political. |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: Wilfried Schaum Date: 18 Oct 03 - 05:13 AM If you're not only interested in English or American songs, take the Marseillaise, originally written for the revolutionary troops in Strasbourg. It became famous under its present name because it was sung by the troops of Marseille when going to the front in 1792 (Valmy and all that). The revolutionary year 1848 brought a full bag of songs about the fight for civil rights and freedom. In the Socialist laager the most famous song was L'Internationale, originally in French, soon translated in all major languages of Europe. Wilfried |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: Turlough Date: 18 Oct 03 - 06:07 AM Wow, this forum doesn't cease to amaze me! These are all very helpful suggestions (and I literally mean ALL of them). I will probably start writing very soon, I will let you know when it is finished. If anybody should be interested in the result, I could always send it to you by e-mail or PM... Turlough |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: Willie-O Date: 18 Oct 03 - 08:29 AM Not political as such, but definitely tactical: The rather well-known Newfoundland log-driving song "The Badger Drive" (in case you're getting funny pictures in your head, Badger is a town in central Newfoundland, and a river) celebrated the log drive and the A.N.D. pulp and paper company which ran it--mentioning some of the company principals by name. The subtext is that the writer of the song had been fired by A.N.D. for drinking on the job. The song was a very successful suck-up--after it got around, he got his job back! The Badger Drive is in the DT. W-O |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 18 Oct 03 - 09:47 AM "Lilliburlero" is often described as "the song that whistled King James out of three kingdoms" |
|
Subject: RE: Folklore: 'Tactical' songs? From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 18 Oct 03 - 09:50 AM And maybe it's a nod in that direction when Arthur O'Shaughnessy in his poem "The Music Makers" wrote: ...And three with a new song's measure Can trample an empire down. |
| Share Thread: |