Songs whose emphasis or meaning changed

Subject: Origins: songs whose emphasis or meaning changed
From: steve in ottawa
Date: 15 Mar 04 - 11:07 PM

The "worst songs" thread got me thinking about "songs that work well unintentionally" and then I got to thinking about songs that work differently today than they did when they were written.

I saw a songbook from the 20s? a while back and was surprised to see "Frankie and Johnnie" listed as being comic. Certainly, I don't think very many people today think of "Frankie and Johnnie" as being a funny song.

Anyone know of other examples of songs whose meaning/emphasis has changed over the years?

Subject: RE: Origins: songs whose emphasis or meaning changed
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 15 Mar 04 - 11:26 PM

How about "The Mountains of Mourne?" I've heard that it was first written to poke fun at a naive country boy, but now people don't see the humor. I know that when I first heard it as a teenager, I thought it a sympathetic song about someone coming to a big city in a strange country.

Subject: RE: Origins: songs whose emphasis or meaning changed
From: Amos
Date: 15 Mar 04 - 11:27 PM

A lot of Gilded Age Tunes like "It's the Sime the 'Ole World Over" and "Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage" were taken seriously during their hey-day, but because of their extreme sentimentality, sound ludicrous and comic today.

A lot of shanties have sort of degenerated from actual work songs to more refined "Let's Celebrate the Days of Sail" presentation songs.

Political correctness has drained the vigah out of many tunes (off hand, for example, Whoop Jamboree and Jimmy Crack Corn and Way Down Yonder in the Cornfield).
And "Chronologically Advantaged, Chromatically Deprived, African-American Joe".

A

Subject: RE: Origins: songs whose emphasis or meaning chan
From: greg stephens
Date: 16 Mar 04 - 03:49 AM

Well, I still think Frankie and Johnny is pretty funny.
"Rum tum tum three times she shot him
Right through that hard wood door" is pretty much guaranteed a laugh I would have thought. Especially as the only singers I know who do this song invariably liven it up with dramatic gestures and expressions.

Subject: RE: Origins: songs whose emphasis or meaning changed
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 16 Mar 04 - 04:11 AM

Mountains of Mourne is actualy a song to take the mickey out of the English which it does very well.
eric

Subject: RE: Origins: songs whose emphasis or meaning changed
From: Joe_F
Date: 16 Mar 04 - 07:48 PM

I have sometimes wondered about "The Reel of Stumpie". The images it calls up are dreadful today, even to a man; but I have a dreadful suspicion that if men sang it two centuries ago, they snickered at it.

Subject: RE: Origins: songs whose emphasis or meaning changed
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Mar 04 - 08:15 PM

Most people seem to think The Titanic is a jolly song.

And you don't get many people sing The Wild Rover in a style appropriate for a temperance ballad.

And people often miss the message in The Patriot Game that the game is ultimately futile, and a con-trick on young O'Hanlon.

Subject: RE: Origins: songs whose emphasis or meaning changed
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 16 Mar 04 - 08:30 PM

What is funny about shooting through a door? Hardwood or softwood?

Subject: RE: Origins: songs whose emphasis or meaning changed
From: Johnny in OKC
Date: 17 Mar 04 - 12:41 AM

All those Stephen Foster songs about DARKIES
are being taken the wrong way.

At the time, "darkie" was a term of sympathy,
if not respect. Foster was an abolitionist.

Love, Johnny

Subject: RE: Songs whose emphasis or meaning changed
From: steve in ottawa
Date: 17 Mar 04 - 12:38 PM

The first rendition I ever heard of Frankie and Johnnie was Carl Sandburg's. He sang happy songs happy (Yon Yonson, Horse Named Bill) and sad songs sad (I left my baby lying here, aka HIGHLAND FAIRY LULLABY)...although it has just occurred to me that the latter could be sung comically: who in the world would be dumb enough to put the baby down while gathering mayberries? ...and I see I'll have to do a lyric-add tomorrow for that song :-)

Subject: RE: Songs whose emphasis or meaning changed
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 17 Mar 04 - 12:51 PM

"who in the world would be dumb enough to put the baby down while gathering mayberries?" Sounds quite a normal thing to do.

Subject: RE: Songs whose emphasis or meaning changed
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 17 Mar 04 - 11:24 PM

"who in the world would be dumb enough to put the baby down while gathering mayberries"

I work in a retail store. I have seen mothers let their kids go out into the parking lot, play with glass items and pick up the box knives. I think it's called The Dumbing of America.