why there are so few Sharons in song

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 23 Aug 07 - 07:41 AM

Monty Python had us believe that all male Australians are called Bruce.

I once had an Ozzie friend called Bruce - and he married a Sheila!

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: robomatic
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 05:13 PM

For the truth is that later that day, I found myself entering Sharon...

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Azizi
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 05:01 PM

In my experience, the name "Sharon" is alonst always pronounced to rhyme with "Baron".

Actually, I've never known a "Sharon" whose name was pronounced "Sherren" {like "Sherry" but take away the "y" and add "en"}.

But since, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, the names "Sharon" and "Karen" were really widely used twin names among African American females {pre 1970s}, that means that the name "Karen" was/is usually pronounced "KA-run" [which rhymes with "Sharon" and "Baron"-btw, these would have been great rhyming names for two girl and one boy African American triplets.} But the "r" is hardly pronounced at all.

That said, I have known some Black women name "Karen" to pronounce their name "KA-ren" and not "Ka-run".

**
And btw, Marje, in the USA, a lot of sheep would rather skate than talk.

:o}

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Colin Randall
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 04:47 PM

Namism now! We once had a babysitter called both Sharon AND Tracy, and she was as bright an individual as I'd ever met, and from Yorkshire not Essex.

But there aren't many songs about Colins either - I once had a huge interview with Linda Thompson on a Telegraph arts page, my own name up there in bold characters, only for the opposite page to be dominated by a piece from Colin Firth on the tragedy of being saddled with such a naff first name.

But I bet loads of other Mudcat subscribers have been scratching their heads when thinking of folk or any other song lyrics that include their names

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Marje
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 03:54 PM

But now, SharonA, you've got me wondering whether Americans and Brits make the same AHHH noise for their doctors, and whether American sheep make the same "Baaaa" as British ones...

Marje

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Becca72
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 02:33 PM

I'm with Leeneia on this one...where I'm from they all rhyme...

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: GUEST,SharonA, logged out
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 02:17 PM

Leeneia: "Share-en" means saying the word "share" (with a long "A" and a silent "E"), and then saying "en" (as in the letter "N").

This does not rhyme with "baron" or "barren" (both of which have a short "A" sound) in US English or, apparently, in UK English.

Long "A" sound: Ayyyyyyyyy (like Fonzie used to say on "Happy Days")
Short "A" sound: Aaaaaa (like a sheep: baaaaaa)
Not to be confused with Ahhhhhhh (like the doctor tells you to say when he sticks the tongue depressor in your mouth and looks at your throat)

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Marje
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 01:41 PM

Leenia, are you in the US? The examples given may rhyme US English but they don't rhyme in any variant of UK English that I can think of - it's one of these transatlantic misunderstandings that arise here quite often.

Marje

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 11:00 AM

What are you talking about, Snuffy?

baron
barren
Sharon
share-en:

they all rhyme.
========
Bob Coltman, your Tracey Allen verse made me laugh. Thanks!

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: SharonA
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 09:34 AM

By the way, I am a "share-en" as Snuffy says. Around here, there seems to be a culture clash: half the people I know call me "share-en" (generally the folks who come from the outer northern-and-western suburbs of Philly, and beyond into the Lehigh Valley), and the other half call me "shar-un".

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: SharonA
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 09:25 AM

I'm in the Philadelphia PA suburbs, and I know a "Shaz". More accurately, I should say that I know a Sharon (also a resident of this area) who is called "Shaz" by one person. That person was raised in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, although both of his parents are from this area. I'm not sure where the guy picked up his knowledge of the existence of the nickname, though he is a Vietnam War veteran and may have been acquainted with Australians there who used the nickname.

However, I'm not able (or willing) to ask him about it, because he is my ex-boyfriend, and he left me for "Shaz" !

(She, at least, fits the stereotype of the promiscuous, bubble-headed Essex girl, but I certainly would like to think that I do not!)

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Snuffy
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 09:20 AM

In the UK Sharon rhymes with 'barren' and 'baron', I don't think I've ever heard it pronounced 'share-en' as seems to be common in USA.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 07:34 AM

Obviously traditional song has missed out on lots of important opportunities. As a partial remedy:

Come riddle my riddle, dear Mother, he cried,
Come riddle it now as one,
Whether I should marry that Sharon girl
Or bring fair Jennifer home.

or

Twas in the merry month of May
When all green things were bloomin',
Young Jason on his death bed lay,
For love of Tracey Allen.

or the celebrated "Black Jack Brandon":

Come go with me, my pretty little Claire,
Come go with me, my honey,
Come go with me, my pretty little Claire,
And you never shall want for money,
You never shall want for money.

or ... but I forbear.

Bob

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 21 Aug 07 - 03:31 AM

I've lost the will to live.

eric

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: M.Ted
Date: 20 Aug 07 - 11:46 AM

The response to the question should really be a crude, cheap joke of some sort, as in, "Why are there so few Sharons in song?" Because they're all out in the parking lot shagging the band" or some such thing--


Oddly, the Google Ad below is for'Live Wedding Music'--

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: JennyO
Date: 20 Aug 07 - 10:28 AM

In fact, almost any of those names in Oz that have an 'ar' or an 'er' in them often seem to be shortened to one of the Z forms. I've heard of all of these. There was a Gerry and a Gary in my family, and they were shortened to Gez and Gaz.

Gary - Gaz or Gazza
Barry - Baz or Bazza
Mary - Maz or Mazza
Gerry - Gez or Gezza
Karen - Kaz or Kazza
Carol - Caz or Cazza

As far as Sharon is concerned, I know it's not quite the same, but there was "My Sharona". Only an extra a :-)

My name, Jennifer or Jenny must be one of the most used names in songs actually. As well as the ones mentioned so far - Poor Jenny, Jennifer Juniper and Jennifer Eccles, there was one called "Jenny Jenny Jenny". by Little Richard. My first boyfriend used to sing it to me -

    Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
    Won't you come along with me
    Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
    Won't you come along with me
    You know that I love you
    We could live so happily

    Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
    spinnin' like a spinnin' top
    Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
    Spinnin' like you ain't gonna stop
    The greatest little momma
    You oughta see her reel and rock

    Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
    Won't you come along with me
    Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
    Won't you come along with me
    You know that I love you
    We could live so happily

    Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
    Girl I need you by my side
    Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
    You know I need you by my side
    You know I need you pretty baby
    Your ways I gotta really abide now

    Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
    Won't you come along with me
    Jenny, Jenny, Jenny
    Won't you come along with me
    You know that I love you
    We could live so happily

Then there's that "darlin' sportin' Jenny" in "Whiskey in the Jar".

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Nick
Date: 20 Aug 07 - 09:07 AM

>>The much maligned Sharon, Tracey and Sandra, however, were seen half as often as expected and the authors say that as we enter the new millennium these names should make way for the more popular "Hampshire Girls".

Might it be that they weren't bright enough to realise that they should attend?

(What's the difference between an Essex girl and a shopping trolley? A shopping trolley has a mind of it's own)

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Marje
Date: 20 Aug 07 - 06:23 AM

Hey Jack (original post in this thread) - isn't this a bit sexist? I don't suppose the GU clinics are frequented only by women. How about the names of males attending - does "Jack" appear in the top ten, I wonder?

I bet my name doesn't - most other Marjories seem to be over 80, and thus at a low risk of contracting a GU infection. On the other hand, I should think there are lots of us with Alzheimers :-(

Although this seems to come as a surprise some people, the names at any clinic (GU or otherwise) are never going to be a random cross-section of the population; they're bound to be skewed in certain ways, reflecting the genders, ages, socio-economic groupings and lifetyles of their patients.

Just as, if folk songs are to be relied on as evidence, most young men who went off to sea or to join the army were called William (or possibly Johnny), and most of their sweethearts Nancy or Betsy.(Well, someone had to try to keep this thread on topic!)

Marje

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Azizi
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 11:05 PM

Thanks, Rowan.

I love learning things like that!

Of course, I have a special fondness for folks who have two "z"s in their name, though I can't imagine why.

;o)

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Rowan
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 10:26 PM

G'day again Azizi,
Although I can't pretend to be an ultimate authority on the matter, I suspect the two films concerning the Adventures of Barry McKenzie may be responsible for instigating the use of "Bazza" for "Barry". They were Oz films (and may well have initiated the use of the term "Oz" as a substitute for "Aussie") made in the early 70s and, were set (and filmed) in London. They mercilessly lampooned the interactions between Australians in Britain and their British hosts and became somewhat iconic. The satyrical (and satirical) "Private Eye" magazine was also instrumental in all this "taking the piss" out of all concerned as well.

The substitution of "Bazza" for "Barry" rapidly led to similar substitutions of "Gazza" for "Gary" and "Shazza" for "Sharon"; the almost universal Oz prediliction for shortening anything to one syllable inevitably led to Bazz, Gazz and Shazz entering popular use but, to my mind, there is almost always an element of lampoon lurking when they're used. Much like the original Bazza McKenzie efforts.

I hope this helps enlighten you,

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Azizi
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 08:20 PM

Good evening, Rowan, :o)

I've never heard the nicknames Shazz, Shazzy, and Shazza" for the Sharon {or for any other female name, for that matter). So are you saying that those names are an Oz custom?

I wonder if any folks from the USA, Canada, or the UK have heard those nicknames?

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Rowan
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:56 PM

G'day Azizi,
About your "the name Shazz, Shazzy, and Shazza, as nicknames for Sharon", I've heard the first and last of your three (never "Shazzy", though) in Oz-speak. Mostly as part of overemphasising Ozness by lampooning it and mostly in the last 30 years.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Jack Campin
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:33 AM

To document the stereotype a bit further I googled "Fat Slags" - I misremembered, they're Sandra and Tracy, not Sharon and Tracy. The list of click-throughs Google thinks you might be interested in is a bit surprising.

Meanwhile there is more on the stereotype at http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/s.htm

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Leadbelly
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 06:23 AM

To JennieG:

I believe you think of "Jennifer Eccles" by the Hollies.

Manfred

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Genie
Date: 19 Aug 07 - 03:22 AM

Gary, that "Entering Marion" song is hilarious!

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: JennieG
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 09:05 PM

Jennifer Juniper was Donovan? well well.....it has been a long time after all.

I don't remember any Sharons in my generation at school in a NSW country town. We had a Karen, and she pronounced her name with a long a, I have never come across that before or since.

Many of the girls I went to school with were called Jennifer. Or Joan, Judith, Jean, J names were very popular in the late 40s-early 50s. Helen, Susan, Wendy, Pamela, Yvonne - names I remember from high school.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: pdq
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 08:37 PM

In kindergarten, we must have had a girl named Sharon Sharalike. Heard about her a lot but don't recall seeing her.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: dulcimer42
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 08:28 PM

I'm a Sharon, and there just don't seem to be many of us in the younger generation. We were all over the place in the 50s. In my class of 24 in a little country school, there were 4 sharons and 2 karens. Today? Probably 0 at the entire local school, let alone in the songs being written.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Leadbelly
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 04:07 PM

To Becca:
There's a Becca song on YouTube. Please have a look.

For promotional purposes you would have had a chance in the 60': Lovely Miss Becca is listening to Decca (a record company). Aarrrgh, rubbish.

But I suppose your real name is Rebecca, isn't it?

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Becca72
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 02:21 PM

I don't think I've ever heard a song with my name in it. Other than the one my sister made up when I was a kid in which she rhymed Becca with Pecka...apply the northern New England accent and you'll understand why I used to get upset :-)

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: John Hardly
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 12:32 PM

I'm sure someone knows the definitive answer to the original question, but so far they aren't, you know, sharon.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 12:09 PM

Here are the Bible verses that refer to Sharon. Many of them are beautiful to read, though it is startling to hear that Sharon had suburbs.
=====

Acts 9:35 All who lived at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.

1 Chronicles 5:16 They lived in Gilead in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the suburbs of Sharon, as far as their borders.

1 Chronicles 27:29: and over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite

Song of Songs 2:1 I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.


Isaiah 33:9 The land mourns and languishes. Lebanon is confounded and withers away. Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel are stripped bare.

Isaiah 35:2 It will blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. Lebanon's glory Lebanon will be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They will see Yahweh's glory, the excellence of our God.

Isaiah 65:10 Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down in

====
I think it interesting that "Sharon's" popularity peaked in wartime. I think these Bible images of a mysterious place with flocks, roses, lilies and yes, suburbs, appealed to people.

Most Sharons I have known have the middle name Rose.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Gorgeous Gary
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 11:50 AM

In "Entering Marion", John Forster passes through Sharon as well (not to mention Beverly)

-- Gary

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Azizi
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 08:59 AM

around here at least, African American females tend to have names that end in "-sha" (Aisha, Lanisha, Moesha, etc

SharonA, imo, there are certain sound preferences that groups of people have that greatly influence the type/s of musical voices that members in that group find attractive and find unattractive. For instance, one major type of singing voice that African Americans and Jamaicans {and perhaps other Afro-Caribbean people} like are gritty, gravelly, smokey voices. {But as a group, African Americans also like falsetto male voices}.

Just as groups of people have preferences for singing voices, I think that groups of people also have preferences for the sounds that make up certain personal names. A name's length {whether it is one syllable, or it is two syllables or three syllables or more are important factors which determine if a specific name will be considered attractive. Other considerations are whether the name has "unusual" [for that group]and therefore difficult to pronounce consonents clusters. In addition, cultural connotations associated with specific sounds help to determine if that sound is pleasing or displeasing to a particular group. For instance, imo, the letter "u" {pronunced "oo"} at the end of a name has the negative association sound of a cow "mooing" {few Americans want to name their daughter or son after a cow}. And the beginning letter "U" has even more negative associations for Americans as it is the beginning letter for the word "ugly". Given this theory, I figured that the Black doll which was heavily marketed in the 1970s and was given the Swahili female name Tamu {tah-MOO} which means "sweatness" wasn't going to sell-partly because of that name. I also guessed correctly that the name Tamu would rarely be selected by parents as their daughter's name. Other African/Arabic names which became known during that decade have become "standard" African American names. But not Tamu.

What I'm suggesting {and surely someone else has articulated this theory before ?} is that certain prefixes {beginning elements, and their sounds} and certain suffixes {ending elements, and their sounds}are more aesthetically pleasing to some groups of people than others. I don't know why this is, but preferences for the beginning and/or ending sounds of personal names/nicknames certainly appears to exist among specific groups of people. The group's preference for some of these preferred prefixes and suffixes may wax & wane or over time be rejected {as I think has happened with African Americans with regard to the "Th" beginning sound and the "ous","us" and "eos" ending sounds in male names such as Theodous, Theophilus, and Thaddeus. But sometimes, the preference for specific sounds of names stays very constant {examples anong African Americans are the "La" prefix, particularly in female names [I've read that some "La" names were collected among African Americans as early as the late 19th century. And "La" as a prefix is very common among African Amerian girls since the 1980s {Examples of La names-Latisha, Latosha, Latoya}. "Da" {pronounced DAY} is a prefix that is very popular among African American males since at least the 1980s. When combined with the commonly used suffix or middle syllable "aun", "on", and aun's variant "quan", you get male names such as "Daquan" {pronounced DAY quan} and Davonte {pronounced day-VON-tay. The standard nickname for both of these male names and a host of other male names that start with "Da" is "Day Day".

All of this to say, there appears to me to be little doubt that "sha" {"cha"} is one of the most consistently preferred prefixes {at least since the l950s and maybe earlier than that} for African American females {and to a somewhat lesser extent African American males. "Sha" {"Cha"} is pronounced "SHAH". I'm not sure why the sound of this prefix is so aesthetically pleasing to African Americans {and I'm curious if other people of African descent, for instance, Black Britons have the same sound preferences as African Americans}. I could speculate that that sound preference among African Americans came from that prefix's use in the Biblical name Sharon and/or from the Arabic names such as the female names Shadha - Aromatic; Shadiyah - Singer, story teller; and Shareefa - Noble that begin with "Sha" {since there is historical documentation that some Africans who were brought to the United States and enslaved were Arabic speaking Muslims.} The Arabic male name Sharif {Shareef} and its female variant Sharifa {Shareefah} are very similar spellings and meanings as the Persian word/last name Shah.
But that would be pure speculation.

However, it is interesting to see the similarities in spelling and meanings between certain Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian "sha" names.   Given the history of these people, I wouldn't at all be surprised if there was some connection between each of these names. But I don't know {though I think some researchers must know} which names came first-the Arabic, Hebrew, or Persian "Sha" royalty names.

**

Since the late 1960s, early 1970s "isha" has been a commonly used suffix in African American names. "Isha" is pronounced and also written as "eesha". A variant form of that suffix is "iesha" {pronounced EYE-eesha}. The suffix probably became familiar to African Americans through the Arabic female names Ayesha, Maisha, and the West African name Keisha {said to mean "favorite daughter"; however I think that this name is also related to the Hebrew female Kezia .

**

This is a long response to a short question so I'll stop right here.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 07:49 AM

Jennifer Juniper was Donovan

Rose of Sharon also features as a name in Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath"

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 07:42 AM

Or Mollies.

LTS

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: John J
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 07:37 AM

cos they're all Nancies.

John

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Azizi
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 07:06 AM

darn! I didn't mean for the italic feature to remain on.

Sorry about that.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Azizi
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 07:03 AM

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Sharon gives this information for the name Sharon:

"The girl's name Sharon \sh(a)-ron\ is pronounced SHARE-en. It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is "a fertile plain". Biblical place name: refers to flat land at the foot of Mount Carmel. The Song of Solomon describes the beloved Schulamite woman as a flower of Sharon. Actresses Sharon Gless, Sharon Stone.

Sharon has 28 variant forms: Charin, Cheron, Shara, Sharan, Shareen, Shareena, Sharen, Sharena, Sharene, Shari, Sharie, Sharla, Sharolyn, Sharona, Sharonda, Sharonna, Sharren, Sharrin, Sharron, Sharronne, Sharyn, Sheran, Sheron, Sherri, Sherron, Sherry, Sheryn and Sherynn."

-snip-

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharon :

Sharon (שָׁרוֹן, Standard Hebrew Šaron, Tiberian Hebrew Šārôn) is a Female (or, less frequently, male) name which can be spelt with one "r" or two (Sharron). It also refers to several places in the world: From an Old Testament place name meaning "forest" in Hebrew, referring to a fertile plain near the coast of Israel. This is also the name of a type of flowering shrub, the rose of Sharon. Various nicknames of Sharon include Sharai, Sharona, Sharonald, Sharry, Sherri, Sherrie, Sherye, Shazz, Shazzy and Shazza.
-snip-

[Personally, I;ve never hear the name Shazz, Shazzy, and Shazza, as nicknames for Sharon or otherwise]

**
Pamela Samuelson's book Baby Names For The New Century {Harper Books, p. 914; 1994} gives this information:
"Sharon {SHAR-on} English, Hebrew; "flat plain". reference to the fertile plain between Jaffa and Mount Carmel, Isreal. Movies and Television: Sharon Ritchie, Miss America 1956; Sharon Stone actress (Basic Instinct); Literature: Sharon Falconer, character in Sinclair Lewis' novel Elmer Gantry "
-snip-

**
SharonA, note that the wikipedia entry includes the name Sharai. Samuelson's book gives this information for that name:
"Sharai {shah-RYE} Isreal, Hebrew, "queen's daughter". origin of the English name "Sharon". {p. 913}

Samuelson {and other sources} note that the Hebrew female name "Sarah" means "young royal" or "princess." Samuelson gives more than 25 variants of the nae Sarah [including the name Sally which is featured in a great many folk songs & children's rhymes]. Yet that editor doesn't include the name Sharon in that list, which is curious to me since, according to the entries in her book, both the name Sharon and Sarah mean "princess".

**

In my opinion, ancient Hebrews may have selected the name Sharon name for their daughter because of the association with "fertility" i.e."the fertle plain" or the rose of Sharon ["Sharon" being the flat plain where these roses were found], or because of the status meaning {if that association with Sharai and Sharon is indeed correct]. Perhaps the status meaning came before the place name meaning.[?]..I think that Americans' selection of the female name Sharon were much more influenced by the conection with the Biblical "rose of Sharon" and not "the flat plain" meaning {if most Americans know this meaning, which I doubt}. The fact that Miss America, 1956 was named Sharon probably contributed to that name's popularity- at least until the 1970s when it became "the thing to do" to select multicultural and/or "unique" and/or "different" [meaning names different from the "old fashioned" names of the1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.

According to books I have read, African Americans always have had a deeper pool of female and male personal names to draw from than European Americans {since that "pool" included those European names, Hebrew names, and variants of names from those languages, and names from other sources}. Female African American names have aways been more diverse than African American male names. However, since the 1990s, African American male names appear to diverge from "mainstream American names" much more than they ever have before.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: cptsnapper
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 05:48 AM

Don't forget Sharon Fountain, the singer / songwriter from Barnsley.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: GUEST,ifor
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 04:41 AM

" I am the rose of Sharon and the lilies of the valley."

Song of Solomon
Solomon 2:1

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Genie
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 04:37 AM

From the musical "Finian's Rainbow," in which the female lead character is Sharon McLonergan, there's the song "When I'm Not Near The Girl I Love (I Love The Girl I'm Near," which contains the line (sung by the leprechaun Og):

"for Sharon I'm carin', but Susan I'm choosin' --
I'm faithful to who's 'un is near ... "

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: SharonA
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 04:12 AM

Azizi, reading your post about names for female African American twins made me think that, around here at least, African American females tend to have names that end in "-sha" (Aisha, Lanisha, Moesha, etc.). Then I started wondering if the "-sha" has any ties to the interpretation of the name Sharon as "princess." Know anything about that?

I've been Googling the meaning of "Sharon" and, for the most part so far, I'm coming up with "plain" or "fertile plain" or "fruitful" (referring to fertile, I guess), along with one or two "princess"es (and one "exotic princess"-- whee!). Everyone seems to agree that it has its origins in the Hebrew language. I found only one interpretation of "forest" and that was on Wikipedia, so the accuracy of that reference is in doubt! Even so, "forest" may be another translation of the fertility factor in the original word (i.e. lots of vegetation growing on the plain).

As for the Essex girl jokes, I too was unaware of that bit of European culture! No wonder I don't git no respect around here... ;^)

Sharon the Unstereotypical

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Azizi
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 03:52 AM

The much maligned "Sharon", "Tracey" and "Sandra", who have been the butt of so many Essex girl jokes...

Well, this is another example of how UK culture is different than American culture. I never knew that these names were maligned. And I've never heard of "Essex girl jokes" before reading that phrase in that post.

I suppose it probably goes without saying that there are different naming traditions within the USA. A list of African American favorite names and commonly used names for females would be very different than the lists that have been shared thus far in this thread. And a lot of those names on those lists were/are hardly ever given to Black {African American} females. A list of favorite American male names would also be different than the names that African Americans give to males since the 1960s.{Though there is a bit more convergence between White and Black Americans with regard to male names}.

Fwiw, the names Sharon and Karen used to be popular names for Black twin girls in the 1950s. In my experience, the only rivals in popularly for twin names at that time were Brenda and Linda. In my experience and as a result of my informal research, I would say that since the late 1950s/mid 1960s, the female names I cited are seldom given to African American females, with the possible exception of the name "Linda".

I'm not sure what the most popular African American female twin names are nowadays. But I know that they are either rhyming names like "Kia" {also spelled Keeya, Keya, Kya} and "Breeya" {also spelled "Briya"}or they have the same first letter such Latosha and Latoya or the same ending sound such as Tiyanna and Breanna.

And whereas a name like Jennifer was popular among White and non-White Americans in the 1970s, you hardly ever see that name given to an African American girl in the early/almost mid 2000s.

I hasten to say that some of my best girl friends have what African Americans nowadays would consider to be old fashioned names like Sharon, Karen, Cynthia, Deborah, Delores, Barbara, and Brenda.

Heck, I used to have one of these names myself!

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Mikefule
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 03:39 AM

Tracy, Tracy, give me your answer do...
Let`s get racy in my Ford XR2.
It`s a car you won`t disparage,
I`ve just had it tuned at the garage
And you`ll cling to your seat as we burn up the street
In my turbo-charged XR2.

Kevin, Kevin, this is my answer true:
Pick me up at seven, and show me what it will do.
I`ll bring Wayne and Karen,
And Gavin and Darren and Sharon
And we`ll have fun as we`re doing the ton
In the back of your XR2.

Tracy, Tracy, you didn`t understand:
When I said "racy" it was not just a drive I`d planned.
I know a place where we can park
And at half past eight when it gets dark
I`ll give you a treat in the reclining seat
Of my turbo-charged XR2.

Kevin, Kevin, you mustn`t try it on
Or I`ll get Gavin to come round and thump you one
For he is my true lover
And when it comes to burning rubber
His car will beat yours down any street
It`s a Toyota MR2.

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Mr Red
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 03:24 AM

that list of names will change in years to come (pun not intended)

Fashions in peoples' names is a constantly moving feast.

Good job Jenny Taylor was not in the list

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: JennieG
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 03:01 AM

I forgot "Jennifer juniper" - wasn't that in the 60s, by the Hollies or a similar group?

In the book "Freakonomics" there is a whole chapter devoted to how different socio-economic backgrounds are responsible for trends in names.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: JennieG
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 02:54 AM

Our folk club has theme nights and last year one of the themes was 'songs or poems that have people's names in them' - one could gain extra (imaginary) bonus points if the song had one's own name in it!

I found "When the sheep are in the fold Jennie dear", an old tearjerker from nigh on 100 years ago; "Poor Jenny" by the Everly Brothers (although I don't spell my name with a Y); and "Amazing Grace" - Grace is my middle name.

How many songs have your name in them?

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 02:16 AM

It was from some 'meaning of names' site that now eludes me, which also gave Sherry as a derivitive.


LTS

Subject: RE: why there are so few Sharons in song
From: SharonA
Date: 18 Aug 07 - 01:51 AM

Liz: It means "forest"??? I've never read that (and I've had reason to read quite a bit about the name over the years)! I've read that it means "plain" as a place name, and also that it means "princess". Where did you find the info on "forest"?


Freightdawg, that was so beautiful... *sniff* :,^)

There's another "I Ain't Sharin' Sharon" song, by Hank Williams Jr.

...and yet another "I Ain't Sharin' Sharon" performed by James Darren. I can't find the lyrics posted anywhere, but you can hear a clip at Yahoo Music and elsewhere.

We also have: "S.H.A.R.O.N." by Deacon Blue & Ricky Ross

"Sharon" by David Bromberg

"Rose of Sharon" by Xiu Xiu

"Rose of Sharon" by Kevin Clay

...and the hymn "Jesus, Rose of Sharon"

Then there's "Sherry Baby" by Frankie Valli, which is a bit of a stretch, but as a kid my family called me Sherry (and my older brothers used to sing that song at me to tease me!).