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Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin
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Subject: ADD: Willie Jean From: GUEST,Folkpunch Date: 11 Apr 12 - 07:08 PM There's a song I've been singing since 1966, called Willie Jean. I learned it from local players in California. Nobody ever said who wrote it or where it came from. Back in the early 80s and old friend who was a jazz and blues record collector swore to me that it was an old Willie McTell song – he put me in touch with someone who said they could prove it, said they had the 78. I went to see this person but they were all packed up, moving out of town. Starting to sound like a flying saucer story…. I went to the Library Of Congress and could only find it listed as Public Domain. I listened to a couple of versions in the listening chamber: Hoyt Axton, Mose Allison. Every once in a while I do another web search and it always just goes back to the Blues Magoos. There must be more…. Does anybody know anything about this song? Here's the lyrics as I sing them. WILLIE JEAN sometimes I think about the folks back home that twelve mile stretch of road that we used to roam sometimes I think about a little girl named Willie Jean did she ever get as far as New Orleans we used to lie on a hilltop, catch that risin' sun walk down by the river to see that old river run oh god it easy then to make her feel like a queen did she ever get as far as New Orleans we used to walk hand in hand down by the river bank drink hot water from an old railway tank she turned into a woman at the age of seventeen did she ever get as far as New Orleans my mama used to tell me, son don't you ever come to harm look at me here people, I'm on this goddamn county farm sometimes I lie awake just thinkin' about sweet Willie Jean did she ever get as far as New Orleans sometimes I think about the folks back home and I wonder do they miss me or even think of me since I been on the roam and sometimes I think about a little girl named Willie Jean did she ever get as far as New Orleans |
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Subject: ADD Versions: Willie Jean From: Joe Offer Date: 11 Apr 12 - 09:03 PM Sometimes, after Mudcat being around for almost 16 years, it seems we must have covered every song in the folk genre. Not so. This song has been mentioned here twice, but never posted until "folkpunch" posted it today. It's not listed in the Traditional Ballad Index or the Roud Folk Song Index. It's a great song. I can't recall hearing it ever before. Joe & Eddie have a recording, but it's only an instrumental and bears little resemblance to other recordings with this name. I found several versions on Spotify, and I'll post a few. The Harry Fox Agency has a song titled "Willie Jean" attributed to Hoyt Axton, and recorded by Axton, by David Crosby, and by the Byrds. Based on what I can find, I'd attribute the song to Hoyt Axton. WILLIE JEAN from a recording by David Crosby on an album titled Sixties Transformation WILLIE JEAN From the 1965 Hoyt Axton album Saturday's Child, which features a photo of a very young Hoyt Axton on the cover. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q1sm359Bz8 A lyrics website had the following verse, but I haven't yet found a recording with it:
Yeah and all the times we were runnin' wild Sometimes I think about a girl name Willie Jean Did she ever get as far as New Orleans? Byrds recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjeFPkAOSrk |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST,999 Date: 11 Apr 12 - 09:21 PM Credit given to Hoyt Axton on this 45 rpm label |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: Mick Pearce (MCP) Date: 12 Apr 12 - 04:48 AM Here's a post I made last night, then couldn't connect to Mudcat when I hit submit and not afterwards: Earliest recording of a song of that name at LOC is from 1960: Indigo plying and singing his blues by Jimmy Drew. Here's an ad for the LP for sale giving a date of 1962 Jimmy Drew - Indigo. The next at LOC is Hoyt Axton Saturday's Child, which LOC dates as 1964?. There's an mp3 of the track in his discography for this record at Hoyt Axton's site. Hoyt Axton is credited with the song in several places including this one Rod McDonald - Recognition, which if the lyrics posted threre are correct includes that verse Joe. Mick |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 12 Apr 12 - 10:16 AM There are a couple of versions of this on YouTube. Just search for "Willie Jean." |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST Date: 14 Dec 12 - 11:34 PM Can anyone tell me where I can down load this song. It is my name sake |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: michaelr Date: 15 Dec 12 - 10:45 AM Michael Jackson wrote it.
-Joe Offer, Mudcat Music Editor- |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST,rcat Date: 13 Apr 13 - 01:17 AM I also learned this song in the sixties from someone who learned it from someone. Always thought it was "traditional." Here are the lyrics as I learned them: Sometimes I think about the folks back home That old twelve mile stretch of road I used to roam I sit and I think about young Willie Jean I wonder if she made it to New Orleans I used to chase that girl down an old windy beach Don't you know she was always runnin', just a little out of reach And I sit and I think about young Willie Jean I wonder if she made it to New Orleans My folks always told me, someday you'll come to harm And sure enough here I am . . . on a prison farm Yeah I sit and I think about young Willie Jean Wondering isf she made it to New Orleans |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 13 Apr 13 - 12:49 PM Decca, 1961, issued a 45rpm with Jimmy Drew singing "Willie Jean." |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST Date: 24 Jun 19 - 10:32 PM I first came across this song when I found it on a 45 rpm record in the discount rack, recorded by The Shadows of Knight. This was back in the 60s and by the time I bought the record the band had dissolved to just being the singer, Jim Sohns. The story behind the recording is that it was the Swann song of their drummer before he left the group. He sang the song, (unknowingly by the rest of the band who just decided to use it), but he didn’t write it. I’m pretty sure the 45 listed a name for the songwriter but I can’t remember it. I used to be able to find info on the song on Wikipedia, but not anymore. It was earlier recorded by the Blues Magoos as “Sometimes I Think About”, but I never liked their version and for me The Shadows of Knight version is the definitive. It’s been recorded by any number of people since. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST,The same “guest” as above Date: 24 Jun 19 - 10:55 PM Update: I was able to find a picture of the 45 rpm record I bought. The song writing credit went to: Traditional - Arr by H. Pye As to the Jimmy Drew recording above, the songwriter’s credit was given to Jimmy Drew, however you need to realize an old trick of the publishing/recording industry was to simply take writing credit for public domain songs just to get a royalty. That is also what the Arranger credit was for. As to who H. Pye was, maybe it was a drummer or just a pseudonym for someone who knew they could make a buck off the credit. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST Date: 27 Dec 20 - 03:49 PM in case anyone comes back to this thread: why did I know a version, which I used to sing, walking home alone at 5 AM in the French Quarter in 1968, in which one of the lines became “a young girl’s dream,” instead of “a girl named Willie Jean”? Was that actually me, making it up to fit my circumstances (I did make there)? Or did I pick it up from someone? If anyone knows who, thanks for responding. |
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Subject: ADD: Young Girl's Dream From: Joe Offer Date: 27 Dec 20 - 04:49 PM On her 1965 Woman Blue album, Judy Roderick recorded a song she called "Young Girl's Dream." It's basically the same song as "Willie Jean." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClTM8Ljr_js Here's my transcription: YOUNG GIRL'S DREAM (as recorded by Judy Roderick) Songwriter: ? (Based on Axton's Willie Jean) Sometimes I think about all the folks back home About a twelve mile road I used to roam Sometimes I think about a young girl's dream Would she ever get down to New Orleans? Sometimes I think about all the folks back there Do they still have the same old county fair? Sometimes I think about a young girl's dream Would she ever get down to New Orleans? Watchin' a steamboats from a river bank, Drinkin' hard water from a railroad loadin' tank; Sometimes I think about the not so long ago, Back when I was much too young to know. People told me if I didn't change, I would bring trouble to my family's name; But it ain't every gal that's got a word for shame, Calmly climb the stairway and play their little game. Sometimes I think about a young girl's dream Would she ever get down to New Orleans? Built on the same song, but quite different. I'm guessing it's correct that Hoyt Axton wrote the original and titled it "Willie Jean." Axton usually did original stuff. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST,garthpool Date: 12 Apr 21 - 09:29 PM I believe Hoyt Axton wrote it. The Harry Fox Agency and other reliable sources say he did, although there are other songs by that title. I am sure nobody has ever come close to Hoyt's magnificent performance of it on the album Saturday's Child. His style, his voice and his guitar playing are the best. His version is haunting and unforgettable. I have listened to all the others I could find and was greatly disappointed in every case. The lyrics posted above by Joe Offer come closest to Hoyt's recording. I came here hoping to find one word that I can't make out on the album. What is that word? "...Yeah, look at me workin' here on this __________? county farm..." That word is stated above to be "goddamn", or "hot old", or "knockdown", or just left out. I don't believe any of them is the word Hoyt used. I hear "Noxon county farm", but is that right? There is a Noxon town in Montana, but I can find no county anywhere by that name. I hope somebody can clear this up. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: Joe Offer Date: 13 Apr 21 - 04:20 AM Hi, Garthpool - I transcribed the Hoyt Axton recording back in 2012 (above), I heard "knockdown," but it could be any one of a number of things. Here's the Hoyt Axton recording on Saturday's Child: The lack of clarity is probably why the Byrds and David Crosby interpreted it as "hot old." Oh, and here's a recording by the Shadows of Knight. Remember them? -Joe- |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST,garthpool Date: 16 Apr 21 - 05:22 AM Thanks for your reply, Joe Offer. Looks like we will never know what word that was. Maybe someone with the equipment to analyze sounds will figure it out. I remember Hoyt's version of Willie Jean very well. I first heard it about fifty years ago, but I might never enjoy it again. My hearing has deteriorated too much. Will see whether hearing aids can help. I don't remember Shadows of Knight, although by the looks of them in that video I should. I am 72. I think their lyric is "on this goddamn county farm." Too bad the video doesn't have closed captioning. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: cnd Date: 16 Apr 21 - 10:20 AM I'm of the opinion that it's a county name, though which is eluding me. I've seen a few websites purport that it's Hatfield or Knoxville, but I'm not convinced. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST,# Date: 16 Apr 21 - 10:53 AM https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858948640/ At that site, the song "Sometime I Think About" is credited to Gilbert Esposito. BUT, note the phrasing of the credit. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST,garthpool Date: 20 May 21 - 03:13 AM I looked up "prison farm" on Wikipedia. The article provides a partial list of names. A long list. To me, none of them would work as the name of the "county farm" in Hoyt Axton's version of Willie Jean. I no longer believe that Hoyt wrote that song, but I am sure that nobody will ever come close to the excellence of his performance of it. |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST,garthpool Date: 20 May 21 - 06:25 PM I checked the names of all the counties in the USA and found no good match for a county farm that sounds like the one Hoyt sings about. I listened to Willie Jean several times today. Despite my bad hearing, I am pretty sure the name he uses is "Knotwood county farm" or "Knockwood county farm." Anybody know a member of Hoyt's family who could give us the facts? |
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Subject: RE: Origins: 'Willie Jean' origin From: GUEST,Joe Date: 28 May 23 - 04:28 PM To round things out, Ron Gilbert and Mike Esposito were members of the Blues Magoos, who called their version of the song "Sometimes I Think About." That be where Gilbert Exposito came from, but it's clear that its wasn't there song. (I think that Sometimes is, perhaps, a definitive version of the song.) Anyway, I also wonder if the song came from Hoyt, or if he reworked something older. |
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