All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)

Subject: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 02:49 AM

Norwich City Council have cut to the bone several beautiful weeping willow trees along the river Wensum (grrr!). And last night I watched the Steeleye Span video of All Round My Hat on the Now 70's TV channel. I've always loved this song, and it made me wonder if the custom of wearing weeping willow strands around ones hat was a widespread custom in UK, or just a very local one. And how long ago did people do it?
I think it was done to express sadness at a bereavement or a separation from someone dear.

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 03:11 AM

From a citation (#4) under the article about the song in Wiki:

See Othello, 4:3, in which Desdemona sings a willow song and asks Emilia about omens of weeping. Another Elizabethan willow song mentions the wearing of the green willow; this is in a poem by John Heywood, dated circa 1545 (Br. Mus. addit. No. 15,233): "All a green willow, willow, willow, All a green willow is my garland." See Norman Ault, Elizabethan Lyrics, pp. 14–15, 519 (1949). Robert George Whitney Bolwell, The Life and Works of John Heywood, identifies this Heywood work as the song "The Ballad of the Green Willow". He points out that this is a predecessor of Shakespeare's Willow Song, which merely changes the word "is" in the refrain to "must be".

So there is something traditional in the willow representing sadness at the loss and yearning for the return of a loved one. I can't for the life of me remember where, but I read a few years ago that Steeleye's version (which I love) stands out because it's upbeat, in spite of the theme.

I have a recording somewhere of Kathleen Ferrier singing a version of the Elizabethan song mentioned in the citation. And I couldn't help help thinking of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" as having a sort of parallel sentiment...

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 04:00 AM

The Steeleye version was, of course, pre-dated by one from the McCalmans.

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 04:19 AM

I love this one by the Quo and Maddie :-)

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: Lighter
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 07:30 AM

Hence "Around Her Neck She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," first noted ca 1908.

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: Long Firm Freddie
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 08:25 AM

First published version 1834:

Willow

LFF

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: GUEST,Nick Dow
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 09:47 AM

Steeleye, used two separate songs. The first is based on the Barrow boy-Penny Gaff-Music Hall rewrite of the Nobleman's Wedding. Hence the 'All around my Hat reference and the tune. The second is based upon the verses for 'Farwell he/she, which may be found in numerous collections.
If you wish to hear the original listen to Joe Holmes or Eddie Butcher for the first and Cyril Tawney and many others for the second.
Chase up the Barrow Boy version in Ballads online, and you will find it waiting complete with street cries 'Get your cauliflowers here!'
Seems to have been a happy and lucrative musical marriage, so no criticism intended.

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 10:35 AM

My favourite version of the song is from, contributor to this site, Brian Peters

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 10:37 AM

Sorry, Brian Peters' version

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 10:47 AM

Ah, thank you everybody, this is all so interesting!I should have remembered Othello, I studied it at University as part of the English Literature section of my MA. I like the Steeleye Span song very much.
I will be trying to find out why those beautiful trees in Norwich Riverside were hacked down.

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 12:22 PM

'All around my hat' as recorded by Steeleye Span was produced by Mike Batt. It has Mike's mid 70's fingerprints all over it. Shuffle boogie meets folk. Mike of course was responsible for writing for, arranging and creating the Wombles kids TV show linked pop group.   Indeed Steeleye Span once filled in by miming as the Wombles on Top of the Pops.

I did see film of naked male dancers armed only with hats to cover their modesty, performing a hat dance to Steeleye Span's recording of 'All around my hat'. Only thing was the timing of hat movement went out of sync leading - to unfortunate moments of exposure.

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 01:30 PM

Very amusing. It wasn't their "modesty" they were covering, however!

Then of course there was The Fast Show version with Bob Fleming and Jed Thomas - "All Around My ARSE..." - immortal! Haste ye to YouTube!

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 22 Feb 23 - 01:35 PM

Sean O Casey wrote a version at the start of the previous century. There is a recording on 'The green crow caws' with Paul Brady, Seamus Ennis and others.

See Here

Subject: RE: All Round My Hat (Steeleye Span)
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 24 Feb 23 - 04:02 AM

And there is the variation

And if anyone should ask me the reason why I'm wearing it
It's none of their business. It's my f***ing hat!