Lindbergh in Song

Many events in history inspire songs – and Charles Lindbergh’s historic flight across the Atlantic Ocean is no exception.  Within 2 days of his landing in Paris several songs were already on the market – the first being “Lucky Lindy” by L. Wolfe Gilbert and Abel Baer.  Within a short period of time, over 300 songs came out of Tin Pan Alley commemorating Lindbergh’s flight. 

Other events in Lindbergh’s life inspired songs too – such as his marriage to Anne Morrow in 1929.  Among these were: “Anne and Lindy” and “We Know You’ll Take Good Care of Lindy”.  The kidnapping and loss of his child, Charles Lindbergh Jr. also inspired the songs “Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr” and “There’s A New Star Up in Heaven (Baby Lindy is Up There” by Bob Miller – recorded just one day following the discovery of the deceased baby.

Below I have included a playlist with a few of the songs I could find in their early recording. 

Have you heard any of these, or others about Lindbergh?  What do you think?

Other posts as part of Charles Lindbergh Week:

• Speeches Made by Charles Lindbergh
• The Lindberghs in Print
• Book Review of Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg

 

Copyright © 2014 by The Maiden’s Court

James K. Polk–by They Might Be Giants

As I have mentioned a couple times before, sometimes my fiancé's music choices actually have some relevance to my blogging – and those are the moments I want to share with you!  Songs from They Might Be Giants have been featured here before and this time we are looking at a song about President James K. Polk.

The only things that my fiancé knows about this president come from this song, and I can actually approve of the historical facts presented here.  The lyrics actually summarize Polk’s presidential experience quite well.  Have a listen and then we will commence discussion.

---

In 1844, the Democrats were split
The three nominees for the presidential candidate
Were Martin Van Buren, a former president and an abolitionist
James Buchanan, a moderate
Louis Cass, a general and expansionist
From Nashville came a dark horse riding up
He was James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump

Austere, severe, he held few people dear
His oratory filled his foes with fear
The factions soon agreed
He's just the man we need
To bring about victory
Fulfill our manifest destiny
And annex the land the Mexicans command
And when the votes were cast the winner was
Mister James K. Polk, Napoleon of the Stump

In four short years he met his every goal
He seized the whole southwest from Mexico
Made sure the tarriffs fell
And made the English sell the Oregon territory
He built an independent treasury
Having done all this he sought no second term
But precious few have mourned the passing of
Mister James K. Polk, our eleventh president
Young Hickory, Napoleon of the Stump

---

The only thing that is slightly off is the reference to Polk being a “dark horse”.  While he certainly wasn’t running for President at that time, he had Presidential aspirations and wasn’t a political unknown.  They successfully refer to: Polk’s 4 goals/successes, his nicknames, and the election of 1844. 

So what do you think?

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

Songs to Remember the Presidents

There are many mnemonic devices that we learn in school or make up to learn various difficult/tedious factoids – especially in history. One of those that plague many people is the list of US Presidents. Many of you, I am sure, have seen the Animaniacs Presidents song – which I am including below in case you have not… Here are the lyrics.

..but I’m willing to bet many of you have not heard these two presidential songs. Both of these are by Jonathan Coulton and I wouldn’t have heard of these songs, except that my fiancé is a fan of Coulton’s, and a lot of his stuff has grown on me – especially a couple of history songs.

First up, this one is called WashyAdJeffy. It is a real mnemonic device to remember the presidents. The idea is that you will learn not only the names of the presidents but also the number of terms for each. The number of syllables used for each name is the number of terms they served. Pretty cool. It only goes up to G. W. Bush as that was who was president at the time the song was written. Here are the lyrics.

The second song, also by Coulton, gives you a little tidbit about each of the presidents as well as naming them in order. This one is appropriately called, The Presidents. Its lyrics have changed slightly since it was first recorded and is performed with a variety of lyrics at live shows to include things that have happened since it was recorded (which was during G.W. Bush’s presidency). Here is one set of lyrics.

Hope you got a little chuckle out of these and maybe learned something from them. I will have the WashyAdJeffy song stuck in my head for the rest of the day now.

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

The Franklin Expedition – Cultural Spin-Off

The plight of the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus has inspired various cultural adaptations in songs, images, and books. Some of these are pretty cool.

Songs:

Several folk songs have been composed about this tragedy including

• Lady Franklin’s Lament (recorded by many artists)

• I’m Already There by Fairport Convention

• Frozen Man by James Taylor

• Northwest Passage by Stan Rogers

Each one focuses on a slightly different aspect of the expedition. Lady Franklin’s Lament is about the wife of Franklin lamenting his loss. I’m Already There is about the expedition itself. Frozen Man was inspired by photographs in National Geographic of the body of Franklin Expedition member John Torrington. Northwest Passage is about explorers who tried to find the Northwest Passage with a portion of the song about the Franklin Expedition.

Images:

Terrifying, dramatic stories are often portrayed in art – those where the results and actual events are unknown are event more fodder for the imagination.

Man Proposes, God Disposes by Edwin Henry Landseer shows two polar bears chewing on both a ship mast and human bones – both symbols of the Franklin Expedition. This image was initially perceived as being made in poor taste.

Man Proposes, God Disposes by Edwin Henry Landseer

The Icebergs by Frederic Edwin Church shows an Arctic iceberg scene with a ships mast placed in the foreground in tribute to the Franklin Expedition.

The Icebergs by Frederic Edwin Church

Both of these are powerful images – although neither shows any actual depictions of the ships.

Books:

Besides the obvious, The Terror by Dan Simmons, other books have been written about the Expedition.

• Journeys and Adventures of Captain Hatteras by Jules Verne – where the titular character tries to retrace the steps of the Franklin Expedition.
• North with Franklin: The Journals of James Fitzjames by John Wilson
• Arctic Drift by Clive Cussler
• Wanting by Richard Flanagan
• Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition by Owen Beattie
• The Quest For Franklin by Noel Wright

Hope you have enjoyed this little cultural trek through the terrifying ordeal of the Franklin Expedition (as much as you can a tragedy).

 

Copyright © 2013 by The Maiden’s Court

Black Sox Scandal in Song

After reading Rothstein by Joseph Pietrusza and learning the in depth story of the Black Sox scandal of 1919 I had to share an interesting song (another one of my boyfriend’s) about just this subject.

Jonathan Coulton performs this song, Kennisaw Mountain Landis, which is a very tongue-in-cheek story of the Black Sox scandal – some historical truth, some pure fiction, but very entertaining. Pass a listen to the song before I set fact from fiction – fyi, there is one foul word I think.

 

Ok, now the facts:

• The Black Sox scandal involves the 1919 World Series game between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds
• 8 players accepted bribes, or were in some way party to, the White Sox throwing the games to the Reds
• The players involved – who were banned for life – Eddie Cicotte, Oscar Felsch, Arnold Gandil, Joe Jackson, Fred McMullin, Charles Risberg, George Weaver, Claude Williams
• Joe Jackson in the song is described as going into pop music – this is most certainly not true
• Arnold Rothstein was most assuredly the big bankroll behind the job
• Kennisaw Mountain Landis was the commissioner of baseball who sorted all of this out and banned the players from baseball

Hope you enjoyed this little foray into sports and gangster history.

 

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

The Mesopotamians

Sometimes when you are reading about something it brings to mind something very obscure. Well that happened this past weekend while doing my homework. I was reading the chapter on the Mesopotamian culture and the next thing I know I am singing a song from one of my boyfriend’s favorite bands which happens to be on the same subject – and then I needed to know more about it.

---

First here is the song for you and I am including the lyrics below as well. The song is, The Mesopotamians by They Might be Giants.

---

We've been driving around
From one end of this town to the other and back
But no one's ever seen us (No one's ever seen us)
Driving our Econoline van (And no one's ever heard of our band)
And no one's ever heard of our band

We're the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

Then they wouldn't understand a word we say
So we'll scratch it all down into the clay
Half believing there will sometime come a day
Someone gives a damn
Maybe when the concrete has crumbled to sand

We're the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

The Mesopotamish sun is beating down
And making cracks in the ground
But there's nowhere else to stand
In Mesopotamia (No one's ever seen us)
The kingdom where we secretly reign
(And no one's ever heard of our band)
The land where we invisibly rule

As the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

This is my last stick of gum
I'm going to cut it up so everybody else gets some
Except for Ashurbanipal, who says my haircut makes me look like a Mohenjo-daroan
Hey, Ashurbanipal

I'm a Mesopotamian
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

We're the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

"Hey, man, I thought that you were dead
I thought you crashed your car"
"No, man, I've been right here this whole time playing bass guitar
For the Mesopotamians"

We're the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

We're the Mesopotamians
Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh

---

Ok, so now for a little bit of information on the four stars: Sargon, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, and Gilgamesh.

Sargon

Sargon was a king of the Semitic Akkadian’s who is remembered through history for his conquest of Sumeria. He reigned from 2270 to 2215 BC. He is commonly looked at as a model for Mesopotamian kings for that period.

Hammurabi

Hammurabi is best known for his code of laws, including “an eye for an eye, and tooth for a tooth”. Contrary to popular belief, Hammurabi did not create this code, but rather he was the one to put all of the current laws onto one code. Hammurabi was the 6^th king of Babylon and ruled from 1792 to 1750 BC.

Ashurbanipal

Ashurbanipal was an Assyrian king, and the last of the strong kings of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. He ruled from 668 to 627 BC. He was known for being cruel to the people he conquered but also was very popular with his people. He is also known for amassing a huge collection of cuneiform tablets which are now located at the British Museum.

Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh was the 5^th king of Uruk – a Sumerian king. He is best known from the Epic of Gilgamesh an epic poem and one of the earliest examples of literature which tells the tales of Gilgamesh. There is a chance that Gilgamesh was a historic figure or may be an amalgamation of a couple historic figures. He likely ruled around 2500 BC.

 

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Titanic in Music

I have previously featured posts about Titanic here but wanted to do something to celebrate the sinking of the Titanic and the loss of lives.  I found some interesting songs about Titanic to share with you all.

First up – from the Carter Family a folk song about the sinking of the Titanic.

The Great Titanic by the Carter Family

There is an album that has been released with original songs composed in celebration of Titanic and Southampton where she set sail from.  It is called Look Out! Southampton’s Titanic Story in Song performed by the White Star Line Up.  I can’t enclose any clips, but if you visit the website they have some song clips you can preview or purchase the album.

There is also a scouting song about the Titanic.

Boy scouts sing the Titanic Song

Then of course, there is the soundtrack to the movie, Titanic.  The score is absolutely beautiful and I love listening to it. 

Any other Titanic songs that you know? Which are your favorites?

 

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson–The Musical

So while I was surfing the web looking up information on the upcoming movie release of Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (more on this next week) I found a little gem of trivia.
Benjamin Walker (who play the venerable president) also previously played another president in a musical – Andrew Jackson in the musical Bloody, Bloody, Andrew Jackson.  So, of course, I had to find out more about this musical I had never heard of.

Bloody, Bloody, Andrew Jackson was performed on Broadway from October 13, 2010 through January 2, 2011.  Despite positive reviews from the critics, it didn’t draw the fans that it needed to prolong it’s Broadway run. 
The show is a rock musical focusing on the career of Andrew Jackson (who is portrayed as an emo rockstar of course) including all of the notable events such as the Indian Removal Act, The Battle of New Orleans, the drama of his marriage to Rachel and much more.  Many other notable personages such as Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, and Martin Van Buren have roles in this play as well.  And of course there are songs!
I don’t know if it looks like a great show that I would have paid Broadway prices to see, but I would probably go see it in an off-Broadway production just to see it.  Below I have included a video clip of a preview of the show – clips of several of the songs as well as a playlist of the songs from the musical.  Please be advised, there is some foul language in both the video and song clips.

Show clips from Bloody, Bloody, Andrew Jackson

The songs aren’t all that bad in terms of the historical information – they are at least interesting.  I just think that it is awesome that a Broadway musical about a president was made.

What do you think of the show based off the songs and video clips?  Would you see it?  Have you seen it? 





Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Music from A Light on the Veranda

As so much of A Light on the Veranda by Ciji Ware is about music, I just had to put together a player for some of the songs mentioned.  I arranged the songs sort of like the progression through the novel - classical to jazz.  Make sure you listen to Peel Me A Grape - a song from a dramatic portion of the novel.  Enjoy!

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Songs of the Assassination of James Garfield

This week I will be sharing some posts with you about the 20th president, James Garfield.  He was someone that I knew almost nothing about, but after I finished reading Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard he is someone I deeply admire.  So stay tuned all week for some different facts about Mr. Garfield.

Today I wanted to share a 2 video clips and song lyrics that I found about the assassination of James Garfield.  I love finding folk songs about historical events.  It is interesting that a president who was only in office for just shy of 6 months has 2 popular (at their own time) songs about him.  I guess it goes to show how the emotional legacy persevered.

First up - Mr. Garfield - this was first recorded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in March of 1949.  This is an epic narrative of the events and emotions surrounding the assassination of James Garfield.  While it was somewhat popular in this version, Johnny Cash made it even more so on his album of songs of the Old West (which James Garfield was not a part of but anyway).  Below I have a clip of Cash performing the song as well as the lyrics (be prepared, I said it was an epic!).

Me and my brother was down close to the depot
When I heard the report of a pistol
I hollered, "I wonder what was that!"

He run out and come back and he said
"That was a report of a pistol"

And I thought I was gonna faint when he said it
"Mr. Garfield's been shot down, shot down, shot down
Mr. Garfield's been shot down low"

Lord, I knew the President was supposed to be down the depot that day
But I just wouldn't let myself believe that he'd been shot

Me and my bother run out there and everybody was all confused
And hollering' and running' round
And I stepped up to this one lady and I said that

"Ma'am what was it really that happened Ma'am?", and she said that
"Mr. Garfield's been shot down, shot down, shot down
Mr. Garfield's been shot down low"

Well, it looked like everybody felt just about as bad as I did
Everybody started drift off to home
Me and my brother did too

Then a few weeks later, I heard that the President was still alive
So I told my brother, I said, "Hey let's get on a train
And go to that Big House up there and see how the President is"

"Let's go up there to where he's laid up hurt and sick we'd see him"
So we went on up there and that big White House
And there was a soldier boy standin' round upside, outside

And, I sidled up to him and I said to that soldier boy
I said "Who was it that did it?
Who was it that shot the President?"
And he said that, "It was Charlie Guiteau that shot Mr. Garfield"

And I said, "Charlie Guiteau done shot down a good man, good man
Charlie Guiteau done shot down a good man low
Charlie Guiteau done shot down a good man, good man"

That soldier boy said that
Miss Lucretia Garfield was always at his bedside
In the heat of the day fannin' him when he was hot

And he said just that mornin' that he had been at the window
And he'd overheard Miss Lucretia and Mr. Garfield talkin'
And Mr Garfield said, "Crete, honey", he called her Crete

He said, "Crete, honey, if somethin' worse would happens to me"
He said, "You get yourself a good man"
And she said, "Now James", she called him James

She said, "James, I won't hear to that now
'Cause I love you too much"

And he said that "You'll make some good man a good wife, good wife
You'll make some man a good wife gal
Don't pull in single harness all your life, good gal
Don't pull in single harness all your life"

That's what he said, "Don't pull in single harness all your life"

Well a little while later, we come back around there
And things have changed
The flag was hangin' halfway up the flagpole

And everybody was cryin' and standin' 'round sad
And I walked back up to this soldier boy and I said
"Soldier boy, is he, is Mr Garfield?" and he said, "Yeah, he's gone"

Gonna lay him by that cold lonesome branch down low
Mr. Garfield's been shot down low
Oh, Mr. Garfield's been shot down, shot down, shot down
Mr. Garfield's been shot down low

Have you heard the news?
Mr. Garfield's been shot down, shot down, shot down
Mr. Garfield's been shot down low, Lord

The second song that I have for you is called Charles Guiteau - this was first recorded in 1927 by Kelly Harrell and has been more popularly recorded by the Phipps Family.  This song is about the assassin.  Apparently this song has been used for other assassins as well and the details are just changed to fit each one.  I have a video of someone performing the song below as well as the lyrics.

Come all you tender Christians
Wherever you may be
And likewise pay attention
To these few lines from me.
On the thirtieth day of June 
I am condemned to die

For the murder of James A. Garfield
Upon the scaffold high.

My name is Charles Guiteau,
My name I'll never deny,
To leave my aged parents
To sorrow and to die.
But little did I think
While in my youthful bloom
I'd be carried to the scaffold
To meet my fatal doom.

I tried to play off insane
But found it would not do;
The people all against me,
It proved to make no show.
Judge Cox he passed the sentence,
The clerk he wrote it down,
On the thirtieth day of June
To die I was condemned.

My name is Charles Guiteau,
My name I'll never deny,
To leave my aged parents
To sorrow and to die.
But little did I think
While in my youthful bloom
I'd be carried to the scaffold
To meet my fatal doom.

And now I mount the scaffold
To bid you all adieu,
The hangman now is waiting,
It's a quarter after two.
The black cap is o'er my face,
No longer can I see,
But when I'm dead and buried,
Dear Lord, remember me.

My name is Charles Guiteau,
My name I'll never deny,
To leave my aged parents
To sorrow and to die.
But little did I think
While in my youthful bloom
I'd be carried to the scaffold
To meet my fatal doom.

Copyright © 2012 by The Maiden’s Court

Sovay - The Ballad

When I picked up the book Sovay by Celia Rees I had no idea that the basic premise of the book was based on a traditional ballad. I thought that it would be a good idea to introduce you to the ballad before I post my review of the book tomorrow.

While you read the lyrics, take a listen to this rendition of the ballad – a few of the lyrics change but it is overall the same. It’s not my favorite rendition, but the only complete one I could find.

Sovay, Sovay all on a day
She dressed herself in man's array
With a brace of pistols all by her side
To meet her true love, to meet her true love, away she’d ride

As she was riding over the plain
She met her true love and bid him stand
"Stand and deliver, young sir,'' she said
"And if you do not, and if you do not, I'll shoot you dead''

He delivered up his golden store
And still she craved for one thing more
"That diamond ring, that I see you wear
Oh hand it over, oh hand it over, and your life I'll spare''

`From that diamond ring I would not part
For it's a token from my sweetheart
Shoot and be damned, you rogue" said he
"And you'll be hanged, you'll be hanged then for murdering me''

Next morning in the garden green
Young Sophie and her true love were seen
He spied his watch hanging from her clothes
Which made him blush lads, which made him blush lads like any rose

"Why do you blush you silly thing
I thought to have that diamond ring
T’was I who robbed you all on the plain
So here's your gold, love, so here's your gold and your watch and chain

I only did it for to know
If you would be a man or no
If you had given me that ring she said
I'd have pulled the trigger, pulled the trigger and shot you dead''

-Traditional Ballad

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: Prima Donna by Megan Chance

Prima Donna by Megan Chance

Paperback, 432 pages

Broadway

December 29, 2009

★★★★½☆

Genre: Historical fiction

Source: Received from publicity group for review

“In the glittering world of nineteenth century opera, Sabine Conrad is a beloved star feted by New York’s high society, showered with adulation from her audiences, and courted by wealthy patrons. Ensnared by a man who both loves and controls her, Sabine risks everything—including her lustrous career—to break free from her lover. But her plan backfires; by the end of the night, she is a criminal on the run from a grisly murder.

Changing her appearance and her name, she flees as far from society as she can, to the rough and gritty town of Seattle. There, hidden among the prostitutes, drunks, and miners, she must put aside the prima donna she once was and learn how to survive on her own.

Until her past returns to offer a terrifying proposition…”

I was excited to read this book for a couple of reasons – particularly the choice of setting and unique character occupation – and I really don’t know what took me so long to get to it. The story itself moves between the present with Marguerite in Seattle and the Journal of Sabine Conrad. I liked how the author used his technique to reveal certain information to the reader from the journal that helped to piece together some of what was happening in the present. The aspect of the story that I found most interesting was the choice of Seattle as the setting for most of the current-set plotline. I don’t know of too many hist-fic novel that have taken advantage of this locale. I think that it is a unique choice and it was so interesting to see it juxtaposed with the bigger, more established cities like New York and Philadelphia at that time. It was almost like another character that you got to know – a seedy, dirty, up-and-comer!

In another unique move, Sabine Conrad (as in “The Journal of”) is an opera singer. I haven’t read any books about opera singers and it was certainly interesting to be immersed in that world of music. I learned many things about music, opera, and the stories that they tell. What was interesting to me is that at this time, during the 1800’s, opera appeared to be a very popular entertainment. Everyone seemed to at least know something about the opera, even if they couldn’t afford to attend – they were the celebrity singers of the day. I couldn’t name one opera singer for you if I tried!

Just a quick word of warning – there is some violence and sex scenes and much of the story takes place in a “box house” which is like a bar with private rooms. Certainly not terribly graphic but there are some mildly disturbing descriptions (particularly toward the end of the book).

I really enjoyed this story. The writing was fast-paced and kept the story barreling ahead. At the end of each chapter I didn’t want to put it down because there was always a little something to keep you coming back – especially the Journal chapters. You really don’t find out for certain what happened until right at the very end – and you will find it very hard to guess accurately! I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to have the chance to look into some of this author’s other novels.

If you would like to preview the story before reading it, why not try out this excerpt of the book?

The video below is the author reading the prologue of the novel and answering a few questions at an event:

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Medieval Bookworm
• LillyFlora’s Adventures in Amazon Exile

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Megan Chance:

Inamorata

An Inconvenient Wife

Bone River

The Spiritualist

Susannah Morrow

City of Ash

The Shadows

Find Megan Chance: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court

Summer at Tiffany I-pod Playlist

While looking for Marjorie Hart’s website, I stumbled across her Myspace page for the book Summer at Tiffany. Here she has posted an I-pod playlist that goes along with the book. These may be songs that were mentioned in the book or songs that evoke the time period. I thought I would repost this here for your enjoyment.

If you look below I have posted a playlist gadget so you can listen to these song at you leisure. The only one that I couldn’t find was Love Walked Right In and some of the songs are different versions because they were not available through this vendor. Enjoy!

THE SUMMER AT TIFFANY I-POD PLAYLIST from http://www.myspace.com/bestsummerofyourlife

"O SOAVE FANCIULLA" (Puccini’s La Boheme Act I)/ Mirella Freni/Luciano Pavarotti/Roland Panerai
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL/Boys Choir of Harlem
BEGUIN THE BEGUINE/Artie Shawn
BRAHMS CELLO SONATA IN E MINOR
CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO/Tex Beneke
DRUM BOOGIE/Gene Krupa
EMBRACEABLE YOU/Judy Garland
JEEPERS CREEPERS/Louis Armstrong
LETS CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF/Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
LOVE WALKED RIGHT IN/Sammy Kaye Orchestra
ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET/Frankie Laine
S’WONDERFUL/Glenn Miller Orchestra
SWEET GEORGIA BROWN/Ben Bernie
THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC/Glenn Miller Orchestra

Copyright © 2010 by The Maiden’s Court