Introducing Catchy Tune Tuesday!

[Claude Bauer]

Let's dedicate Tuesday to catchy tunes from the Civil War era! Catchy Tune Tuesday is open to all, just post a tune you enjoy! Any genre is acceptable, marches, popular tunes, etc. No rules, but let's try to share some of the less familiar ones if possible and keep them in the same thread. There can be more than one posted each day. I'll start out with "We are Coming Father Abraham." Looking forward to hearing yours!

On July 1, 1862, Lincoln put out a call for 300,000 more volunteer soldiers to fight in the Union army. Quaker abolitionist James Sloan Gibbons quickly wrote the poem "We Are Coming Father Abra'am (300,000 More)," which was printed in the New York Evening Post on July 16. Several composers just as quickly set the poem to music, including Stephen Foster and L.O. Emerson. The Emerson version is the most famous.

 

[Sheltowee]

A long time favorite fiddle tune. Below snippet is from a webpage at the Illinois Humanities Council-

In spite of its upbeat tempo and catchy melody, the term "soldier's joy" has a much darker meaning than is portrayed by the tune. Opinion has it that this term eventually came to refer to the combination of whiskey, beer, and morphine used by Civil War soldiers, presumably for pain relief. As the lyrics state:

Twenty-five cents for whiskey, twenty-five cents for beer
Twenty-five cents for morphine, get me out of here.
Chorus: I'm my momma's pride and joy
I'm my momma's pride and joy
I'm my momma's pride and joy
Sing you a song called the soldier's joy.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

These are great! Looking forward to Catchy Tune Tuesday and learning some new tunes from that era

 

[JOHN42768]

Hope to hear a lot more

 

[Lampasas Bill]

The Fall of Charleston is one of my favorites:

Civil War Ballads: The Fall of Charleston

Eugene T. Johnston wrote this song near the end of the American Civil War to celebrate the capture of Charleston, South Carolina by Union forces in February 1865. Since then, it has been covered ma…

michaelkleen.com

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Man, I love banjo. My feet just want to tap whenever I hear it And I didn't know the word "hunkydory" was used back then!

 

[lupaglupa]

This is fun! I look forward to hearing more.

 

[connecticut yankee]

Does it get any better than the "Boatman Dance"?!?

 

[Pollaco]

Play dem bones

 

[Library Lady]

Here is a tune from 1865 by Henry Clay Work that must be catchy as it has served as the basic melody for at least 3 different songs from three different eras, all of which were popular.

It started out as The Ship that Never Returned.

In 1924, the tune was recorded by Vernon Dalhart as The Wreck of the Old 97, a song about a 1903 train wreck. It was the first million-selling country hit.

Finally, in 1948, the tune was turned into a political ad for Walter A. O'Brien who was running for mayor of Boston. At that time, it was called Charlie on the MTA. It was re-recorded as MTA by the Kingston Trio in 1959 and is one of their signature songs.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

A song loved and sung North and South-

 

[JOHN42768]

Does it get any better than the "Boatman Dance"?!?

Greatly enjoyed.

 

[JOHN42768]

Here are a couple of my favorites: "Shenandoah" circa 1850 performed by James Galway and one much younger, but Civil War related-- "Ashokan Farewell" performed by Jay Unger

You will be humming them later. Just close your eyes and listen

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Sometimes music makes you laugh, sometimes it makes you want to dance, sometimes it makes the world seem so beautiful it hurts, and sometimes it makes you cry. Music is a wonderful thing.

 

[Pollaco]

Can't hardly not whistle or hum "The Bonnie Blue Flag" after watching a video of Gods and Generals. It sticks in your head.

 

[Claude Bauer]

Wow! Some great tunes for our first Catchy Tune Tuesday! Thanks for all the awesome contributions--some real toe tappers! Can't wait till next Tuesday!

 

[donna]

These are great. Enjoy all of them. Great idea to post.

 

[JOHN42768]

"How quickly Tuesday is forgotten" "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again"

 

[Claude Bauer]

Here's the US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps playing "Jefferson and Liberty" sans drums. Very nice! The song was Jefferson's campaign song for his presidential run, but the melody proved so popular it remained in the fife and drum repertoire up to today.

Old Guard fife and drum corps jefferson and liberty at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

 

[Library Lady]

Another member recently posted about a new Elvis biopic which reminded me of this tune:

In 1861, it was Aura Lea (or Aura Lee, the spelling varied).

In 1956, when Elvis sang it, it was Love Me Tender, one of his signature songs.