Introducing Catchy Tune Tuesday!

[J. Rodriguez]

Battle Cry Of Freedom has always been my favorite

 

[Claude Bauer]

Did they have Calliope music during the Civil War? I'm pretty sure that Calliopes were invented prior but how common were they?

Never thought I'd see Calliope and Civil War used in the same sentence, lol. Since they were invented in the 1850s, some soldier somewhere had probably heard one during his lifetime.

 

[Library Lady]

My catchy tune today is one that I always thought of as just a kid's song and, really, a nonsense song. It seemed to be the tune of choice for jack-in-the-box toys when I was a kid. According to Wikipedia, though, the tune somewhat magically appeared in 1852 as a dance tune. Queen Victoria was apparently amused and the tune took off in popularity, both in Great Britain and America. (Perhaps it was the Macarena of its day.) Here are the dance instructions according to Wikipedia:

FIGURES: Form in Two Lines – Top Couple Ballaneez, Four Bars – then Gallop down inside and back, Four Bars – take the next Lady, Hands Round Four Bars – then Two Bars back and (while all Sing Pop goes the Weasel) pass her under your arms to her Place – Repeat with the lady's Partner then Gallop down the inside and back, Four Bars – and down outside to the other end of the line, Four Bars, which finishes the Figure – The next couple follows, &c. &c.

There is a ton of different verse lyrics for this tune, but what exactly does "pop goes the weasel" mean? Apparently, according to Wikipedia, the dancers of the 1850s didn't have a clue. Later, some would say that a weasel is a spinner's tool that is used to measure the amount of yarn produced with 40 revolutions of the weasel equal to 80 yards of yarn or a skein. The gears and cam inside the weasel would cause it to "pop" after those 40 revolutions. Others say that the lyrics are based on Cockney rhyming slang where "pop goes the weasel" refers to pawning your coat and the monkey referred to in some verses represents money trouble. Couldn't prove it by me! I think I need Sir Michael Caine to explain this whole Cockney rhyming slang thing to me.

The tune is also a favorite to use for playing musical chairs where the refrain "pop goes the weasel" sets off the mad dash to get a seat.

 

[Library Lady]

What can I tell you? I like murder ballads. This one was popular in the 19th century and would have been known to Civil War soldiers. It was first recorded in 1927 and has been recorded by many performers, usually male, since. In 1971, Olivia Newton-John recorded a version of it for her album If Not for You. It was her first #1 song in Australia, and it did quite well in the UK, although it did nowhere near as well in the US. Her version is interesting because the murderer is a woman.

Banks of the Ohio

 

[connecticut yankee]

Most of Bobby Horton's Civil War tunes are pretty catchy, don't you think?

 

[CowCavalry]

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.

I think this song is mentioned in Bill Monroe's "Uncle Pen".

 

[CowCavalry]

Always liked this one;

One version of the full lyrics:

Would you like to hear my song? I'm afraid it's rather long
Of the famous "On to Richmond" double trouble,
Of the half-a-dozen trips and half-a-dozen slips
And the very latest bursting of the bubble.
'Tis pretty hard to sing and like a round, round ring
'Tis a dreadful knotty puzzle to unravel;
Though all the papers swore, when we touched Virginia's shore
That Richmond was a hard road to travel.

Then pull off your coat and roll up your sleeve,
Richmond is a hard road to travel
Then pull off your coat and roll up your sleeve
Richmond is a hard road to travel, I believe.

First, McDowell, bold and gay, set forth the shortest way,
By Manassas in the pleasant summer weather,
But unfortunately ran on a Stonewall, foolish man,
And had a "rocky journey" altogether;
And he found it rather hard to ride o'er Beauregard,
And Johnston proved a deuce of a bother,
And 'twas clear beyond a doubt that he didn't like the route,
And a second time would have to try another.

Then pull off your coat and roll up your sleeve,
For Manassas is a hard road to travel;
Manassas gave us fits, and Bull Run made us grieve,
For Richmond is a hard road to travel, I believe!

Next came the Wooly-Horse, with an overwhelming force,
To march down to Richmond by the Valley,
But he couldn't find the road, and his "onward movement" showed
His campaigning was a mere shilly-shally.
Then Commissary Banks, with his motley foreign ranks,
Kicking up a great noise, fuss, and flurry,
Lost the whole of his supplies, and with tears in his eyes,
From the Stonewall ran away in a hurry

Then pull off your coat and roll up your sleeve,
For the Valley is a hard road to travel;
The Valley wouldn't do and we all had to leave,
For Richmond is a hard road to travel, I believe!

Then the great Galena came, with her portholes all aflame,
And the Monitor, that famous naval wonder,
But the guns at Drewry's Bluff gave them speedily enough,
The loudest sort of reg'lar Rebel thunder.
The Galena was astonished and the Monitor admonished,
Our patent shot and shell were mocked at,
While the dreadful Naugatuck, by the hardest kind of luck,
Was knocked into an ugly cocked hat.

Then pull off your coat and roll up your sleeve,
For James River is a hard road to travel;
The gun-boats gave it up in terror and despair,
For Richmond is a hard road to travel, I declare!

Then McClellan followed soon, both with spade and balloon,
To try the Peninsular approaches,
But one and all agreed that his best rate of speed
Was no faster than the slowest of "slow coaches."
Instead of easy ground, at Williamsburg, he found,
A Longstreet indeed, and nothing shorter,
And it put him in the dumps, that spades wasn't trumps,
And the Hills he couldn't level as ordered.

Then pull off your coat and roll up your sleeve
For Longstreet is a hard road to travel -
Lay down the shovel, and throw away the spade
For Richmond is a hard road to travel, I'm afraid!

Then said Lincoln unto Pope,
"You can make the trip, I hope,
I will save the Universal Yankee nation,
To make sure of no defeat, I'll leave no lines of retreat,
And issue a famous proclamation."
But that same dreaded Jackson, this fellow laid his whacks,
And made him, by compulsion, a seceder
And Pope took rapid flight from Manassas' second fight,
'Twas his very last appearance as a leader.

Then pull off your coat and roll up your sleeve,
For Stonewall is a hard road to travel;
Pope did his very best, but was evidently sold,
For Richmond is a hard road to travel, I am told!

Last of all the brave Burnside, with his pontoon bridges, tried
A road no one had thought of before him,
With two hundred thousand men for the Rebel slaughter pen,
And the blessed Union flag waving o'er him;
But he met a fire like hell, of canister and shell,
That mowed his men down with great slaughter,
'Twas a shocking sight to view, that second Waterloo,
And the river ran with more blood than water.

Then pull off your coat and roll up your sleeve,
Rappahannock is a hard road to travel
Burnside got in a trap, which caused him for to grieve
For Richmond is a hard road to travel, I believe!

We are very much perplexed to know who is the next
To command the new Richmond expedition,
For the Capital must blaze, and that in ninety days,
And Jeff and his men be sent to perdition.
We'll take the cursed town, and then we'll burn it down,
And plunder and hang up each cursed Rebel;
Yet the contraband was right when he told us they would fight
"Oh, yes, massa, they fight like the devil!"

Then pull off your coat and roll up your sleeve,
For Richmond is a hard road to travel;
Then pull off your coat and roll up your sleeve,
For Richmond is a hard road to travel, I believe!

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Songs of the Civil War - wow! I asked my parents for that album for Christmas one year. Thanks for the memory

 

[Mrs. V]

There's one tune for every instrument that's especially challenging--for fife, it's "Downfall of Paris." Long, fast, full of 16th note runs, high notes, and challenging fingerings, it's also known in the fife and drum world as "Downfall of Fifers." Many, including myself, have crashed and burned trying to get through it. Drummers like to push the tempo just to make the fifers suffer. And there's always that one annoying guy, who doesn't play the fife, but knows the tune's reputation for difficulty, who asks "So, can you play Downfall of Paris?" Here it is from the Camp Chase Fife and Drums.

They will be at Hale Farm and Village this weekend..Now I know what to askthem to play!

 

[CowCavalry]

Can't forget one of the catchiest, "Goober Peas"

 

[Sheltowee]

I think this song is mentioned in Bill Monroe's "Uncle Pen".

Right you are….

Late In The Evenin' About Sundown
High On The Hill And Above The Town
Uncle Pen Played The Fiddle, Oh How It Would Ring
You Can Hear It Talk, You Can Hear It Sing.
He Played An Old Piece He Called Soldier's Joy
And The One Called The Boston Boy
The Greatest Of All Was Jenny Lynn
To Me That's Where The Fiddle Begins.

 

[Claude Bauer]

For today's Catchy Tune Tuesday, here's the Camp Chase Fifes and Drums playing a popular medley: Yellow Rose of Texas/Stonewall Jackson's Way/Dixie.

 

[JOHN42768]

Very nice

 

[Claude Bauer]

For today's catchy tunes, here are some Civil War era dance tunes on fiddle:

• Waiting for the Federals
• Whiskey Before Breakfast
• Over the Waterfall

 

[JOHN42768]

Great stuff, thanks

 

[Library Lady]

In post #250 in this thread, https://civilwartalk.com/threads/post-your-civil-war-shelfies-show-us-your-books.108894/ , @Cornpone and Molasses has what appears to be a lovely antique Victrola. This got me to thinking about The Great 78 Project. This group is digitizing vintage 78 recordings so they will not be lost. The old 78 records are made of shellac and are very fragile. It's hard to find a turntable today that will play them. If you find one, you must also find the needle that goes with it. Needles that play today's vinyl 33-1/3 and 45 records can damage a 78.

If I can get this to work, here are a couple of catchy tunes digitized by The Great 78 Project and available to be heard on archive.org. The first is Marching Through Georgia from 1910.

MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Band.Digitized at 78 revolutions per minute. Four stylii were used to transfer this record. They are 3.5mil truncated eliptical, 2.3mil truncated conical,...

archive.org

In the interest of equal opportunity, the second is Dixie, also from 1910.

DIXIE : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Band.Digitized at 78 revolutions per minute. Four stylii were used to transfer this record. They are 3.5mil truncated eliptical, 2.3mil truncated conical,...

archive.org

 

[Cornpone and Molasses]

In post #250 in this thread, https://civilwartalk.com/threads/post-your-civil-war-shelfies-show-us-your-books.108894/ , @Cornpone and Molasses has what appears to be a lovely antique Victrola. This got me to thinking about The Great 78 Project. This group is digitizing vintage 78 recordings so they will not be lost. The old 78 records are made of shellac and are very fragile. It's hard to find a turntable today that will play them. If you find one, you must also find the needle that goes with it. Needles that play today's vinyl 33-1/3 and 45 records can damage a 78.

If I can get this to work, here are a couple of catchy tunes digitized by The Great 78 Project and available to be heard on archive.org. The first is Marching Through Georgia from 1910.

MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Band.Digitized at 78 revolutions per minute. Four stylii were used to transfer this record. They are 3.5mil truncated eliptical, 2.3mil truncated conical,...

archive.org

In the interest of equal opportunity, the second is Dixie, also from 1910.

DIXIE : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Band.Digitized at 78 revolutions per minute. Four stylii were used to transfer this record. They are 3.5mil truncated eliptical, 2.3mil truncated conical,...

archive.org

Library Lady, what a great resource. Thanks for posting! My Victor Talking machine is a VV-VI. Victor Victrola the 6th. It was made in 1920. My Grandfather had one when I was little and we used to play old records for hours in the basement. When I saw this one for sale a few months ago I new I had to have it. So many good memories of my Grandfather when I play it. You are right about the shellac 78's. They are fragile. You have to change the needle with every single play. Thankfully modern replacement needles are available on eBay and they are fairly affordable.
Here are a few more pictures. Sorry if I am hijacking this thread. I am glad you that you brought it to my attention though!!

 

[Claude Bauer]

In post #250 in this thread, https://civilwartalk.com/threads/post-your-civil-war-shelfies-show-us-your-books.108894/ , @Cornpone and Molasses has what appears to be a lovely antique Victrola. This got me to thinking about The Great 78 Project. This group is digitizing vintage 78 recordings so they will not be lost. The old 78 records are made of shellac and are very fragile. It's hard to find a turntable today that will play them. If you find one, you must also find the needle that goes with it. Needles that play today's vinyl 33-1/3 and 45 records can damage a 78.

If I can get this to work, here are a couple of catchy tunes digitized by The Great 78 Project and available to be heard on archive.org. The first is Marching Through Georgia from 1910.

MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Band.Digitized at 78 revolutions per minute. Four stylii were used to transfer this record. They are 3.5mil truncated eliptical, 2.3mil truncated conical,...

archive.org

In the interest of equal opportunity, the second is Dixie, also from 1910.

DIXIE : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Band.Digitized at 78 revolutions per minute. Four stylii were used to transfer this record. They are 3.5mil truncated eliptical, 2.3mil truncated conical,...

archive.org

Thanks so much for telling us about the Great 78 Project! I'll be contacting them about a collection of 78s I have. They're all classical music, and all but a handful have never been opened! Hopefully they are still playable and the music on them can be saved. It's great to know there's an organization out there preserving them!

 

[Bud1863]

I have always been moved by the lyrics of the 1864 song - "Tenting on the Old Campground." Maybe not as fitting for "Catchy Tune Tuesday," but listening to the words, you can't help but feel how tired of war the soldiers were and how much they longed to go home.

 

[JOHN42768]

I have always been moved by the lyrics of the 1864 song - "Tenting on the Old Campground." Maybe not as fitting for "Catchy Tune Tuesday," but listening to the words, you can't help but feel how tired of war the soldiers were and how much they longed to go home.

Welcome, enjoy