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The songs of America

The New Neo Posted on by

David Foster of Chicago Boyz has a post on “America’s story in song.” He asks – and offers some of his own answers to – the following question:

Since this year is the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, let’s … discuss: What are some of the songs which most vividly tell the story of American history? Including, certainly, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?

As a child, we learned some of these songs in school. But I also had a “best friend” who even as a youngster was an excellent pianist and sight reader. Her home had a set of the Fireside Books of music, including the one that had “Favorite American Songs.” We spent hours at the piano in those pre-internet days, sitting on the bench with her playing and both of us singing. It was great fun.

One of those songs – and probably my favorite – was “Oh Shenandoah.” There are so many versions on YouTube I hardly know where to begin. But I’ll choose this one. It omits a verse I remember from the Fireside version: “The white man loved the Indian maiden”. In retrospect, I thought perhaps that verse was my imagination, but it’s not:

Some lyrics of this song heard by and before 1860 tell the story of a trader who fell in love with the daughter of the Oneida Iroquois chief Shenandoah … who lived in the central New York state town of Oneida Castle. He was a co-founder of the Oneida Academy which became Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and is buried on the campus grounds.

Anyway, here it is, minus the Indian maiden:

We had to learn this one in school:

You’ve got to include Woody Guthrie:

How about some John Denver (interestingly, it mentions the Shenandoah River at the outset):

And this:

Here’s the original version of this great one:

The urge to move on:

But to me, this is the song with the most comprehensive history of America, and it was written by a Brit:

There are countless others, but I’ll stop there and let you continue.

Comments

The songs of America — 105 Comments

  1. Neat idea.

    I think when it comes to “Country Roads”, I like this version the best:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qap9Qm-Q894&list=RDqap9Qm-Q894&start_radio=1

    When I first discovered it about five years ago (before Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine), the top comment on this song was from Moscow, Russia: “This is the most American thing I’ve ever seen.”

    And in the spirit of the post, please let me add this as my contribution:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77gKSp8WoRg&list=RD77gKSp8WoRg&start_radio=1

    Say what you will about Bruce Springsteen’s politics, but he can write a powerful song. This one was written shortly after the 1979/1980 recession and the start of economic globalization.

  2. The concept of moving from one place to another is such an American theme — it’s not surprising there are a lot of songs about it. (These are just a few.)

    “When You Get to Asheville” by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SQ0oqcC44k&list=RD5SQ0oqcC44k&start_radio=1
    “Jackson” by June Carter and Johnny Cash:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m67eqm0mNCQ
    “Crescent City” by Lucinda Williams:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxhfAweKDaw
    “The Hammond Song” by the Roches:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuH43-ceKJ4
    “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Night and the Pips:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0F9lh8TiSM&themeRefresh=1&t
    “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le1QF3uoQNg
    “San Francisco” by Scott McKenzie:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I0vkKy504U
    “California” by Phantom Planet:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq-S8CIU7VA&
    And of course, “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIOAlaACuv4&list=RDAIOAlaACuv4&start_radio=1

  3. It’s not a cheerful song, but Son House’s Death Letter Blues belongs on any list of American songs. Been covered many times. I’m not sure he ever sang it the same way twice, I’ve seen some versions with different sets of verses.

    I’d also nominate Midnight Special, which wasn’t original with Huddie Ledbetter but I’d argue he sang it best.

  4. “Little Deuce Coupe” gets my vote for Most American Rock-n-Roll song. My car’s the best because I modified it that way, and I got the pink slip, daddy. American Optimism!

  7. Dan Hicks and His Hotlicks oughtta be included somehow, though the songlist is tough to pick from. Maybe Where’s the Money?.

    Jo Stafford for Shenandoah is a good one.

  8. Oh, Shenandoah is a favorite of mine too. It speaks to the wanderlust and yearning to seek new pastures, new hunting grounds, and new streams with Beaver to trap. The mountain men were the first to seek out these places in our west.

    They were followed by others with all their possessions on wagons following the Oregon and California Trails. They were dreaming of owning a farm or ranch and making a good life for themselves.

    My maternal great grandfather had that wanderlust. He and his family traveled by wagon through Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and back to Oklahoma in the 1800s. He never found his dream, but what an interesting life he led. And he did marry a half Indian maiden. Whenever I hear Oh, Shenandoah, I think of him.

    And now that wanderlust is taking us into space, and the depths of the oceans. New frontiers to explore and conquer. Oh, to be 20 again.

  13. Shenandoah…when I was a kid, my family traveled a lot in the summers with tent camping on the way. One of my most vivid memories is of us all singing ‘Shenandoah’, with the Coleman Lantern swaying in the wind.

  17. I believe that crossing the Missouri in those days could be a metaphor for not returning
    A long way, a hard land.

  20. Wow, what a helpful post! I have a Fourth of July playlist on Spotify where I put songs that mention states or specific parts of the country, songs that fit the theme of Fourth of July of course, as well as patriotic songs and songs that capture the spirit of America. I am always looking for more songs to add.
    https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3XwNSw3wTHEwJ6TwPoFBqh

    TD, I also have a playlist dedicated to adventure, travel, and the need to escape. Thank you for those suggested songs!

    A few years ago, I learned about the idea that there’s a genetic predisposition to seek broader horizons. I was reading a book about early migration into the Americas. The book mentioned that there is a specific gene, DRD4, associated with risk-taking and novelty-seeking, that is found in greater concentrations in indigenous populations in the Americas, which makes sense considering what a long and dangerous journey into the unknown that was thousands of years ago. I am fascinated by this concept. Of course, a large part of the American population is descended from people who were adventurous and daring. It doesn’t apply to everybody – some people’s ancestors were brought over as slaves, and some of our immigrant ancestors might have come reluctantly following family, or not intending to stay, but a great many of our ancestors intentionally left everything familiar behind to seek something new. Does that help to explain why we are such a stubborn, bold, and individualistic people, even compared to the other Western nations? Is it really in our blood?

  21. Thanks Neo, I remember these and love all of them. Shenandoah has always been one of my favorites. As it happens, the men’s chorus I currently sing with is doing Shenandoah for our spring concert this year. Telegraph Road brought back memories as well, since I spent a lot of time on Telegraph Road in Michigan as a cab driver working my way through college back in the day.

  22. The Robert Shaw Chorale had a huge body of work. Their “Shenandoah” is superb, depending on how you like your Shenandoahs.
    I suspect a number of their pieces might qualify as “American”.

    Certain hymns, possibly…. “God of Our Fathers” for example. Good selection on youtube.

    The moving-along vibe was necessary.. “Joe and Eddie” had an album where the cover showed them in a train yard. No songs, iirc, on the album ha to do with railroads or moving on. Except “leaving” a relationship might be the same thing….

    “Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe”. Rings a bell.

    “Irish Volunteer” The 68th New York was Irish as Paddy’s pig but they fought for the Union. Said one general prior to an attack, “Are my green flags ready?” So I figure, the lyrics telling about how the guy left the Emerald Isle and came here and, hearing about the South’s evils, enlisted to fight for America. I guess that’s an American song.

  23. Shadow on January,

    Good points. I’d guess that those who came here voluntarily, even if reluctantly, came from the top half (third?) of the risk tolerance/avoidance scale. Might be hard to show a gene for that–maybe not impossible–it’s certainly culturally part of the air we breathe.

  24. “Shenandoah” is a beautiful song. One of my favorites to play on harmonica. Something about the inexpensive, portable, utilitarian nature of the harmonica seems to fit the tone of the song well.

  25. I too learned “The Erie Canal” in school. 3rd grade? Never forgot it. Also very fitting on harmonica.

  26. “City of New Orleans” is a great song! Beautiful and really captures a certain part of the American spirit.

    “California Dreamin'” Hippie dreck. Ick. (Although the Mamas and Papas harmony on it is beautiful.)

  27. Most of you are probably aware that “Country Roads” somehow became one of THE songs at Oktoberfest in Munchen and has made it’s way to anywhere around the world where German beerhall music is played.

  28. Richard Aubrey,

    Love “Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe!” Johnny Mercer was brilliant!

  30. I’ve never lived in New York, so you natives may correct me, but I always thought Billy Joel’s, “New York State of Mind” was a beautiful tribute to New York. It makes me wish I were a native.

    Joel’s “Allentown” is also a well written synopsis to the latter quarter of the last century when manufacturing and steel production moved overseas, often devastating the factory towns that were abandoned.

  34. There are some great “list” songs that name American cities or states. Not sure if they fit the subject of the post, but I find many of them enjoyable.

    “Rhode Island is Famous for You” is great and lists most of the 50 states.
    “I’ve Been Everywhere” is a great rundown of fun place names.
    James Brown’s, “Livin’ in America” checks off a lot of place names, and also describes a lot of the countries attitude, and is just a plain, fantastic song! That scene made Rocky (III? IV?) for me.
    “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” is a great, great song that lists city names (and I’m sure we can all sing them in order) (don’t forget Winona).
    Huey Lewis and the News, “Heart of Rock and Roll” runs down city names and they were smart enough to record different versions with different names to make sure they got a lot of radio play all over the country.

    Oddly enough, I can’t think of any by Cole Porter, the champion of clever, list songs.

  39. If they haven’t been mentioned yet, I like songs like, [these titles may be wrong, or misspelled]-

    some songs like:

    -City of New Orleans, aka “Good Morning America, How are You”, by Willie Nelson,

    -Three Cheers For The Red White And Blue,

    – “God Bless America” sung by Ethel Merman,

    -El Paso by Marty Robbins [from about 1974] ,

    -The Hawaiian War Chant by The Crowel Glee Club [from about 1911].
    This song was originally was about two lovers having a secret date, I think,

    -America The Beautiful,

    …I also like some folk song-like songs, + Americana songs, like:

    -A Horse With No Name by America…[to be honest, I forgot that this song was sung by a band named, America],

    -Sixteen Tons, sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford,

    -[the Jazz song]…Minnie The Moocher by Cab Calloway,

    – Red Sails in the Sunset, + A Holly Jolly Christmas, sung by [Mr.] Burl Ives,

    -California Girls by The Beach Boys,

    -Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” from 1934 by Harry Reser and his band.

    Please also see other songs by Harry Reser, and [the Jazz bands he played with].

    His career as a banjo player, and a band leader, went from the 1920s-1960s.

    And other songs like those songs.

  40. Mrs. Whatsit,
    Agree on the Keith Jarrett version of Shenandoah, it’s exquisite.
    Another beautiful piano solo of a great song is Aloha Oe by Daniel Ho.

    Loving this thread! Maybe an ‘American Road’ songs sublist next?
    Truckin’ The Grateful Dead.
    Me and Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin
    On The Road Again, Willie Nelson
    Barangrill, Joni Mitchell

  41. Re: L’il Liza Jane

    I learned “L’il Liza Jane” in sixth grade 1964. I imagine my cohort was one of the last to learn that song in school.

    I assumed it was an old-timey country song people danced to. Turns out it goes back to black slaves in the South, but it was so thoroughly absorbed into American culture that everyone came to know it.

    And now they don’t.

    –“Nina Simone: Little Liza Jane (Live at Newport, 1960)”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dIdWIsHVDM

  44. Another song that I thought of, from the 1940s era,
    is:

    “Rum and Coca-Cola”,…aka- “Drinking Rum and Coca-Cola” by The Andrews Sisters.

    ( @ Rufus T. Firefly: that is amazing! I would not have guessed that the song, “Country Roads”, would become a big hit at Germany’s Octoberfests, + other places’ Octoberfests. That’s very fun!) 🙂

  45. Rufus T. Firefly said: “There are some great ‘list’ songs that name American cities or states.”

    Whenever I need to remember all the states in the U.S., I hum “Holiday for States” by the 1960s-era musical satirist Allan Sherman — the lyrics are mostly just the 50 state names. (It’s based on a sappy instrumental song called “Holiday for Strings.”)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KClwpAmEqPo

  46. Rufus T:

    Barron Hilton used to host the world’s best sailplane pilots for a week at his huge ranch outside Carson City, NV every summer. I was there as a tow pilot, to get the gliders in the air.

    As it turns out, Germany was always represented by a large contingent of pilots as the sport was very popular there between the wars. (Yes, as a way to train pilots who would later fly for the Luftwaffe.).

    Anyway, after flying was done and a communal dinner was served, we’d all sit around and sing. The Germans had one “cowboy song” that they all knew the words to and sang with great gusto, usually two or three times. I had never heard it, but it was clearly an American song that had migrated to Germany and was popular there. They also knew Country Roads and usually repeated that several times, along with a few others that sounded like they had come from America but were also unknown to me.

  48. F,

    I forgot about “Country Roads.” Oddly, that too is another big, Oktoberfest number.

    At a sailplane event you’d think they’d sing Nena’s hit, “Neunundneunzig Luftballoons.”

  49. Tom Russell has a great album titled ‘The Man From God Knows Where’, which is largely based on the stories of his own Irish and Norwegian immigrant ancestors. Some of the songs on it are:

    –Mary Clare Malloy…an Irish ‘picture bride’ tells her story

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N-NGz7AyU0&list=RD6N-NGz7AyU0&start_radio=1

    –The Old Northern Shore…nostalgia for the Old Country

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEbMJX-RoMc&list=RDrEbMJX-RoMc&start_radio=1

    –Acres of Corn…basically a song about boredom

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTM_HkA_2wM&list=RDOTM_HkA_2wM&start_radio=1

    –Sitting Bull in Venice…after his defeat, SB took a job as a performer for Bill Cody’s WIld West Show

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTM_HkA_2wM&list=RDOTM_HkA_2wM&start_radio=1

  50. F….I’ve heard that in gliding in Germany between the wars, gliders were often launched without a tow plane, using a winch on the ground. Altitude must have been pretty limited.

  52. John Denver’s “Country Roads” was a phenomenon!
    All the clank and clatter stopped when this song came on the juke box, and the whole tavern sang along.

  57. tallowpot,

    As a teen, even me and my city friends loudly sang along when Denver’s, “Thank God, I’m a Country boy,” came on the radio.

    “Life ain’t nothin’ but a funny, funny riddle!”

  58. TD,

    Thanks for the tip on Sherman’s, “Holiday for States.” Love that guy! I don’t recall ever hearing that one. Just listened to it. Right up my alley, thanks!

  59. I live in West Virginia, and it is almost a legal requirement to know all the words to Country Roads to live here.
    I thought that was strictly a local thing. But when my wife was a member of a woman’s choral group, they made a short tour through San Marino and Italy. At one stop, there were numerous groups performing, from all over Europe – we were the only ones from the US. The requirement was to sing one “serious” piece, and then one piece representative of your home. Of course, they picked Country Roads for the representative piece. Within seconds of starting to sing, the 2000 people in the audience started clapping along rhythmically with the song. It was surprising, and also very moving.

  60. Hi Niketas Choniates,
    Sure thing.
    It’s just my opinion, but- I think most people listen to “Rum and coca-cola”, just because it’s a fun song to sing. Like “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog” (sp?) by Three Dog Night (?), I think people don’t hear “Jeremiah…”, for it’s commentaries. I think they just like to sing it.
    *shrugs* 🙂

  61. Hi Rifus T. Firefly,

    Thanks for the info about, “The Fattest Man in Town,” by Bob Chester.
    I’ll give it a try. 🙂

  62. Also, I like the style of this song: “I’ve Been Everywhere”, aka “I’ve Been Everywhere, Man”…sung by Johnny Cash.

  63. Martha and the Vandellas’ “Dancing In The Streets” mentions a number of US cities – Chicago, New Orleans, New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, Baltimore, WDC, Los Angeles:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuCBXTfoVq8

    Also of interest is the video to their follow-up hit “Nowhere To Run”, done on a Ford assembly line and ending with the rollout of a brand-new 1965 Ford Mustang (the year the song came out):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR9pvGtyiHg

  64. As American as it gets.

    Khatia Buniatishvili – Rhapsody in Blue
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U-IXWaapx4&list=RD0U-IXWaapx4&start_radio=1

    American musicals, opera for the masses:

    Oklahoma!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbrnXl2gO_k&list=RDZbrnXl2gO_k&start_radio=1v=yDgfOMrxLA4&list=RDyDgfOMrxLA4&start_radio=1

    Paul Robeson – Ol’ Man River (HD) | Film: Showboat (1936)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df4VdyGIqJ8&list=RDdf4VdyGIqJ8&start_radio=1

    American folk music tradition, I always thought The Byrds wrote this song.

    Judy Collins & Pete Seeger – Turn! Turn! Turn!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0xzyhoeu1Y&list=RDdf4VdyGIqJ8&index=3

  65. Some people find Neil Diamond corny. I get it, but like him anyway. Here’s Diamond’s cinematic hymn to the immigrants coming to America using a great montage from old newsreels.

    –Neil Diamond, “America” (1980)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulYeE_nQL34

    I wonder if Diamond weren’t partly inspired by this similarly passionate driving song celebrating America by one of my favorite French singers.
    _________________________

    I’ve seen all the movies and I have all the records
    From America
    But that’s not enough, I have to see
    America

    –France Gall, “L’Amérique” (1966)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0FquejTVIQ

  66. I’ll offer another favorite among neo and the neophiles as tangential to this category. It’s by a Canadian and, although not about the history of America it is about an historical, American event.

    “The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” by Canuck, Gordon Lightfoot.

  68. @David Foster:

    Indeed, winch towing is still mainly used in Germany for training flights and it is still common in many parts of the world. My very first glider flight was off a winch in southern India and I flew a lot in Kenya, always off a winch.

    I taught a lot of Civil Air Patrol cadets to fly off a winch in Nevada. The first launch is a real E ticket ride and we invited the cadets to scream as loud as they wanted on that flight. They always obliged us. We’d get 900 feet above ground level in 20-30 seconds at a pitch angle that approaches 45 degrees to the horizon. I’d have screamed too, but I didn’t want to scare the spectators.

  69. I haven’t seen anyone mention the iconic Western song, “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.” My favorite version is sung by Johnny Cash, who sounds like he himself experienced the vision.

  71. Highway 61, Bod Dylan.

    As Dylan was and to an extent still is, the bearer of the Huck Finn American Archtype/Myth, nearly all his early stuff could be described as American history in song.

  72. Re: Bob Dylan

    Will M:

    Quite so.

    It’s not well-known but Bob Dylan immersed himself in American history, particularly 19th- and early-20th-century newspapers, crime reports, political screeds, classifieds, and odd human-interest items.

    He was singing of America and to Americans.

    He never bowed to the New Left, though much of his audience wanted him to. He remained IMO an off-beat patriot, an American free thinker, and a resolute free artist.

  73. Good choir rendition of “Shenandoah”:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwL9r7C1CM0&list=RDBwL9r7C1CM0&start_radio=1

    “God Bless the USA” Lee Greenwood

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KoXt9pZLGM&list=RD-KoXt9pZLGM&start_radio=1

    “Deep in the Heart of Texas”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGF4ibgcHQE&list=RDVGF4ibgcHQE&start_radio=1

    Roy Rogers: Home On The Range Kansas state song

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KlZuk5N2co&list=RD0KlZuk5N2co&start_radio=1

    Everything’s up to date in Kansas City

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45uKl0IYuM0&list=RD45uKl0IYuM0&start_radio=1

    Carolina in the Morning and other Southern songs

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGheaISgHZw&list=RDhGheaISgHZw&start_radio=1

    Dolly Parton – My Tennessee Mountain Home

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG2kL4ojylk&list=RDVG2kL4ojylk&start_radio=1

    I hope I got all the url’s straight.

  74. Re: Bob Dylan & Hank Williams

    I recall the big “Huh?” when Dylan released “John Wesley Harding” right after the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper” and “Magical Mystery Tour.” What was this dark, stripped-to-the-bone melancholy in the midst of the 1967 psychedelic celebration?

    The answer was Hank Williams. Dylan had been listening obsessively to Williams’ “Luke the Drifter” songs. Listen to this Luke track and know that Dylan was singing from the same gospel:
    _____________________________

    You will meet many just like me
    Upon life’s busy street
    With shoulders stooped and heads bowed low
    And eyes that stare in defeat
    Poor souls that live within the past
    Where sorrow plays all parts
    For a living death is all that’s left
    For men with broken hearts

    You have no right to be the judge
    To criticize and condemn
    Just think but for the grace of God
    It would be you instead of him
    One careless step or thoughtless deed
    And then the misery starts
    And to those who weep, death comes cheap
    These men with broken hearts

    –Hank Williams as Luke the Drifter, “Men with Broken Hearts” (1951)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgHId2tg6dU
    _____________________________

    PS. That song’s bite hasn’t gone away.

  77. Rufus:

    That was wonderful!

    Dense too. Short really filled it in. Including himself! Sorry he didn’t mention Joni Mitchell or Leonard Cohen, but I understand.

    There are some great comedians who never quite cracked the next fame level but so, so good. Martin Short is one.

    “Captain Ron” (1992) with Short and Kurt Russell is a fine guilty pleasure.

  80. I also like, “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver.
    [I think, in the 1970s version of this song- Colorado is sung about in its refrains.]

  81. A lot of excellent music choices, my friends!
    Not enough time in the day to listen to all of them!

    Neo, I also grew up with the “Fireside Book of Favorite American Songs,” but the edition we had did not include “Oh, Shenandoah” with or without the Indian Maiden.
    Our family copy (copyright 1952 and probably an early printing, as I was singing from it while my sister played in the 1960s) long ago fell apart, but in 1978 I found another one in a used bookstore. It professed to be printed in 1975, but was identical to the one I knew.

    I looked through the index of titles and the index of first lines, and no version of Shenandoah is there, nor do I remember learning it from that book, although I certainly have known if from an early time.

    However, my memory of long ago days was enlivened just by scanning the names and thumbing through the book, and I was reminded of how much I loved so many of those songs. I found the words and music running through my head to almost all of them, certainly of the ones my sister and I sang the most often.

    Shule Agra was my melancholy favorite, and March of the Men of Harlech my go-to for a rousing number. In the summer of 2019, on a visit to Wales, I was able to climb to the top of the tower of Harlech Castle, and see for myself the countryside invaded by the English in 1486.

    Thanks for starting me off on a great trip down memory lane!

    This link is for the “new” paperback edition. The earlier hardbound copy, also shown, is being sold used for $219. Too bad I don’t still have mine!

    https://www.amazon.com/Fireside-Book-Favorite-American-Songs/dp/0671220616

  82. @ Rufus > “Country Roads” somehow became one of THE songs at Oktoberfest in Munchen…

    I can attest to that.

    In 2017, AesopSpouse and I were in Konstanz, Germany, in October, at a biergarten / festhalle, watching the patrons in their dirndls and lederhosen enjoy a favorite local band. The singer announced ein Tanz, everyone stood up, and he launched into a upbeat song in heavily accented English.
    Yep.
    That’s the one.

  83. @ TR > “Like “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog” (sp?) by Three Dog Night (?), I think people don’t hear “Jeremiah…”, for it’s commentaries. I think they just like to sing it.”

    My aged mother loved “Jeremiah.”
    The conceit of the friendly bullfrog was so unusual, and the music was so infectious and charming, you didn’t really care about the rest of the words too much.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2wutEzjy_E

    Fun for the graphics and this comment:
    @Tawroset 2 years ago
    My home room teacher back around 1971 made the mistake of asking our class “Does anyone know who Jeremiah was?” She clearly expected a Bible reference, so she clutched her pearls (literally!) when one of the boys screamed out “JEREMIAH WAS A BULLFROG!!” and we fell out of our desks laughing. Poor woman thought we had all lost our minds lol.?

    “Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea!
    Joy to you and me!”

  84. @ Kelly > “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky.”

    Ah, another favorite!
    For the trivia minded, who are aware that the words of one song may often be sung to another metrically-suitable tune:
    According to AesopSpouse, from an account of one of his trips with our Boy Scouts to Philmont Scout Ranch in NM sometime in the 1990s, the staff at one of the overnight stations entertained the campers with the words to “Ghost Riders” sung to the theme song from “Gilligan’s Island.”

    The boys loved it, but, at the next night’s camp, one of the older leaders complained to the staff about the desecration of his beloved cowpoke anthem (we lived in Texas at the time).
    The staffers duly commiserated with him, promised to do better, and promptly (without rehearsal), sang the Gilligan words to the Riders tune.

    A pretty fair feat of musical legerdemain, in my opinion!

  85. @ Tr > “Rocky Mountain High”

    I have a story about that one too.

    In the 1970s, we lived in Orem UT, which was building a new high school.
    The Board of Education, in some ill-advised fit of cluelessness, held a contest for the current high school students to name the new one.

    Their overwhelming choice was “Rocky Mountain High School.”

    The district leaders were not amused, and that name was NOT used.
    I forget what utterly pedestrian forgettable name they did choose, but they lost the trust of all the students.

    PS for John Denver, all Roads lead to the Rocky Mountains.

  86. Dire Straits Telegraph Road is a great song, chronicles America perfectly. I get a lump in my throat whenever I hear it.

  87. Late to the party as usual, so Brian E got ahead of me with Old Man River, and I’m surprised more of you didn’t mention it. He may have been the only one, but I didn’t go back and look.

    There were a number of anthems for those of us who bit that bullet called Viet Nam, some more strongly than others depending on when we were there. We Gotta Get Out of This Place and Gimme Shelter were certainly high on the list but for many who were there toward the end of our national involvement, Country Roads was THE song. I cannot hear it without the room getting just a little dusty.

  88. AesopFan,

    All of the songs in that book are probably in the public domain. Also, for some reason, guitar tabs are not protected, so you can find sites with guitar tabs to most any song you can think of. Some also include an option for piano chords, but even the tablature typically has the chord names written above and you can fool around with inversions to find what works best on piano.

    You can probably piece together all your favorites from that song book for free.

    But, it sounds like you may be nostalgiac and holding the physical, $219 songbook in your hand may be what you’re after.

  89. In the 60’s The New Christy Minstrels had an entire albums around this theme – The Land of Giants or Tell Tales: Legends and Nonsense – including:

    Johnny Appleseed
    the Blacksmith of Brandywine
    John Henry and the steam engine
    Paul Bunyan
    El Camino Real
    My Name is Liberty
    Beaucatcher Mountain
    Julianne
    Jimmy Grove and Barbara Ellen

    and more…

    Here’s the Paul Bunyan one:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ88aYZTMiM

    In the 80’s Neil Sedaka did The Immigrant:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMlcmULzoTE

    and from the current generation – Avi Kaplan – Born in California

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rBCNq0YLEE

  91. Stephen Foster’s many songs are as American as it gets! He lived in Cincinnati, which at the time was far enough west to create music not subject to European influence. The city was also a north-south crossroads, so African music & the banjo influenced his music. “Dear hearts and gentle people.”

  94. Can we forget “The Band”? Even if they were almost all Canadians? 🙂

    In 1971 their song, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” made it into the Billboard top ten. It was a historical song about the Civil War, written from the viewpoint of the South yet in the era of the Civil Rights movement. Sung by Joan Baez, no less.

    A song of strange healing and no one noticed.

  96. @ Scott >”Hearing Rhapsody in Blue on a CD player made me buy the CD player.”

    I can appreciate that sentiment!

  97. @ Jim Smith > “Stephen Foster’s many songs are as American as it gets!”

    I have a book with a complete collection of his works, and some historical notes.
    Fascinating genius.

  98. @ Rufus > “Also, for some reason, guitar tabs are not protected, so you can find sites with guitar tabs to most any song you can think of.”

    Thanks for the tip!
    I get a lot of songs off the internet, and so does my ukulele teacher, but often after I play what she sends me (especially those with piano scores), I think — that’s not quite right. I go to my bookshelves and files and can frequently find an old printed copy showing what the composer actually wrote and published.
    I inherited a lot of music from my aunts and friends.

    A lot of times what people post on the internet is their memory of a song, not what actually was written.
    However, like Wikipedia, it’s a good first start.

    There are several subscription sites which will also provide music free or for a fee, depending on copyright and arranger. MuseScore and MusicNotes are two we use. Also IMSLP aka /Petrucci Music Library/ is a good source.

    There are a couple of dedicated sites just for religious music which are invaluable researching tools for old hymns. Hymnary is one I use often.

    As for the old copy of my favorite book, $219 is a bit steep for nostalgia – I just want the songs, so the reprinted copy is good enough for me! I thought it was interesting to see the old cover, and that there was still a market for that sort of thing.

  99. @ Neo – I looked at a couple of other old books in my library and found “Shenandoah” in them, so I wonder if you might have conflated one of those with “The Fireside Book of Favorite American Songs.”
    However, neither has the verse about the Indian Maiden, so probably not, unless it was excised from later editions.

    One is “A Treasury of American Songs,” copyright 1940 (I have a 1984 reprint) and the notes mention the Indian chief’s daughter, without including the specific verse. I had not ever read that before, so am glad to add to my stock of Trivia.

    The NYT had a review, including a picture of the original page in the paper:
    “Songs America Has Sung; A TREASURY OF AMERICAN SONG. By Olin Downes and Elie Siegmeister. 408 pp. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. $5.” By William Schuman June 13, 1943

    A SECOND edition of “A Treasury of American Song” provides a welcome opportunity to draw attention again to a remarkable volume. The material presented covers a gamut of the main currents of American folksong. What is more, it is presented in a practical manner suitable for the average performer. This is no esoteric dissertation on the literature of our folk music. The readability and popular nature of the offering in no way detract from the authority Mr. Siegmeister brings to his task as arranger of the music. It is no small achievement to write piano parts which are so playable and at the same time give so reasonable an approximation of the original settings.

    The principal interest of the collection is, of course, the songs themselves. But the text that accompanies each selection sheds additional light through the inclusion of relevant material. Also, Mr. Downes has written an introduction which reviews the entire question of folk material. These opening pages supply a clear exposition for the uninitiated.

    The discussion defining the various types of folksong is a completely pragmatic one-a wholesome and welcome departure from the standard academic interpretation. Mention is made too of the relationship between art music and folk music. But most important is the mirror of our national life as reflected in these unself-conscious creations. “The songs in this treasury are those of multitudes and generations who have made America. They have been selected from an overwhelmingly rich store of material with a view to providing informal entertainment.”

    “But there is more than that in the matter. If ever there was a time in the history of the nation that our people should know themselves and renew faith in the purposes and traditions which are part of us, that time is now. This faith and these accretions of the national experience are contained in the most characteristic of our songs.”

    The songs have been listed under sixteen general sections which have loose historical and geographic unity wholly suited to their nature. The first of these, “Plymouth Rock to Bunker Hill,” has Pilgrim, colonial songs and early ballads. The last section, entitled “Broadway to Route 66,” has songs of the Thirties and Forties. In between, to mention but a few, are sea chanteys, spirituals, minstrels, mountain songs, work songs, honky-tonk songs and songs of immigrants. In short, this collection is indispensable for any song-minded gathering of Americans.

    Older version
    https://archive.org/details/treasuryofameric0000down/mode/2up

    Reprint 1984
    https://www.amazon.com/Treasury-American-Song-Siegmeister-Downes/dp/0895243164

    The other book is “The Family Songbook” published by Warner Brothers in 1979, which includes some newer songs from the 1960s and 1970s along with the older favorites. Its copy of Shenandoah has fewer verses and no notes. It’s probably NOT the one you remember, unless there was an earlier edition, which is possible. The big commercial publishers keep updating their anthologies.

    https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-family-songbook-warner-4703615158

  100. AesopFan:

    I mentioned in my post that my friend had a SET of Fireside songbooks. There were two. One was the American one and the other was of folk songs. Many in the latter were also American, and it turns out that was the one that had “Shenandoah” in it.

  101. A most poignant impromptu performance of a John Denver song that I can’t forget was in the summer of ’67 at Fort Ord, on the evening of our last day of Basic Training there. Several of our Mexican American fellow draftees were sitting on the lawn outside the barracks singing “Leaving on a Jet Plane” in fine harmony. Don’t know how they got hold of a guitar but the strummer played it well.

    I wound up serving in Germany, but I had a gut feeling that those young men were headed for Nam. I still wonder what became of them and others with whom I trained.

  102. huxley mentioned ‘The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down’…the convergence of railroads and the Civil War reminded me of a very good movie ‘The Great Locomotive Chase’, from circa 1954. A few historical inaccuracies, but overall it follows the true (and rather remarkable) story pretty well,

  103. The New Christy Minstrels threw in some fun in their “Paul Bunyan” song. Called California “Western Minnesota”.
    How did they know?

  105. Hi Everyone,

    I just wanted to add three more bands, to this discussion about American music.
    Please look on the Youtube [tm] site, or anywhere else, + listen to a few tunes from these bands:

    —The 1940s, A & P Gypsies [tm]…radio show,

    —Or, if you can’t find the A & P Gypsies’s show, please try the 1940s music of Benny Goodman. Mr. Goodman was [a jazz, orchestra-type band leader, I think], + a super clarinetist.

    —Please also listen to the 1923 + 1920s, [from The USA], musical…variety radio show-The Clicquot Club Eskimos [tm].

    These bands are a lot of fun. 😀 😀

    (P.S.-The Clicquot Club Eskimos show, I think- just uses cartoon images of Eskimo scenes + cool northern lands, as a theme. The name, “Clicquot Club” is a brand of ginger ale, with a northern lands’s theme to it.

    So,
    I think- The C. Club ginger ale used northern themes + images, to get buyers to think of cool-temperature places, + to make them think of cool drinks.
    The Clicquot Club ginger ale was made to rival Canada Dry [R] ginger ale.

    “Clicquot” is pronounced, “klee-ko”. )

    So,
    Please listen to some of these band’s songs. I think you’ll like them. 😀

    Cheers,

    TR

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