Going to the Movies: Icons and Idols  The âFrankie and Johnnyâ story has gone through a few cinematic adaptations over the years.  It also appears in a few film musicals in productions that are otherwise unrelated to the âFrankieâ … Continue reading →
 Despite the fact that I think there was some âhourglass momentâ where this song slipped through a narrow channel to flow back out again, there is still so much diversity to the lyrics of this song that a âclose … Continue reading →
  âAs our American culture advances, it may be that classes will take up the Frankie songs as seriously as a play by Molière or a Restoration comedy or the Provençal ballads of FranceâŚ.While the Frankie story deals with … Continue reading →
Weâll start todayâs posts with some news accounts, to begin thinking about whether and how the facts matter to the song, and how the facts leave their traces, often in indirect ways, in the songs. Â For the moment at least, … Continue reading →
The Frankie and Johnny mural in the House Lounge at the Missouri State Capitol âFrankie and Johnnyâ or âFrankie and Albertâ is the most popular and commercially successful murder ballad. I canât think of a song that really comes remotely … Continue reading →
Ok, letâs bring this one on home. In the introductory post for the week, we learned that Child 10, the ballad commonly known as âTwo Sistersâ, is in fact quite old, with Scandinavian roots stretching back perhaps a thousand years. … Continue reading →
When I was linking the lyrics for Clannadâs version of âTwo Sistersâ for this weekâs main post, I was stumped when I saw the refrain on several sites listed as âthe boys are born for meâ. Iâd always heard it … Continue reading →
âGirl by Streamâ Charles Van Shaick ca. 1880 This week finds us in new waters â sibling rivalry. Ok, ok, I know. One thing to love about murder ballads is that we canât dismiss the violence with simple explanations or … Continue reading →
As Ken commented, the role of the natural world is a significant element in âYoung Hunting/Henry Lee.â Nick Cave may have removed the dialogue between the woman and the bird, but his original chorus uses the howling wind and the … Continue reading →
This weekâs installment focuses on another American contribution to the genre, in the sense that âHenry Lee,â or âLove Henry,â is an Americanized take on an old ballad called âYoung Huntingâ (Child Ballad No. 68). Â Â The ballad tells … Continue reading →
