Originally titled "Frankie and Albert," this traditional murder ballad was inspired by the real-life crime of passion committed by Frankie Baker in 1899. Frankie discovered her lover, Albert Britt, had been with another woman and took revenge by shooting him at a boardinghouse in St. Louis, Missouri. She would be acquitted under plea of self-defense.
The origins of the song as we know it today are a bit murky. That same year, local singer Bill Dooley composed a song sensationalizing the case, and it became a popular mainstay in local saloons before its official publication as "Frankie and Johnny" in 1904. The song was not credited to Dooley, however, but to ragtime composer/lyricist Hughie Cannon.
Frank and Bert Leighton's 1908 version, which was published as "Frankie and Johnny" in 1912, brought us the familiar opening:
Frankie and Johnny were sweethearts They had a quarrel one day
Countless covers over the years have provided many variations of the song. Sometimes the duo are "lovers" instead of "sweethearts." Johnny's mistress can be Alice Pry or Nelly Bly. Sometimes, Frankie is cheered by onlookers as she shoots Johnny and is exonerated; other times, she's executed.
Many artists have recorded this, including Louis Armstrong, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Sam Cooke sang a cleaner version than most, which is the most popular contemporary cover. Here are the charting versions in America:
1959, #57 - Johnny Cash 1961, #20 - Brook Benton 1963, #14 - Sam Cooke 1964, #75 - The Greenwood County Singers 1966, #25 - Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley starred in a 1966 movie called Frankie And Johnny where he performed the song. In 1991, another movie of the same name was released starring Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer, who in one scene banter over the song when they realize they are named Frankie and Johnny. The exchange:
Pfeiffer: Didn't they kill each other? Pacino: No. She killed him. You got the edge there.
In 1942, the real Frankie Baker filed a defamation suit against Republic Pictures for the 1936 film Frankie and Johnnie, starring Helen Morgan and Chester Morris. Frankie lost the lawsuit and was never able to escape her reputation as a murderer, though she had been acquitted. She said during the (defamation) court proceedings: "I was pointed out as the worst woman in the world and introduced as the Frankie of song, instead of Miss Baker."
Brook Benton's R&B version was included in the 2011 compilation Mad Men: A Musical Companion.
Anika Noni Rose performed this in the 2011 miniseries Bag of Bones, based on the Stephen King novel. Rose played Sara Tidwell in the movie.
This was written shortly after the birth of Arthur, Prince of Wales, and appears in a song book from the court of his father, Henry VII (1457-1509). Henry was the first of the Tudors, ascending to the throne on the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485, the last significant battle in what was known as the Wars of the Roses. The head of the House of Lancaster, on January 18, 1486, he married Elizabeth York cementing an alliance between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. On September 20, 1486, their first son, Arthur, was born at Winchester - as in Winchester Cathedral. Winchester is also the legendary seat of Camelot, and Arthur was named after its equally legendary king.
"The Peace Of The Roses" acknowledges this alliance:
"I love the Rose both Red and White Is that your pure perfect appetite? To hear talk of them is my delight, Joyed may we be Our Prince to see In Roses three".
In other words, the Red Rose of Lancaster unites with the White Rose of York to form the Tudor Rose.
Alas, that was as good as things got for the House of Tudor. On November 14, 1501, Arthur was married to Catherine of Aragon - who was barely a year older - but died April 2 the following year aged only 15. In 1509, Arthur's brother Henry married his widow, the first of his six wives. After divorcing Catherine he married Anne Boleyn, and when like Catherine she was unable to give him the son and heir he wanted, he chopped off her head, which was obviously bad news for her, but Anne's execution did inspire one of the most memorable dark songs of the 1930s, "With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm."
This is famous as the theme song of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team, who officially adopted it in 1952. They use it for their "Magic Circles" when the players stand in a circle and pass around the ball, displaying their impressive techniques and dexterity.
This was written in the 1920s by Maceo Pinkard and Ken Casey. It was popularized by the big bandleader Ben Bernie in the 1920s, and he was given a co-writer credit for recording it.
The most famous version, with whistling and bone-cracking, was a 1949 instrumental recorded by Brother Bones & His Shadows. This is the version used by the Harlem Globetrotters.
The original version had lyrics that were about a black prostitute. Many people and groups have covered this with lyrics, including Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, The Beatles, and The Grateful Dead, and the lyrics seem to vary by cover. The Beatles' version contains the line "In Liverpool she even dared to criticize the Beatles' hair with their whole fan club standing there." The Grateful Dead only performed their version live. (thanks, Crystal - Springfield, MO, for all above)
This song was a showstopper in the 1976 Broadway musical Bubbling Brown Sugar, where it was performed by Vivian Reed (who earned a Tony nomination for the role; the production was also nominated for Best Musical). The show lasted just one year on Broadway, but continued on as a touring production. For three years, Bettye LaVette played the lead role in this production.
Sometimes one or both the commas in the title are dropped from the title of this early 19th Century hymn. Not a great deal is known about its origin, but it is best known for its relationship with one of the most famous maritime disasters of the following century because it is the song that was played by Wallace Hartley, band leader on the Titanic as the ship went down. In October 2013, the violin Hartley used was auctioned for £900,000 exclusive of buyer's premium and value added tax.
"Nearer, My God, To Thee" started life as a poem by Sarah Flower Adams, who died in 1848. It is said to have been inspired by or based loosely on the Biblical reference to Jacob's dream, as was the Rush track "Jacob's Ladder" a century-and-a-half later.
The poet wrote the words at her home at Loughton, Essex, and initially it was set to music by her sister, Eliza Flower, but it has also been set to the tunes of "Horbury" (1861), "Propior Deo", "St.Edmund" (by Arthur Sullivan in 1872) and most often by the 1856 "Bethany", composed Lowell Mason.
"Nearer, My God, To Thee" was also sung by the crew of the SS Valencia when the ship went down off the coast of Vancouver in January 1906. (thanks, Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 3)
Jacob's dream is presented in Genesis 28:11-19. Let's take a look at how the hymn's lyrics match up with the story.
By this time, Jacob is on the run from his twin brother, Esau, who vowed to kill Jacob for taking his birthright and stealing his blessing from their dying father.
Though like the wanderer, the sun gone down, Darkness be over me, my rest a stone; Yet in my dreams I'd be nearer, my God, to Thee.
As he settles down to rest on his journey, he dreams of a ladder coming down from heaven with angels ascending and descending upon it.
There let the way appear, steps unto Heav'n; All that Thou sendest me, in mercy giv'n; Angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to Thee..
God appears and promises the land around him will belong to Jacob and his descendants. "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you," He says. When Jacob awakens, he names the land Bethel, meaning House of God. Then, with my waking thoughts bright with Thy praise, Out of my stony griefs Bethel I'll raise. So by my woes to be nearer, my God, to Thee.
While there are many interpretations of Jacob's Ladder, many Christian scholars believe the ladder represents Jesus Christ as the connection between man and God, citing John 1:51: "And he [Jesus] said to him, 'Truly, truly I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.'"
There in my Father's home, safe and at rest, There in my Savior's love, perfectly blest; Age after age to be nearer, my God, to Thee.
