1. “Camptown Races” by Stephen Foster, 1850
-classic from blackface minstrelsy tradition
-demonstrates parody of rural blacks through:
-pastoral scene
-“folk” instruments
-imitations of African-American dialect
-began in mass-mediated world of minstrel tradition
-now assumed to be a folk song, its blackface roots are practically forgotten
2. “She‟ll Be Coming „Round the Mountain”
-originally an African-American spiritual
-spread throughout the US which inspired current form
-spread throughout the US by folk (not mass mediated)
-also spread through parodies and version such as this one on the radio
-example of what we take to be “folk music” in N.A. is in fact the result of processes of mass-
mediation
-has been “laundered” through mass media and made part of a “white” culture (along with the
banjo)
3. “I Ain‟t a Bit Drunk” by George Roark
-blackface minstrelsy influence
-references to boogeyman
-recast as a parody of white South
-banjo, speech and body language of Southern whites sound drunk
-stress of 2 and 4 (upbeats), another legacy of African-American music
4. “I am a Man of Constant Sorrow” by Emry Arthur, 1928
-AAA form (no verse/refrain)
-meter is constantly changing, length of phrases adjusted to length of each line
-this irregularity becomes rare over 20th century folk music
-ballad form plays minimal role in evolution of popular music
-genres characterized by verse/refrain provide foundations for modern pop song
-living through experience himself, first person
-strength in hard times, “stiff upper lip”
5. “I am a Man of Constant Sorrow” by Soggy Bottom Boys
-has undergone rhythmic standardization (4/4)
-quasi-chorus
-slower and more melancholy
-form has collapsed into content
-this version is retrospective
6. “Roll Over Beethoven” by The Beatles, 1963
-Beatles began as a cover band -the idea of “bands” didn‟t exist until 50s/60s
7. “The Train Kept-a-Rollin” by Yardbirds, 1968
-use of harmonica
-associated with African-American country blues
-belongs to blues even though it is presented as rockabilly
-fetishization of African-American culture, especially in the UK
8. “Love in Vain” by The Rolling Stones, 1969
-Jagger doing his minstrelsy voice
-imitation of “black” culture
-use of slide guitar
-Hawaiian imitation of Af. Am music
-just like banjo, became a white instrument
9. “All Day and All of the Night” by The Kinks, 1964
-sounds heavy
-distortion becomes more popular
-power chords
-brutal rhythmically, don‟t have that displacement of the beat
-groove is based on emphasizing beats one through four in a heavy way
-riff is very important
10. “Tell Laura I Love Her” by Ray Peterson, 1960
-character Tommy crashes is bike in a race and dying words are “Tell Laura I love her”
-“death ballad”
-percentage of songs about love are growing
11. “Leader of the Pack” by The Shangri-Las, 1964
-four women sisters from NY
-mechanical sound (motorcycles)
-illicit love affair as an act for rebellion
More
Less
