If you ask most people what was the Union’s song during the Civil War, the chances are pretty good that they will name “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Thanks for this reference..... I did not know this was the most popular song during the Civil War, but I can see why - great song, certainly of its time and still relevant. I hummed the tune as I read the lyrics in your post..... I never sing where others can hear me - I'm 83, and can't run away as fast as I used to.....
my trouble is sort of the opposite. for pretty much all my life, I had the decency to singonly in private. when I was married, one of the perks was voice lessons (Rochelle was an opera singer), but they only sort of "took" (I can occasionally match the right pitch). now I sing whenever I want to, having achieved the status of "weird old guy." when this happens, you're better off crossing the street.
I once sang (or TRIED to sing) "Jerusalem" when I attended a Sunday service in an old Norman church in Cumbria. lots of weird looks...
Thanks for this. I have quit reading about anything since the media frenzy over the debate and now the Traitorous Supreme Court’s latest attempt to end democracy. It was very nice to listen to something that actually spoke to what I’m feeling. I have 200 postcards waiting to be mailed to Pennsylvania in October. I’ve decided I’m not going to worry about it and do everything I can to get out the vote, try to give Biden a Democratic Senate and House and then hope that all hell breaks loose as he expands the court and perhaps we will have Congress impeach a few Supreme Court criminal Justices. Thanks again.
I anxiously await this generation's musical accounts of where the nation is now, about how millions have been duped into a manufactured populism that could result in the worst tyranny since slavery because it will usher in the new slavery. Someone please write one we can march to and quick send it off to Taylor Swift who can mainline it into the national consciousness. We need a new call to muster.
Currently., the geniuses in their own minds who spent the past 20 years destroying the movie business I was in for 30 years are trying to destroy Biden's campaign because he doesn't recognize their awesomeness. Barry Diller (82) is accusing Biden of being "too old and obviously out of touch." Talk about an accusation being a confession!
The less attention paid to what passes for Hollywood nowadays, the better.
I had no idea things were that bad. But of course, Barry Diller is all about Barry Diller. DeNiro and Clooney are throwing money around, thankfully, but I was thinking that there must be some young creatives who are more in touch with the younger generations, and who could throw together some spots for specific audiences. You wouldn't need a full studio production for that. You could just start cranking out videos for YouTube. The various TV shows have teams of clever writers. Why aren't they giving time to cranking out TikTok memes? OK, maybe they are. Who knows were memes come from? But to continue, develop effective messaging and recruit popular performers to hit the podcasts, or start their own podcasts. If Gavin Newsome and Marshawn Lynch can have a podcast, anything is possible. Our media consumption is completely Balkanized these days. We need to go wide and take the message across platforms. (I can't fucking believe I just wrote a sentence with "across platforms" in it. This end of democracy thing has me in a dark place.) The less the message sounds like establishment politikspeak the better. The movie people could play lots of small ball to reach people who aren't plugged into MSM.
The music people are more important to the young than the movies, but every high profiler is needed. All the artists who objected to 45's use of their music need to get loud and unbowed. The wingers have Kid Rock who couldn't draw a crowd here in his neck of the woods last time. Music has always sprung from human conditions moreso than movies, well, simply because of costs, but we need all of it. If I had any musical talent I'd write a piece called "Pushin' Back the Dark" and ask Swift and a few others to collaborate on concert to get the song into the system. It's a risk to the artists, but what isn't?
I totally agree that music itself is more important than movies, but my point was not about movies per se so much as about people in the industry applying their talents to messaging. As far as music goes, my only caveat is that it's also fairly tribal, and if you get a big message from TS then there will be people who wouldn't be caught dead listening to her who would turn in the other direction. You'd want to get your messaging in as many genres as you can. Relentless messaging has been very effective for the right and that needs to be countered from the left.
Totally agree. I don't care for TS's music either (more of a jazz, doo-woop and rock 'n roll fan), but I love that her popularity irks the daylights out of Trump. And we need the youth vote.
I first heard The Battle Cry of Freedom when I was 5. We'd rented a house for our second year in the Boston area, when we were supposed to have gone back to Seattle, that had a copy of the record, Songs of the Civil War, and I fell in love with that record. I played it repeatedly, so often that I pretty much wore it out. At the end of our 9 months in that house, my father bought the owners--friends of his--a new copy of the record. He should have bought me a new copy--or maybe two--but he didn't think of that. I did end up with the copy I'd worn out, which I played on occasion for the next 55 years or so, until it finally became impossible. And I couldn't find a new copy for a number of years.
One day several years ago, I did find out where I could get a copy of the record, and that I could have a CD made of it--to play in my car. I arranged for the record to be sent to the place that made the CD copies (I ordered 2), and waited, it must have been more than a month. But one day the CDs came. I put one of the CDs into the CD player on my Civic, and went for a drive. I took what was one of the most joyous joy rides of my life. With each song, I remembered which was going to be the next song, and I remembered both the words, and often, what I'd thought at age 5 had been the words. This line for example:
"To swell the brick Abe's rousing song of Stonewall Jackson's way!"
(As if Lincoln would have a song about a southern general!)
And another--the real lyrics:
"The pride of each patriot's devotion..."
which at 5 I thought went
"The shrine of each papri of Stehosen..."
There are so many wonderful songs on that record! If it weren't so late I'd take a joy ride and listen to them again. Even now, I feel like I have to keep myself from listening too much to these songs, but when I first got those CDs, I must have played them every time I got in the car for a couple of months. And I suspect I'm just about to do it again.
The songs on that record are the first music I truly loved.
I'm willing to bet we had the same "Songs of the Civil War" album. how many could there have been...two or three? I think mine had something to do with Book-of-the Month Club, but I also remember Civil War Songs on a set of 78s, around 1953 or 4.
Well, I probably would have guessed "John Brown's Body," but this is better. Having Virginia and Maryland on one side of the family and New England on the other, I grew up with both Tennessee Ernie Ford sings Civil War Songs of the South and Tennessee Ernie Ford sings Civil War Songs of the North. I was especially partial to "Marching Through Georgia" (North) and "Riding a Raid" (South). "Battle Cry of Freedom" wasn't on either one, but I picked that up somewhere. Quite a few songs were sung by both North and South, same tune, different words.
SO much cooler than "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" -- which we used to have to sing in church in the 50s and 60s, and I felt weird about it even then.
it's a great song, but since I fell in love with "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and memorized the whole thing (all five verses, as I recall...I couldn't do it now) at the age of ten, I can't give it up. it's got lines in it that are as good as any lines I can think of anywhere in English. I mean, c'mon..."Trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored" isn't fucking FABULOUS?
an old, long-gone friend who'd lived almost thirty years in Greece told me Julia Ward Howe based the lyric on Solomos's "Hymn to Liberty," which her husband knew because he'd volunteered for duty as a surgeon in the Greek War of Independence.
Thanks for this reference..... I did not know this was the most popular song during the Civil War, but I can see why - great song, certainly of its time and still relevant. I hummed the tune as I read the lyrics in your post..... I never sing where others can hear me - I'm 83, and can't run away as fast as I used to.....
I laughed out loud.
my trouble is sort of the opposite. for pretty much all my life, I had the decency to singonly in private. when I was married, one of the perks was voice lessons (Rochelle was an opera singer), but they only sort of "took" (I can occasionally match the right pitch). now I sing whenever I want to, having achieved the status of "weird old guy." when this happens, you're better off crossing the street.
I once sang (or TRIED to sing) "Jerusalem" when I attended a Sunday service in an old Norman church in Cumbria. lots of weird looks...
Thanks for this. I have quit reading about anything since the media frenzy over the debate and now the Traitorous Supreme Court’s latest attempt to end democracy. It was very nice to listen to something that actually spoke to what I’m feeling. I have 200 postcards waiting to be mailed to Pennsylvania in October. I’ve decided I’m not going to worry about it and do everything I can to get out the vote, try to give Biden a Democratic Senate and House and then hope that all hell breaks loose as he expands the court and perhaps we will have Congress impeach a few Supreme Court criminal Justices. Thanks again.
I anxiously await this generation's musical accounts of where the nation is now, about how millions have been duped into a manufactured populism that could result in the worst tyranny since slavery because it will usher in the new slavery. Someone please write one we can march to and quick send it off to Taylor Swift who can mainline it into the national consciousness. We need a new call to muster.
That's a good point. People in music and movies need to be in the fight.
Currently., the geniuses in their own minds who spent the past 20 years destroying the movie business I was in for 30 years are trying to destroy Biden's campaign because he doesn't recognize their awesomeness. Barry Diller (82) is accusing Biden of being "too old and obviously out of touch." Talk about an accusation being a confession!
The less attention paid to what passes for Hollywood nowadays, the better.
I had no idea things were that bad. But of course, Barry Diller is all about Barry Diller. DeNiro and Clooney are throwing money around, thankfully, but I was thinking that there must be some young creatives who are more in touch with the younger generations, and who could throw together some spots for specific audiences. You wouldn't need a full studio production for that. You could just start cranking out videos for YouTube. The various TV shows have teams of clever writers. Why aren't they giving time to cranking out TikTok memes? OK, maybe they are. Who knows were memes come from? But to continue, develop effective messaging and recruit popular performers to hit the podcasts, or start their own podcasts. If Gavin Newsome and Marshawn Lynch can have a podcast, anything is possible. Our media consumption is completely Balkanized these days. We need to go wide and take the message across platforms. (I can't fucking believe I just wrote a sentence with "across platforms" in it. This end of democracy thing has me in a dark place.) The less the message sounds like establishment politikspeak the better. The movie people could play lots of small ball to reach people who aren't plugged into MSM.
The music people are more important to the young than the movies, but every high profiler is needed. All the artists who objected to 45's use of their music need to get loud and unbowed. The wingers have Kid Rock who couldn't draw a crowd here in his neck of the woods last time. Music has always sprung from human conditions moreso than movies, well, simply because of costs, but we need all of it. If I had any musical talent I'd write a piece called "Pushin' Back the Dark" and ask Swift and a few others to collaborate on concert to get the song into the system. It's a risk to the artists, but what isn't?
I totally agree that music itself is more important than movies, but my point was not about movies per se so much as about people in the industry applying their talents to messaging. As far as music goes, my only caveat is that it's also fairly tribal, and if you get a big message from TS then there will be people who wouldn't be caught dead listening to her who would turn in the other direction. You'd want to get your messaging in as many genres as you can. Relentless messaging has been very effective for the right and that needs to be countered from the left.
Totally agree. I don't care for TS's music either (more of a jazz, doo-woop and rock 'n roll fan), but I love that her popularity irks the daylights out of Trump. And we need the youth vote.
I first heard The Battle Cry of Freedom when I was 5. We'd rented a house for our second year in the Boston area, when we were supposed to have gone back to Seattle, that had a copy of the record, Songs of the Civil War, and I fell in love with that record. I played it repeatedly, so often that I pretty much wore it out. At the end of our 9 months in that house, my father bought the owners--friends of his--a new copy of the record. He should have bought me a new copy--or maybe two--but he didn't think of that. I did end up with the copy I'd worn out, which I played on occasion for the next 55 years or so, until it finally became impossible. And I couldn't find a new copy for a number of years.
One day several years ago, I did find out where I could get a copy of the record, and that I could have a CD made of it--to play in my car. I arranged for the record to be sent to the place that made the CD copies (I ordered 2), and waited, it must have been more than a month. But one day the CDs came. I put one of the CDs into the CD player on my Civic, and went for a drive. I took what was one of the most joyous joy rides of my life. With each song, I remembered which was going to be the next song, and I remembered both the words, and often, what I'd thought at age 5 had been the words. This line for example:
"To swell the brick Abe's rousing song of Stonewall Jackson's way!"
(As if Lincoln would have a song about a southern general!)
And another--the real lyrics:
"The pride of each patriot's devotion..."
which at 5 I thought went
"The shrine of each papri of Stehosen..."
There are so many wonderful songs on that record! If it weren't so late I'd take a joy ride and listen to them again. Even now, I feel like I have to keep myself from listening too much to these songs, but when I first got those CDs, I must have played them every time I got in the car for a couple of months. And I suspect I'm just about to do it again.
The songs on that record are the first music I truly loved.
I'm willing to bet we had the same "Songs of the Civil War" album. how many could there have been...two or three? I think mine had something to do with Book-of-the Month Club, but I also remember Civil War Songs on a set of 78s, around 1953 or 4.
Well, I probably would have guessed "John Brown's Body," but this is better. Having Virginia and Maryland on one side of the family and New England on the other, I grew up with both Tennessee Ernie Ford sings Civil War Songs of the South and Tennessee Ernie Ford sings Civil War Songs of the North. I was especially partial to "Marching Through Georgia" (North) and "Riding a Raid" (South). "Battle Cry of Freedom" wasn't on either one, but I picked that up somewhere. Quite a few songs were sung by both North and South, same tune, different words.
Thank you Tom. Chef's kiss 💋
I am well and truly ear-wormed.
Thanks, Tom, You're right I would have said the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Thanks for this. Have a new piece to get into my “Medley of America”.
SO much cooler than "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" -- which we used to have to sing in church in the 50s and 60s, and I felt weird about it even then.
I especially like "Down with the traitor!"
Another timely one, Tom. Is it in the old Weavers Song Book? I have an ancient copy in a box here somewhere.
"And although he may be poor, not a man shall be a slave,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom!"
https://open.spotify.com/track/67sacC3jKZwJP0qHlYOXyY?si=lfS1hGCxT1uhMdb_oDfO2g&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A5OzDrTPRILY6ncNBMFigyp
it's a great song, but since I fell in love with "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and memorized the whole thing (all five verses, as I recall...I couldn't do it now) at the age of ten, I can't give it up. it's got lines in it that are as good as any lines I can think of anywhere in English. I mean, c'mon..."Trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored" isn't fucking FABULOUS?
an old, long-gone friend who'd lived almost thirty years in Greece told me Julia Ward Howe based the lyric on Solomos's "Hymn to Liberty," which her husband knew because he'd volunteered for duty as a surgeon in the Greek War of Independence.