How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?
| "How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?" | |
|---|---|
_(SM-2-073).jpg) Sheet music cover for "How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm" | |
| Song | |
| Published | 1919 |
| Composer(s) | Walter Donaldson |
| Lyricist(s) |
Joe Young Sam M. Lewis |
"How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree?)" is a World War I song that rose to popularity after the war had ended. The lyrics highlight concern that American soldiers from rural environments would not want to return to farm life after experiencing the European city life and culture of Paris during World War I.
Performances and recordings
The song was first introduced to vaudeville by Sophie Tucker.[1]
Eddie Cantor also added it to his stage set.[1]
In 1919, an early jazz band, Jim Europe's 369th Infantry Band frequently performed this song in 1919 after arriving back in New York.[2] They recorded a version for Pathé Records and it became a hit for that year.[3]
Also, Nora Bayes recorded it for Columbia that same year. Bayes' version reached number two on the US song charts in March 1919.[3] Victor released its recording, featuring the singer Arthur Fields, on February 27, 1919.[4]
Like many World War I songs, it was sung by soldiers in World War II.[5]
Andrew Bird included a more melancholy cover version in his 2007 EP Soldier On. In The Lego Movie (2014), the song is briefly sung in Judy Garland's voice by the character Metalbeard (using a sample from the 1942 film For Me and My Gal).
Composition
The song features music by Walter Donaldson and words by Joe Young and Sam M. Lewis. It was published in 1919 by Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co in New York.[6] The team of Donaldson, Young and Lewis, wrote another topical song commenting on soldiers returning from the war that was released by Victor the day before "How Ya Gonna Keep Em Down on the Farm." "Don’t cry, Frenchy, don’t cry" was released by Victor on February 26, 1919. It featured the singers Charles Hart and Elliott Shaw.[7][8]
The song is in the public domain.
References
- 1 2 Holsinger, M. Paul, "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm?" (Song), War and American Popular Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. Edited by M Paul Holsinger, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999, ISBN 0313299080, p.207.
- ↑ Hagedorn, Ann. Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007, ISBN 9780743243711, p. 99-101.
- 1 2 Top Songs of 1919 ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts. Musicvf.com. Retrieved on 2014-07-07.
- ↑ http://www.78discography.com/vic18500.html retrieved February 16, 2015
- ↑ True, William, and Deryck Tufts True. The Cow Spoke French: The Story of Sgt. William True, American Paratrooper in World War II. Bennington, Vt: Merriam Press, 2002, ISBN 1576382966, p. 255.
- ↑ Donaldson, Wallter (1919). How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree?). New York, NY: Waterson, Berlin & Snyder. OCLC 20267380.
- ↑ http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/recordings/detail/id/7000/ retrieved February 16, 2015
- ↑ http://www.78discography.com/vic18500.html retrieved 2/16/2915
Bibliography
- Hagedorn, Ann. Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007. ISBN 9780743243711
- Holsinger, M. Paul, "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on the Farm?" (Song) in War and American Popular Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia. Edited by M Paul Holsinger, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999. ISBN 0313299080
- True, William, and Deryck Tufts True. The Cow Spoke French: The Story of Sgt. William True, American Paratrooper in World War II. Bennington, Vt: Merriam Press, 2002. ISBN 1576382966