Black Betty: Difference between revisions
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Woah black betty, |
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{{Cleanup|article|date=January 2008}} |
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Bow bow. |
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{{Infobox Standard |
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Woah black betty, |
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|title=Black Betty |
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Bow Bow |
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|comment= |
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gonna get me high? |
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|image= |
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bow bow |
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|image-size= |
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No thats no lie, |
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|caption= |
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Bow bow! |
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|writer= |
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|composer= |
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|lyricist= |
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|published= |
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|written= |
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|language=English |
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|form=[[work song]], [[marching song]], [[jody call]] |
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|original_artist=Iron Head |
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|recorded_by=Iron Head, [[Lead Belly]], [[Ram Jam]], [[Ministry_%28band%29]], [[Spiderbait]] |
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|performed_by=[[10,000 Maniacs]] |
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}} |
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"'''Black Betty'''" ([[Roud Folk Song Index|Roud 11668]]) is a 20th century [[African-American]] [[work song]] often credited to [[Lead Belly|Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter]] as the author, though the earliest recordings are not by him. Some sources claim it is one of Lead Belly's many adaptations of earlier folk material;<ref>''The Life and Legend of Leadbelly'' by Charles Wolf and Kip Lornell, Published by [[Harper Collins]], NY, 1992</ref> in this case an 18th century [[marching song|marching cadence]] about a [[flint-lock]] rifle. |
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==Early recordings== |
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The song was first recorded in the field by U.S. [[musicology|musicologists]] [[John Lomax|John]] and [[Alan Lomax]] in [[1933 in music|1933]], performed [[a cappella]] by the convict '''James Baker''' (also known as Iron Head) and a group at Central State Farm, [[Sugar Land]], [[Texas]].<ref>[http://wc03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jnfexqrkldte allmusic ((( Deep River of Song: Big Brazos > Overview )))<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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The Lomaxes were recording for the [[Library of Congress]] and later field recordings in 1934, 1936 and 1939 also include versions of "Black Betty". It was recorded commercially in [[New York]] in 1939 for the [[Musicraft]] label by [[blues]] artist [[Lead Belly]], as part of a medley with two other work songs: "[[Looky Looky Yonder]]" and "[[Yellow Woman's Doorbells]]".<ref>[http://www.document-records.com/fulldetails.asp?ProdID=DOCD-5226 Document Records Vintage Blues and Jazz<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Lead Belly had a long association with the Lomaxes, and had himself served time in State prison farms. |
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==Post-1939== |
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While Leadbelly's 1939 recording was also performed [[a cappella]], most subsequent versions added a [[guitar]] accompaniment. These include [[folk music|folk]]-style recordings in 1964 by [[Odetta]] (as a medley with "Looky Yonder"), [[Dave "Snaker" Ray]],<ref>With [["Spider" John Koerner]] and [[Tony "Little Sun" Glover]] on ''Lots More Blues, Rags, and Hollers'' (Elektra - EKL 267)</ref> Harry Belafonte,<ref>[http://www.akh.se/harbel/lpm2953.htm Harry Belafonte - Ballads, Blues and Boasters - LSP2953]</ref> and [[Alan Lomax]] himself.<ref>[http://wc03.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:fbfpxqlgld6e~T0 allmusic ( Texas Folk Songs > Overview )]</ref> In 1976 a [[Cincinnati, Ohio|Cincinnati]] band, [[Starstruck (band)|Starstruck]], recorded a [[rock music|rock]] version of the song on the [[Truckstar]] label which had little success. |
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In 1977, the [[rock music|rock]] band [[Ram Jam]] — whose members included [[Bill Bartlett]], formerly of Starstruck and [[The Lemon Pipers]] — rerecorded the song with producers [[Jerry Kasenatz]] and [[Jeff Katz]] under [[Epic Records]]. The song became an instant hit with listeners, as it reached number 18 on the singles charts in the [[United States]] and the top ten in [[Australia]]. At the same time, the lyrics became the cause of a [[boycott]] by [[civil rights]] groups [[NAACP]] and [[Congress of Racial Equality]], who claimed it insulted black women. |
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1990 [[Dance music|Dance]] [[remix]]es of Ram Jam's version made the top twenty of the US dance charts and top thirty in Australia. Other notable artists such as [[Nick Cave]] (1986) and [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] (2002) have covered the song. Australian band [[Spiderbait]] released a version which reached #1 on the [[ARIA Charts|ARIA Singles Chart]] in Australia May 2004 and stayed there for three weeks. This version was later accredited double platinum in Australia and was the third-best-selling single in Australia in 2004. |
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In 1992 notable remixer [[Hank Shocklee]] of [[The Bomb Squad]] used a riff from the [[Ram Jam]] single as a sample for a remix of [[Live (band)|Live]]'s "Pain Lies on the Riverside". It was not until 1997 that the remix became commercially available. |
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In 2006 the [[University of New Hampshire]] administration controversially banned the playing of Ram Jam's "Black Betty" at UNH [[Hockey]] games. UNH Athletic Director Marty Scarano explained the reason for the decision: "UNH is not going to stand for something that insults any segment of society"<ref>{{cite web |last=Melamed |first=Kristen |title=This "Betty" won't play anymore |url=http://www.tnhonline.com/media/storage/paper674/news/2006/01/24/News/This-betty.Wont.Play.Anymore-1502180.shtml |format=web reprint |accessdate=2008-03-19}}</ref> |
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==Meaning== |
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The origin and meaning of the lyrics are subject to debate. Some sources claim the song is derived from an [[18th century]] [[marching song|marching cadence]] about a [[flint-lock]] musket with a black painted stock; the "bam-ba-lam" lyric referring to the sound of the gunfire. Soldiers in the field were said to be "hugging Black Betty". In this interpretation, the rifle was superseded by its "child", a rifle with an unpainted walnut stock known as a "[[Brown Bess]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Brown Bess |url=http://www.cvco.org/sigs/reg64/bess.html |accessdate=2008-01-12}}</ref> |
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Other sources {{Who|date=June 2007}} claim the term was a contemporary reference for a prostitute, a prison [[bullwhip]], or the "[[paddywagon]]". |
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David Hackett Fischer, in his book ''Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America'' ([[Oxford University Press]], 1989), states that "Black Betty" was a common term for a bottle of whiskey in the borderlands of northern England/southern Scotland, and later in the backcountry areas of the eastern United States. |
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In Lead Belly's version of the song, Black Betty is characterized as a woman with a child: |
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<blockquote> |
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<i> |
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Woah, Black Betty<br /> |
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bam-ba-lam<br /> |
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Woah, Black Betty<br /> |
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bam-ba-lam<br /> |
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<br /> |
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Black Betty had a child<br /> |
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bam-ba-lam<br /> |
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Black Betty had a child<br /> |
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bam-ba-lam<br /> |
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<br /> |
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Damn thing gone wild<br /> |
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bam-ba-lam<br /> |
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Damn thing gone wild<br /> |
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bam-ba-lam<br /> |
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</i> |
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</blockquote> |
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In an interview (see ''The Land Where the Blues Began'', 1st Edition, [[Alan Lomax]], [[Pantheon Books]], 1993) conducted by [[Alan Lomax]] with a former prisoner of the Texas penal farm named [[Doc Reese]] (aka "[[Big Head]]"), Reese stated that the term "Black Betty" was used by prisoners to refer to the "[[Paddywagon|Black Maria]]" -- the penetentiary transfer wagon. Below is a song in which the term "Black Betty", used to refer to the wagon, appears in the context of a prison work song. {{Fact|date=June 2007}} |
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<blockquote> |
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<i> |
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Black Betty's in the bottom,<br /> |
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I can hear her roar,<br /> |
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She's bringing some po sucker,<br /> |
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With an achin soul.<br /> |
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<br /> |
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She'll bring you here and leave you,<br /> |
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Let your hammer ring,<br /> |
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For a hundred summers,<br /> |
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Let your hammer ring.<br /> |
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<br /> |
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</i> |
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(and now we hear the most familiar part of the song)<br /> |
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<i> |
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<br /> |
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Black Betty's got a baby,<br /> |
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Let your hammer ring,<br /> |
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Damn thing's gone crazy,<br /> |
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Let your hammer ring,<br /> |
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Dipped its head in gravy,<br /> |
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Let your hammer ring.<br /> |
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</i> |
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</blockquote> |
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{{Fact|date=June 2007}} |
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{{Original research|date=April 2008}} |
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In this interpretation, Black Betty's baby may be the prisoner himself, who has by his own admission "gone crazy" -- seeing as it was "Black Betty" who delivered the prisoners into the prison world ("She's bringing some po' sucker"). In the lyrics above, the phrase "Let your hammer ring" is used repeatedly. In this case, the "hammer" refers to the hoes used by prisoners to break up the ground in the cotton fields. The song itself was used to keep a steady rhythm among the workers as they toiled in the field. It had the added benefit of helping the time go by faster through collective participation. |
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Many early blues and proto-blues songs follow a theme that the wickedness of man ([[Adam (Bible)|Adam]]) is the result of a woman ([[Eve (Bible)|Eve]]). A number of early artists sang of how they got mixed up with a woman and ended up in prison as a result; in this context, the personification of the prison wagon as a woman makes sense. |
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==In the media== |
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====Movies==== |
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*The 1967 movie ''Shanty Tramp''. <ref>[http://imdb.com/title/tt0060968/ Shanty Tramp (1967)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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*The 2001 film ''[[Blow (film)|Blow]]''. |
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*The 2002 comedy movie ''[[Kung Pow! Enter the Fist]]''. |
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*The 2003 film ''[[Basic (film)|Basic]]''. |
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*[[Spiderbait]]'s version can be heard in the movies ''[[Without a Paddle]]'' (2004), ''[[Miss Congeniality 2]]'', ''[[Guess Who]]'', ''[[The Brave One (2007 film)]]'', and ''[[The Condemned]]'' (2007), the trailer for the 2007 film ''[[Smokin' Aces]]'' |
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*The 2005 film ''[[The Dukes of Hazzard (film)|The Dukes of Hazzard]]'' used both versions by Spiderbait (on the trailer) and [[Ram Jam]] (in the film itself). |
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*Appeared in the 2006 film ''[[Arthur and the Invisibles]]''. |
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*In 2007 film release ''[[TMNT]]''. This version by the band [[Big City Rock]]. |
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*Appeared in the 2007 film ''[[The Brave One]]''. |
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*Appeared in the 2007 film ''[[The Condemned]]'', Spiderbait version. |
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*The comedy film ''[[Super Troopers]]''. |
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====Television==== |
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*In the ''[[Malcolm in the Middle]]'' episode "Reese joins the Army" (2), and once in an episode of ''[[Wildboys]]'' on [[MTV]] |
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*Ram Jam's version used in the TV show ''[[My Name Is Earl]]'' episode "[[Randy's Touchdown]]". |
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*In the pilot episode of NBC's television show ''[[Friday Night Lights (TV series)|Friday Night Lights]]''. |
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*Appeared in BBC sketch show ''[[Dry Your Eyes (tv series)|Dry Your Eyes]]'' in the form of a cursed motorbike. |
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*''[[Underbelly (TV series)|Underbelly]]'', an Australian television drama series, 2008. |
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====Advertising==== |
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*Was used on a [[Toyota]] ad in Australia in 2005 promoting the new [[Hilux]]. |
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====Games==== |
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*In the videogames ''[[Need for Speed: Underground 2]]'', ''[[Tony Hawk's Underground]]'' |
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====Books==== |
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*[[Bob Dylan]] parodied the song in his experimental novel ''[[Tarantula (book)|Tarantula]]'' (published 1971). |
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==Sports theme== |
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*[[New Japan]] professional wrestler [[Togi Makabe]] uses the Ram Jam version as his entrance music, as does [[Ring of Honor]] professional wrestler [[Adam Pearce]]. |
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*[[Boston Red Sox]] pitcher [[Mike Timlin]] uses the song when he comes out of the [[bullpen]] at home games. |
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*[[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]]' second baseman [[Ian Kinsler]] uses this song as his intro music when he comes up to bat. |
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*During his [[NHL]] career, [[Cam Neely]] reportedly would listen to this song once before every game as part of a supersitious ritual. |
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*[[Chicago White Sox]]' first baseman-outfielder [[Darin Erstad]] uses this song as his intro music when he comes up to bat. |
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*The [[New York Yankees]] commonly play this song during their home games in [[Yankee Stadium]] most often during key rallies. |
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*[[ABN Amro]] used the name Black Betty for their main boat which won the Volvo Ocean Race 05/06. |
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*The [[Kansas City Chiefs]] play "Black Betty" before every kick at home games at Arrowhead Stadium at the Truman Sports Complex. |
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*The New Zealand A1 GP Team use a modified version of "Black Betty" sung as "Black Beauty" as the new theme song for their "Black Beauty" race car |
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*The [[Carolina Hurricanes]] use the song to pump up the crowd, usually before a big face-off |
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==Selected list of recorded versions== |
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* 1933 James Baker (AKA Iron Head) and group |
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* 1939 [[Huddie Ledbetter]] (AKA Lead Belly), originally on the 78rpm album ''Negro Sinful Tunes'' |
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* 1964 [[Odetta]], ''Odetta Sings of Many Things'' album |
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* 1964 [[Harry Belafonte]], ''Ballads, Blues and Boasters'' album |
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* 1964 [[Alan Lomax]], ''Texas Folk Songs'' album |
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* 1964 [["Spider" John Koerner|Koerner, Ray and Glover]], ''Lots More Blues, Rags, and Hollers'' album |
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* 1976 Starstruck |
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* 1977 [[Ram Jam]], US #18 |
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* 1986 [[Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds]], ''[[Kicking Against the Pricks]]'' album |
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* 1989 [[Mekong Delta (band)]], ''[[Toccata]]'' 12" Maxi-Single |
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* 2002 [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] |
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* 2002 [[Throttlerod]], on the compilation album ''[[Sucking The '70s]]'' |
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* 2004 [[Spiderbait]], AUS #1 |
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* 2005 [[Pumpjack (band)|Pumpjack]], ''Triple Platinum'' album |
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* 2005 [[Tony C. and the Truth]] |
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* 2006 [[Meat Loaf]], ''[[The Monster is Loose: Bat Out of Hell III|Bat Out Of Hell III]]'' single [[B-side]] |
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* 2006 Joe Brown, ''Down To Earth'' album |
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* 2006 [[Ying Yang Twins]]' song "[[Dangerous (Ying Yang Twins song)|Dangerous]]" contains a [[sampling (music)|sample]] of the Ram Jam version |
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* 2007 [[Big City Rock]] on the ''[[TMNT (2007 film)|TMNT]]'' soundtrack |
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* 2007 [[SOiL]], on the re-release of the album ''[[Throttle Junkies]]'' |
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* 2008 [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]], on their cover album ''[[Cover Up (Ministry album)|Cover Up]]'' |
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==Fleetwood Mac take-off== |
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On [[Fleetwood Mac]]'s 2003 album ''[[Say You Will]]'', guitarist [[Lindsey Buckingham]] reworked the chorus of "Black Betty" for his song "Murrow Turning Over In His Grave," a scathing attack on the contemporary news media. For the "Black Betty had a child" line, Buckingham substituted the name of respected 20th Century reporter [[Ed Murrow]]. |
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==Misattributions== |
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Sometimes this song (particularly the Ram Jam version) is misattributed to other '70s rock acts: [[Golden Earring]], [[ZZ Top]], [[Nazareth (band)|Nazareth]] or [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]]; but none of these bands have ever recorded a version of this song. |
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==See also== |
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*[[Brown Bess]] - the rifle that superseded Black Betty |
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*[[Roud Folk Song Index]] |
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==External links == |
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* {{AMG Song|sql=33:a06dtrolkl7x|song=Black Betty}} |
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* [http://www.secondhandsongs.com/song/4618 SecondHandSongs]: List of cover versions |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}}{{start box}} |
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{{succession box |
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| before = "[[My Band]]" by [[D12]] |
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| title = [[Australian Record Industry Association|ARIA (Australia)]] number one single (Spiderbait version) |
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| years = [[May 23]] [[2004]] - [[June 6]] [[2004]] |
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| after = "[[F.U.R.B. (Fuck You Right Back)]]" by [[Frankee]] |
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}} |
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{{end box}} |
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[[Category:1933 songs]] |
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[[Category:1977 singles]] |
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[[Category:2001 singles]] |
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[[Category:African American culture]] |
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[[Category:American folk songs]] |
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[[Category:Leadbelly songs]] |
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[[Category:Number-one singles in Australia]] |
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Revision as of 12:49, 4 June 2008
Woah black betty, Bow bow. Woah black betty, Bow Bow gonna get me high? bow bow No thats no lie, Bow bow!