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Cotton-Eyed Joe

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"Cotton-Eyed Joe" is a popular American folk song known at various times throughout the United States and Canada, although today it is most commonly associated with the American South. In the Roud index of folksongs it is number 942.

"Cotton Eyed Joe" (also known as "Cotton Eye Joe") has inspired both a partner dance and more than one line dance that is often danced at country dance venues in the US and around the world. The 1980 film Urban Cowboy sparked a renewed interest in the dance. In 1985, The Moody Brothers' version of the song received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Country Instrumental Performance." Irish group The Chieftains received a Grammy nomination for "Best Country Vocal Collaboration" for their version of the song on their 1992 album "Another Country." And in 1994, a version of the song recorded by the Swedish band Rednex as "Cotton Eye Joe" become popular worldwide.

History

The precise origins of this song are unclear, although it predates the American Civil War[1]. Both the dance and the song had as many variants as the old old folk song that it is.[2] One version was recorded by folklorist Dorothy Scarborough and published in 1925.[3][4]

Don't you remember, don't you know,

Don't you remember Cotton-eyed Joe?
Cotton-eyed Joe, Cotton-eyed Joe,
What did make you treat me so?
I'd 'a' been married forty year ago
Ef it had n't a-been for Cotton-eyed Joe!

Cotton-eyed Joe, Cotton-eyed Joe,
He was de nig dat sarved me so, ?
Tuck my gal away fum me,
Carried her off to Tennessee.
I'd 'a' been married forty year ago
If it had n't a-been for Cotton-eyed Joe.

Hi's teeth was out an' his nose was flat,
His eyes was crossed, ? but she did n't mind dat.
Kase he was tall, and berry slim,
An' so my gal she follered him.
I'd 'a' been married forty year ago
Ef it had n't a-been for Cotton-eyed Joe.

She was de prettiest gal to be found
Anywhar in de country round;
Her lips was red an' her eyes was bright,
Her skin was black but her teeth was white.
I'd 'a' been married forty year ago
Ef it had n't a-been for Cotton-eyed Joe.

Dat gal, she sho' had all my love,
An swore fum ne she'd never move,
But Joe hoodooed her, don't you see,
An' she run off wid him to Tennessee,
I'd 'a' been married forty years ago,
Ef it hadn't a-been for Cotton-eyed Joe."

Scarborough noted that the song seemed to be well known in the South prior to the Civil War, and parts of it had been sent in by various persons.[4]

Over the years, many different versions of the song have been performed and/or recorded with many different versions of the lyrics (and many without lyrics). Cotton-Eyed Joe, on occasion referred to as "The South Texas National Anthem", was played for minstrel-type jigs, and it has long been popular as a square dance hoedown and a couple dance polka.[5]

A resident of Austin, Texas who learned the dance in Williamson County in the early 1880s described it as nothing but a heel and toe "poker", with fringes added. These fringes added to the heel and toe polka were clog steps which required skill and extroversion on the part of the dancer.[6]

During the first half of the twentieth century the song was a widely known folk song all over English-speaking North America.

Cotton-Eyed Joe
A 1939 recording of the folk song
Problems playing this file? See media help.

One discography lists 134 recorded versions released since 1950.[7] In more recent decades, the song has waned in popularity in most regions except some parts of the American South where it is still a popular folk song.[8]

A list of the possible meanings of the term "cotton-eyed" that have been proposed includes: to be drunk on moonshine, or to have been blinded by drinking wood alcohol, turning the eyes milky white; a black person with very light blue eyes; someone whose eyes were milky white from bacterial infections of Trachoma or syphilis, cataracts or glaucoma; and the contrast of dark skin tone around white eyeballs in black people.[9]

Bob Wills and Adolph Hofner and His San Antonians both recorded the song, and Hofner's version (Columbia 37658), issued in 1941,[10] apparently being the one that did the most to popularize the song.[11]

A 1967 instrumental version of the song (KIKR k202) by Al Dean, who recalled the song called "The Gingerbread Man" in South Texas, inspired a new round dance polka for couples. This dance was adapted into a simplified version as a nonpartner waist-hold, spoke line routine. Heel and toe polka steps were replaced with a cross-lift followed by a kick with two-steps. The lift and kick are sometimes accompanied by shouts of "whoops, whoops," or the barn yard term "bull shit", mimicking the act of kicking off barnyard muck.[5] The practice continues to this day. The "Kickin'" LP included "Cotton Eyed Joe" by Dean. (KIK-R: 10012)

One version of a dance called "Cotton Eyed Joe" can be found in the 1975 edition of "Encyclopedia of Social Dance". This version has the men on the inside of a circle facing out, and the women on the outside facing in. The dance consists of Eight Kick Steps, Side, Close Left Together, Right Together, and a series of struts.[12]

The spoke line version gained popularity not only in Texas, but across the nation and overseas in the 1980s.[5]

Ray Benson of the Western Swing band Asleep at the Wheel talks about playing the Bob Wills version of "Cotton Eyed Joe" in Texas in the 1970s, when the dance was very much alive.[13]

A Western "Craze" followed the 1980 release of Urban Cowboy. Dancers nationwide even dressed the part in cowboy boots, hats, and jeans. To accommodate the singles in attendance, creative choreographers resurrected old nonpartner dances and invented new ones. They changed some of the formations from couple to spoke-lines and altered the steps to fit, so that lines made up of single dancers could link arms around each other's waists and prance or glide around the hall.[14]

The Bob Wills version of the song is still popular with dancers.

"Cotton-Eyed Joe", and its continued popularity in Texas, was referred to in the lyrics to Alabama's song "If You're Gonna Play in Texas." "I remember down in Houston we were puttin' on a show when a cowboy in the back stood up and yelled, "Cotton-Eyed Joe"!"

In Merle Haggard's "Texas Fiddle Song", the final verse makes reference to the Cotton Eyed Joe and features the melody of both the Bob Wills and Al Dean versions.

Selective list of recorded versions


Rednex version

"Cotton-Eyed Joe"
Song

In late 1994, Swedish eurodance band Rednex covered the song as "Cotton Eye Joe" for their album Sex & Violins, combining their style with traditional American instruments, such as synthesized (or in some cases, sampled) banjos, fiddles, and harmonicas. In 2002, "Cotton Eye Joe" was remixed in a country-dance version, and was released from Rednex's greatest hits album, The Best of the West.

Music and lyrics

The version released by Rednex is often played in the US. Dancers will do the "spoke-line" dance Cotton-Eyed Joe in varsouvienne position around the outside of the dance floor. The description of this dance is as follows: Hook the left foot over the right shin, Kick left, Triple back, Hook the right foot over the left shin, Kick right, Triple back, Hook the left foot over the right shin, Kick left, Triple back, Hook the right foot over the left shin, Kick right, Triple back, Triple forward 8 times. For line dancers there are multiple dances named "Cotton Eyed Joe" or "Cotton Eye Joe", and others such as "Crazy Legs" which are danced to this song. A popular line dance for Cotton-Eyed Joe is as follows: Tap your right heel in front of you twice, tap your right toe behind you twice, stomp your right foot (right stomp), bring your right foot up to tap it with your left hand in front of you, right stomp, tap your right foot with your left hand behind you twice, clap to the left, clap to the right, swirl your right hand above you while spinning.

Chart performances

The Rednex version of the song (misspelled with Eye instead of Eyed), along with a dance mix version, was very successful in Europe, reaching number 1 in the United Kingdom in January 1995, and also in the United States (where it peaked at #25 in March 1995) and Australia (where it peaked at #8 in April 1995). The song was also number one in Norway (for 15 weeks), Switzerland (13 weeks), Germany (ten weeks), Sweden (eight weeks), Austria (seven weeks). Blender magazine also ranked the song at #38 on the list of the "50 Worst Songs Ever".[16]

Track listings

CD
  1. "Cotton Eye Joe" (Original Single Version) — 3:20
  2. "Cotton Eye Joe" (Madcow Mix) — 4:46
  3. "Cotton Eye Joe" (Madcow Instrumental) — 4:46
  4. "Cotton Eye Joe" (Overworked Mix) — 6:20
  5. "Cotton Eye Joe" (Original Instrumental) — 3:08
CD - 2002 version
  1. "Cotton Eye Joe 2002" - 3:33
  2. "Cotton Eye Joe 2002 (Dance Nation Remix)" - 7:32
  3. "Cotton Eye Joe 2002 (Aquagen Remix)" - 7:45
  4. "Ride the Hurricane's Eye (Winnetoons Version)" - 3:02
  5. "Cotton Eye Joe 2002 (Extended Version)" - 5:56

Charts and sales

Peak positions

Chart (1994/95) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart[17] 8
Austrian Singles Chart[17] 1
Canadian Singles Chart[18] 10
Dutch Top 40[19] 1
French SNEP Singles Chart[17] 10
German Singles Chart[20] 1
Irish Singles Chart[21] 2
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[17] 1
Norwegian Singles Chart[17] 1
Swedish Singles Chart[17] 1
Swiss Singles Chart[17] 1
UK Singles Chart[22] 1
USU.S. Billboard Hot 100[18] 25
USU.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[18] 5
USU.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[18] 30
Chart (2002) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart 32

End of year charts

End of year chart (1994) Position
Austrian Singles Chart[23] 7
Dutch Top 40[19] 9
End of year chart (1995) Position
Australian Singles Chart[24] 34
Austrian Singles Chart[25] 10
French Singles Chart[26] 50
Swiss Singles Chart[27] 10
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[28] 93

Certifications

Country Certification Date Sales certified
Austria[29] Platinum 1994-12-12 30,000
Germany[30] 2 x Platinum 1995 1,000,000
Netherlands[31] Gold 1994 40,000
Norway[32] 2 x Platinum 1995 80,000
Sweden[33] Platinum 1994-10-10 20,000
Switzerland[34] Platinum 1995 50,000
United KingdomUK[35] Platinum 1995-02 600,000
United StatesU.S.[36] Gold 1995-09-05 500,000

Chart successions

Order of precedence
Preceded by Swedish number-one single
September 2, 1994 - October 21, 1994 (8 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Dutch Top 40 number-one single
September 17, 1994 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"Dromen zijn bedrog" by Marco Borsato
Norwegian VG-Lista number-one single
41/1994 - 2/1995 (15 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by German number-one single
November 4, 1994 - January 6, 1995 (10 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Tears Don't Lie" by Mark 'Oh
Preceded by
"Hey Süßer" by Lucilectric
 Austrian number-one single
November 6, 1994 - December 18, 1994 (7 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Hey Süßer" by Lucilectric
Preceded by Swiss number-one single
November 27, 1994 - February 26, 1995 (13 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Eurochart Hot 100 number-one single
December 10, 1994 - February 11, 1995 (10 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by UK Singles Chart number-one single
January 14, 1995 - January 28, 1995 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New Zealand RIANZ number-one single
March 5, 1995 - April 9, 1995 (6 weeks) 		Succeeded by

Contemporary Cotton Eyed Joe

During the 2010 NHL playoffs The Rednex version of “Cotton Eyed Joe” was used for the highly received "History will be made" playoff advertisement campaign

In April 2008 "Cotton-Eyed Joe" was used as the music for a Country Western group dance on the nationally broadcast show "Dancing with the Stars".

"Cotton-Eyed Joe" has been a standard during the seventh-inning stretch at Texas Rangers baseball games since the team moved to Texas in 1972. The Rednex version has been played at Yankee Stadium since the mid-90s during the seventh-inning stretch. Since late 2001, the song has been moved to the eighth inning to accommodate the playing and/or singing of God Bless America. During the song, a video on the Diamond Vision screen claiming to be "live from the control room" shows an individual identified as "Cotton Eye Joey" in a straw hat dancing along.

"Cotton-Eyed Joe" has become a fan favorite following the seventh inning stretch at the University of Texas' UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

In Green Bay at Lambeau field, "Cotton-eye Joe" by the Rednex is often played during timeouts. The song's traditional dance can be seen throughout the stadium

"Cotton-Eyed Joe" was used for an act on America's Got Talent.

References

  1. ^ Everett, Holly: The Many Lives of ‘Cotton Eyed Joe’, Canadian Society for Traditional Music Conference, 2002, Memorial University, St John’s, Newfoundland
  2. ^ The Round Dance Book. Lloyd Shaw. 1948.The Caxton Printers, Ltd. no ISBN or catalogue number. page 314.
  3. ^ "On The Trail Of Negro Folk-Songs-online book. A collection of negro folk songs with lyrics, sheet music & commentaries. By Dorothy Scarborough Assisted By Ola Lee Quiledge Copyright, 1925 By Harvard University Press". www.traditionalmusic.co.uk.
  4. ^ a b On The Trail Of Negro Folk-Songs. by Dorthy Scarborough, assisted by Ola Lee Gulledge. Harvard University Press. 1925. pages 69, 70.
  5. ^ a b c Dance Across Texas Betty Casey. 1985. University of Texas Press. page 17. ISBN 0-292-71540-4
  6. ^ Dance a While. Handbook of Folk, Square, and Social Dancing. Fourth Edition. Harris, Pittman, Waller. 1950, 1955, 1964, 1968. Burgess Publishing Company. No ISBN or catalog number. page 151.
  7. ^ The Grateful Dead Family Discography
  8. ^ Everett, 2002
  9. ^ "Information at The Fiddler's Companion". www.ibiblio.org.
  10. ^ The Online 78 rpm Disocraphical Project
  11. ^ Don't Get above Your Raisin' by Bill C. Malone. 2001. University of Illinois Press. page 313. ISBN 0-252-02678-0
  12. ^ Encyclopedia of Social Dance. Albert and Josephine Bulter. 1975. Albert Bulter Ballroom Dance Service. New York, NY. no ISBN or other ID
  13. ^ Honky Tonks, Hymns & The Blues
  14. ^ www.dorisvolz.com
  15. ^ "Page about Michelle Shocked's song Prodigal Daughter". www.michelleshocked.com.
  16. ^ The 50 Worst Songs Ever! Watch, Listen and Cringe! from Blender.com. (Retrieved on August 20, 2010.)
  17. ^ a b c d e f g "Cotton Eye Joe", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved February 6, 2008)
  18. ^ a b c d Billboard Allmusic.com (Retrieved July 30, 2008)
  19. ^ a b "Single top 100 over 1994" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  20. ^ German Singles Chart Charts-surfer.de (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  21. ^ Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  22. ^ UK Singles Chart Chartstats.com (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  23. ^ 1994 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved July 30, 2008)
  24. ^ 1995 Australian Singles Chart aria.com (Retrieved July 30, 2008)
  25. ^ 1995 Austrian Singles Chart Austriancharts.at (Retrieved July 30, 2008)
  26. ^ 1995 French Singles Chart Disqueenfrance.com (Retrieved January 30, 2009)
  27. ^ 1995 Swiss Singles Chart Hitparade.ch (Retrieved July 30, 2008)
  28. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1995". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  29. ^ Austrian certifications ifpi.at (Retrieved July 30, 2008)
  30. ^ German certifications musikindustrie.de (Retrieved July 30, 2008)
  31. ^ Dutch certifications nvpi.nl (Retrieved December 9, 2008)
  32. ^ Norwegian certifications Ifpi.no (Retrieved July 30, 2008)
  33. ^ Swedish certifications Ifpi.se (Retrieved September 11, 2008)
  34. ^ Swiss certifications Swisscharts.com (Retrieved July 30, 2008)
  35. ^ UK certifications bpi.co.uk (Retrieved February 1, 2009)
  36. ^ U.S. certifications riaa.com (Retrieved July 30, 2008)
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