Danny Boy
| "Danny Boy" | |
|---|---|
 Danny Boy | |
| Song | |
| Published | 1913 |
| Genre | Folk |
| Songwriter(s) | Frederic Weatherly (lyrics) in 1910 |
| Recording | |
Performed by Celtic Aire of the United States Air Force Band | |
"Danny Boy" is an English song set to an Irish tune known as the Derry Air,[1] the lyrics of which were written by English songwriter Frederic Weatherly in 1910, and set to the traditional Irish melody of "Londonderry Air" in 1913.
History
In 1910, in Bath, Somerset, the English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly initially wrote the words to "Danny Boy" to a tune other than "Londonderry Air". An alternative story is that Margaret Weatherly sent him a copy of "Londonderry Air" in 1913, Weatherly modified the lyrics of "Danny Boy" to fit its rhyme and meter.[2][3] Another alternative version of the story has Jess singing the air to Weatherly in 1912 with different lyrics. Another alternative story is that Frederic did not set the poem to any tune, but that his sister-in-law Margaret Enright Weatherly, who together with her husband Edward were living near Ouray, Colorado at the Neosho mine, set the poem in 1913 to the tune of the "Londonderry Air" which she had heard as a child in California played by her father and other Irish railroad workers.[4]
Weatherly gave the song to the vocalist Elsie Griffin, who made it one of the most popular songs of the new century. Ernestine Schumann-Heink produced the first recording of "Danny Boy" in 1915.
Jane Ross of Limavady is credited with collecting the melody of "Londonderry Air" in the mid-19th century from a musician she encountered.[5]
Lyrics
The 1913 lyrics by Frederick E. Weatherly:[6]
Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side.
The summer's gone, and all the roses falling,
It's you, it's you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow,
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow,
It's I'll be there in sunshine or in shadow,—
Oh, Danny boy, Oh Danny boy, I love you so!
But when ye come, and all the flowers are dying,
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
Ye'll come and find the place where I am lying,
And kneel and say an Avé there for me.
And I shall hear, though soft you tread above me,
And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be,
For you will bend and tell me that you love me,
And I shall sleep in peace until you come to me!
Meaning
There are various conjectures about the meaning of "Danny Boy".[7] Some interpret the song to be a message from a parent to a son going off to war.
The 1918 version of the sheet music with Weatherly's printed signature included alternative lyrics ("Eily Dear"), with the instructions that "when sung by a man, the words in italic should be used; the song then becomes "Eily Dear", so that "Danny Boy" is only to be sung by a lady". Nonetheless, it is unclear whether this was Weatherly's intent[8] and it is common practice for exactly the same lyrics to be used when sung by both women and men.
Usage
- Percy Grainger's Irish Tune from County Londonderry adapts the Danny Boy/Londonderry Air melody for wind ensemble in 1918.[9]
- The song is popular for funerals; but the National Catholic Reporter wrote in 2001 that it "cannot be played during Mass."[10]
Select recordings
"Danny Boy" has been recorded multiple times by a variety of performers. Several versions are listed below in chronological order.
- 1928 Colin O'More
- 1940 Judy Garland Little Nellie Kelly soundtrack. Garland also sang it live at her concerts in Ireland and Scotland and most famously at her New York Palace Theatre debut in 1951.
- 1940 Glenn Miller and His Orchestra released a single that climbed to #17 in "Pop Memories 1890-1954" (not Billboard's charts);[11] Arranged by Glenn Miller and pianist Chummy MacGregor.
- 1941 Bing Crosby Merry Christmas. "Danny Boy" was paired with "I'll Be Home for Christmas" on its original single. Recorded July 5, 1941.[12]
- 1941 Deanna Durbin in the film It Started with Eve[13]
- 1950 Al Hibbler released a single that rose to #9 on the R&B chart[14]
- 1957 Harry Belafonte sang the song from the album "An Evening with Harry Belafonte", where he began the song with a spoken recitative, before singing the 2 verses. He repeated the second half of the first verse the second time around. The Recitative goes: "The Time, a time of strife. The Place, the place is Ireland. And as Irish legend had it, as the last rose of Summer fell, and all the young men of Ireland were to gather to strike a blow For Ireland's Freedom and Ireland's Liberty, There were songs for those who stayed at home, and songs for those who went away, and all of Ireland was sad".
- 1958 Paul Robeson published a version.[15]
- 1959 Conway Twitty's version charted at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, #18 on Top R&B.[16] (banned by the BBC)[17]
- 1961 Andy Williams used the song's title for his album Danny Boy and Other Songs I Love to Sing. The single hit #15 on the U.S. adult contemporary and #64 on the Hot 100 charts.[18]
- 1964 John Gary from the album So Tenderly
- 1964 Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles released a single that peaked at #76 on the Hot 100.[19]
- 1965 Jackie Wilson's version rose to #94 on the Hot 100 and #25 on the R&B charts.[20]
- 1967 Ray Price's single hit #60 on the Hot 100 and #9 on the Country charts.[21]
- 1976 Elvis Presley on his album From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee
- 1990 The song was used in the film Miller's Crossing sang by Irish singer Frank Patterson.
- 1992 Eric Clapton recorded an instrumental version released as a bonus track for Change the World [8]
- 1992 John McDermott released the song as an independent single.[8]
- 1993 Shining Time Station used the song, performed by Rory Dodd, in the episode "Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin"
- 1998 Charlotte Church released the album Voice of an Angel by Sony Classical Records.
- 1998 Sinéad O'Connor sang the song over Davy Spillane's uilleann pipes on Spillane's album The Sea of Dreams. Actor-filmmaker Gabriel Byrne said this version is his favourite.[8]
- 1999 Diana Krall sang the song on The Chieftains' album Tears of Stone
- 2002 Eva Cassidy included her acoustic version on the album Imagine.
- 2002 Johnny Cash recorded the song on his album American IV: The Man Comes Around, working with producer Rick Rubin in what would come to be the last album released during his lifetime. Cash had previously recorded the song for his 1965 album Orange Blossom Special.[22]
- 2007 Hayley Westenra recorded the song as a track for her album entitled Treasure.
- 2014 The song appears in a scene of episode 2.6 of British period drama Mr Selfridge performed by Alfie Boe.
References
- ^ "The lyrics and history behind traditional Irish song 'Danny Boy'".
- ^ "Fred Weatherly's own description of writing Danny Boy". Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
- ^ In Sunshine And In Shadow: The family story of Danny Boy by Anthony Mann (Weatherly's great grandson) ISBN 1300775017
- ^ Nancy Lofholm (March 16, 2022). "Without Ouray, Colorado, there'd be no 'Danny Boy'". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
- ^ George Petrie: The Ancient Music of Ireland, 1855
- ^ "The 'Danny Boy' Trivia Collection". www.standingstones.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
- ^ "The true meaning of Danny Boy". Standingstones.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
- ^ a b c d McCourt, Malachy (30 Mar 2005). Danny Boy: The Legend of the Beloved Irish Ballad (Reprint ed.). New American Library. p. 128. ISBN 0-451-20806-4.
- ^ "Irish Tune from County Derry ... | Details". AllMusic.
- ^ "'Danny Boy' cannot be played during Mass. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com (Archive of National Catholic Reporter). 2001. Archived from the original on 2022-03-13. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
- ^ "Danny Boy (Londonderry Air) (song by The Glenn Miller Orchestra) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
- ^ "Deanna Durbin sings 'Danny Boy' for Charles Laughton". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-11-17.
- ^ "Danny Boy (song by Al Hibbler) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ "Paul Robeson: Danny Boy. (1958)". youtube. 2022. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
- ^ "Danny Boy (song by Conway Twitty) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. 1959-09-28. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ Leigh, Spencer (2008). This Record Is Not to Be Broadcast Vol. 2: 50 More Records Banned by the BBC (liner notes). Fantastic Voyage. FVDD 038.
- ^ "Danny Boy (song by Andy Williams) • Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. 1961-10-30. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ "Danny Boy (song by Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. 1964-12-19. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ "Danny Boy (song by Jackie Wilson) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. 1965-02-27. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ "Danny Boy (song by Ray Price) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. 1967-03-25. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
- ^ Moore, Rick (24 June 2020). "Behind The Song: Johnny Cash, "Danny Boy"". American Songwriter. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
External links
The full text of Danny Boy at Wikisource
Songbook/Danny Boy at Wikibooks
Media related to Danny Boy (song) at Wikimedia Commons- The Legend and History of the Song Danny Boy
- Danny Boy 1913 sheet music from Duke University Libraries
- Libera (choir):
- Danny Boy (solo: Isaac London; concert in Armagh Cathedral); Libera Official, 2014 (Youtube).
- Danny Boy a cappella (solo: Isaac London; concert in Guildford Cathedral, 16/05/2015); Libera Official, 2015 (Youtube).
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