John Fischer's Philadelphia
Vol. 1 - Number 19 - 07/09/99
When Dionne Warwick sang at the Philadelphia Art Museum last Sunday evening, she sang one of her most popular songs "That's What Friends Are For". As I sat here today wondering what to write about in today's column, I heard from a regular reader and close friend, Sue Mullen, who asked if I could clear up a debate she has been having with a co-worker.
After breathing a sigh of relief that I finally had a topic, I did some research into the question that Sue asked. It seems that Sue and her co-worker got into a dispute over the songs "Yankee Doodle" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and their connection to each other. In reality this is an excellent question to bring to a close our features on Freedom Week here in Philadelphia.
"Yankee Doodle"
circa 1755 - Dr. Richard Shuckburgh
John Trumbull (1820)
The tune to the song that we know as Yankee Doodle probably originated in France or the
Netherlands in the early 1500's and is first known in England as the tune to a child's
nursery rhyme, "Lucy Locket lost her pocket":
Lucy Locket lost her pocket,
Kitty Fisher found it;
But ne'er a penny was there in't
Except the binding round it.
As Oliver Cromwell rose to power and influence in England in the mid 1600's, new lyrics appeared in which Cromwell was said to appear riding a small horse and wearing a single plume fastened to a knot called in derision 'macaroni'.
Oliver Cromwell went to town,
a-riding on a pony
Stuck a feather in his hat
and called it 'macaroni'
Cromwell was not sticking a feather in his hat and calling it pasta.
"Macaroni" was a reference to a fancy-dressing Italian, a style which was widely
imitated in England at the time.
In June of 1755, during the French and Indian War, Dr. Richard Shuckburgh watched as raw
recruits poured into camp, company after company, each man armed and equipped differently
from his neighbors. The motley whole presented a spectacle that greatly amused the
British officers. Dr. Shuckburgh, a joke-loving surgeon, gave the recruits a new version
of the song, dedicating it to them. To the great amusement of the British the joke took.
Yankee Doodle went to town,
a-riding on a pony
Stuck a feather in his hat
and called it 'macaroni'
By changing the words to Yankee Doodle, Shuckburgh was stating that, by sticking just a feather in his cap and calling himself a Macaroni (that is, a dandy), Yankee Doodle was showing himself to be a country bumpkin - which was exactly how the English regarded most colonials. This became the beginning of Dr. Shuckburgh's song which contained many verses and a new refrain:
Yankee Doodle keep it up,
Yankee Doodle dandy!
Mind the music and the step
and with the girls be handy!
Here is a link to the complete lyrics of Yankee Doodle.
The colonials had their revenge, however. During the American Revolution, the young Americans adopted the song as a rallying cry against the British. Twenty-six years after Dr. Shuckburgh wrote the song, as Lord Cornwallis surrendered his army and sword at Yorktown in 1781 - and in essence ended the Revolutionary War - he did so as the fife players of George Washington's army played the tune of "Yankee Doodle".
"Yankee Doodle Dandy"
1904 - George M. Cohan
"Yankee Doodle Dandy" - 1942
Just as the lyrics of "Yankee Doodle" were written in the time of war and became a source of inspiration for the Americans in the Revolutionary War, George M. Cohan's "Yankee Doodle Dandy" became a rallying cry for Americans in the Second World War.
I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
A Yankee Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July
I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yankee Doodle joy
Yankee Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am the Yankee Doodle Boy
You can check out the complete lyrics here. The song was written in 1904 as part of Cohan's Vaudeville operetta "Johnny Jones"` but was relatively unknown for many years. When Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was bombed in 1941, and the United States was drawn into World War II, there was a natural showing of patriotism. Hollywood was soon to follow suit, and one result was the 1942 film "Yankee Doodle Dandy" starring James Cagney, in his Oscar winning role as George M. Cohan. Needless to say, the song became an instant hit almost 40 years after it was written.
The movie was one of Hollywood's greatest musicals. Check out Roger Ebert's review. It was designed to support the war effort, as it paid tribute to the popular entertainer of the 1920's, who at that time was in his last years of life. The film featured other songs which were destined to become a large part of the war effort, such as "You're a Grand Old Flag." as well as a song that has become one of the most famous songs of the American musical theater, "Give My Regards to Broadway".
So, Sue, the songs are quite different, yet in many ways they served the same purpose. While they both share the reference to Yankee Doodle and clearly, George M. Cohan was inspired by the original song, the songs are quite different both in music and in lyrics.
Each was written and relatively unknown until a great war brought each to the limelight. Yankee Doodle became a rallying cry for those brave young men who helped establish our liberty in the early days of our nation. Yankee Doodle Dandy became a rallying cry for those brave young men who help ensure our liberty against the forces of tyranny in the Second World War.
I would like to thank my really good friend Sue for her inspiration and for being such a good friend. You can join me in our chat room almost every evening - Philly Chat - or drop me a note at philadelphia.guide@about.com. Also, be sure to check out our new Philadelphia Forum where you can share your comments and feelings, ask questions, post classifieds and much more.
If you missed any of our recent columns you can still catch them:
John Fischer's
Philadelphia 06/21/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 06/23/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 06/25/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 06/28/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 07/05/99
John Fischer's Philadelphia 07/07/99