"Danny Boy" is a traditional song, with lyrics written by English lawyer Frederic Weatherly in 1910, and set to the traditional Irish melody of "Londonderry Air" in 1913.
1940 recording by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra on RCA Bluebird, B-10612-B
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 his sister-in-law Margaret Enright Weatherly sent him a copy of "Londonderry Air" in 1913 and Weatherly modified the lyrics of "Danny Boy" to fit its rhyme and meter.[1][2] A different story has Jess singing the air to Weatherly in 1912 with different lyrics. Yet another story is that Frederic did not set the poem to any tune, but that, in 1913, Margaret, who, with her husband Edward Weatherly, was living at the Neosho mine near Ouray, Colorado in the US, set it to the "Londonderry Air" which she had heard as a child in California played by her father and other Irish railway workers.[3]
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.[4]
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!
Meaningedit
There are various conjectures about the meaning of "Danny Boy".[6] 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[7] and it is common practice for exactly the same lyrics to be used when sung by both women and men.
Usageedit
Percy Grainger's Irish Tune from County Derry adapts the Danny Boy/Londonderry Air melody for wind ensemble in 1918.[8]
The song is popular for funerals; but the National Catholic Reporter wrote in 2001 that it "cannot be played during Mass."[9]
German poet and playwright Bertold Brecht wrote an alternative version of the lyrics in 1920 and called it Reminiscence of Marie A. Erinnerung an die Marie A.
Select recordingsedit
"Danny Boy" has been recorded multiple times by a variety of performers. Several versions are listed below in chronological order.
1940 Judy GarlandLittle 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.
1950 Al Hibbler released a single that rose to No. 9 on the US R&B chart.[13]
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 two 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".
1993 Shining Time Station used the song, performed by Rory Dodd, in the episode "Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin"
1993 Sinéad O'Connor sang the song acapella on the Christmas Eve broadcast of The Late Late Show. This rendition had an added verse which goes "But if I live, and should you die for Ireland. Let not your dying thoughts be just of me. But say a prayer to God for our dearest island. I know she'll hear and help to set her free."[21]
1997 Riot recorded an instrumental version in their "Inishmore Trilogy" closing the namesake Inishmore album
1998 Sinéad O'Connor sang the song over Davy Spillane's uilleann pipes on Spillane's album The Sea of Dreams. This rendition has the added verse from the 1993 Christmas acapella as well as another added verse which goes "And I will take your pike and place my dearest. And strike a blow, though weak the blow may be. Twill help the cause, to which your heart was nearest. Oh, Danny boy, oh, Danny boy, I love you so."[22] Actor-filmmaker Gabriel Byrne said this version is his favourite.[7]
2014 The song appears in a scene of episode 2.6 of British period drama Mr Selfridge performed by Alfie Boe. The song is also heard in Series 2 Episode 1 of period crime drama Peaky Blinders, this time performed by Johnny Cash.
2017 Emmet Cahill, an Irish tenor, released the song in his solo 2017 album Ireland[24] while part of the band Celtic Thunder.
Referencesedit
^. 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) ISBN1300775017
^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
^. www.standingstones.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
^. Standingstones.com. Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
^ abcdMcCourt, Malachy (30 Mar 2005). Danny Boy: The Legend of the Beloved Irish Ballad (Reprint ed.). New American Library. p. 128. ISBN0-451-20806-4.
^"Irish Tune from County Derry ... | Details". AllMusic.
^. 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.
^CR's Video Vaults. "Danny Boy - Sinéad O'Connor, 1993". YouTube.
^DIFyCUL. "Davy Spillane feat Sinead O'Connor-Danny Boy (The Derry Air)". YouTube.
^Moore, Rick (24 June 2020). "Behind The Song: Johnny Cash, "Danny Boy"". American Songwriter. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
^"EMMET CAHILL'S – 'IRELAND' CD – Celtic Thunder Store".
External linksedit
The full text of Danny Boy at Wikisource
Songbook/Danny Boy at Wikibooks
Media related to Danny Boy (song) at Wikimedia Commons
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).
Danny Boy John T. Martin
February 22, 2024
danny, this, article, about, folk, song, other, uses, disambiguation, traditional, song, with, lyrics, written, english, lawyer, frederic, weatherly, 1910, traditional, irish, melody, londonderry, 1913, songpublished1913genrefolksongwriter, frederic, weatherly. This article is about the folk song For other uses see Danny Boy disambiguation Danny Boy is a traditional song with lyrics written by English lawyer Frederic Weatherly in 1910 and set to the traditional Irish melody of Londonderry Air in 1913 Danny Boy Danny BoySongPublished1913GenreFolkSongwriter s Frederic Weatherly lyrics in 1910Recording source source track Performed by Celtic Aire of the United States Air Force Bandfilehelp Contents 1 History 2 Lyrics 3 Meaning 4 Usage 5 Select recordings 6 References 7 External linksHistory edit nbsp Danny Boy source source track Ernestine Schumann Heink 1917 Problems playing this file See media help nbsp 1940 recording by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra on RCA Bluebird B 10612 BIn 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 his sister in law Margaret Enright Weatherly sent him a copy of Londonderry Air in 1913 and Weatherly modified the lyrics of Danny Boy to fit its rhyme and meter 1 2 A different story has Jess singing the air to Weatherly in 1912 with different lyrics Yet another story is that Frederic did not set the poem to any tune but that in 1913 Margaret who with her husband Edward Weatherly was living at the Neosho mine near Ouray Colorado in the US set it to the Londonderry Air which she had heard as a child in California played by her father and other Irish railway workers 3 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 4 Lyrics editThe 1913 lyrics by Frederic E Weatherly 5 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 Ave 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 editThere are various conjectures about the meaning of Danny Boy 6 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 7 and it is common practice for exactly the same lyrics to be used when sung by both women and men Usage editPercy Grainger s Irish Tune from County Derry adapts the Danny Boy Londonderry Air melody for wind ensemble in 1918 8 The song is popular for funerals but the National Catholic Reporter wrote in 2001 that it cannot be played during Mass 9 German poet and playwright Bertold Brecht wrote an alternative version of the lyrics in 1920 and called it Reminiscence of Marie A Erinnerung an die Marie A Select recordings edit 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 No 17 in Pop Memories 1890 1954 not Billboard s charts 10 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 11 1941 Deanna Durbin in the film It Started with Eve 12 1950 Al Hibbler released a single that rose to No 9 on the US R amp B chart 13 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 two 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 14 1959 Conway Twitty s version charted in the US at No 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 No 18 on Top R amp B 15 banned by the BBC 16 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 17 1964 John Gary from the album So Tenderly 1964 Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles released a single that peaked at No 76 on the Hot 100 in the US 18 1965 Jackie Wilson s version rose to No 94 on the Hot 100 and No 25 on the US R amp B charts 19 1967 Ray Price s single hit No 60 on the Hot 100 and No 9 on the Country charts in the US 20 1970 The Beatles at the end of the song One After 909 1976 Elvis Presley on his album From Elvis Presley Boulevard Memphis Tennessee 1990 The song was used in the film Miller s Crossing sung by Frank Patterson 1992 Eric Clapton recorded an instrumental version released as a bonus track for Change the World 7 1992 John McDermott released the song as a single 7 1993 Shining Time Station used the song performed by Rory Dodd in the episode Mr Conductor s Evil Twin 1993 Sinead O Connor sang the song acapella on the Christmas Eve broadcast of The Late Late Show This rendition had an added verse which goes But if I live and should you die for Ireland Let not your dying thoughts be just of me But say a prayer to God for our dearest island I know she ll hear and help to set her free 21 1997 Riot recorded an instrumental version in their Inishmore Trilogy closing the namesake Inishmore album 1998 Charlotte Church released the album Voice of an Angel by Sony Classical Records 1998 Sinead O Connor sang the song over Davy Spillane s uilleann pipes on Spillane s album The Sea of Dreams This rendition has the added verse from the 1993 Christmas acapella as well as another added verse which goes And I will take your pike and place my dearest And strike a blow though weak the blow may be Twill help the cause to which your heart was nearest Oh Danny boy oh Danny boy I love you so 22 Actor filmmaker Gabriel Byrne said this version is his favourite 7 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 23 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 The song is also heard in Series 2 Episode 1 of period crime drama Peaky Blinders this time performed by Johnny Cash 2017 Emmet Cahill an Irish tenor released the song in his solo 2017 album Ireland 24 while part of the band Celtic Thunder References edit 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 amp 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 amp 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 amp 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 amp UK hits charts Musicvf com 1961 10 30 Retrieved 2016 08 29 Danny Boy song by Patti LaBelle amp the Bluebelles Music VF US amp UK hits charts Musicvf com 1964 12 19 Retrieved 2016 08 29 Danny Boy song by Jackie Wilson Music VF US amp UK hits charts Musicvf com 1965 02 27 Retrieved 2016 08 29 Danny Boy song by Ray Price Music VF US amp UK hits charts Musicvf com 1967 03 25 Retrieved 2016 08 29 CR s Video Vaults Danny Boy Sinead O Connor 1993 YouTube DIFyCUL Davy Spillane feat Sinead O Connor Danny Boy The Derry Air YouTube Moore Rick 24 June 2020 Behind The Song Johnny Cash Danny Boy American Songwriter Retrieved 25 April 2021 EMMET CAHILL S IRELAND CD Celtic Thunder Store External links edit nbsp The full text of Danny Boy at Wikisource nbsp Songbook Danny Boy at Wikibooks nbsp 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 Danny Boy John T Martin Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Danny Boy amp oldid 1199595534, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
