Goodbye, Dolly Gray

Last updated

"Goodbye, Dolly Gray" is a music hall song, with lyrics by American Will D. Cobb and music by American Paul Barnes, [1] [lower-alpha 1] first published in 1897 by the Morse Music Publishing Company (Theodore F. Morse). The song was the publishers' first hit.

Contents

History

The song was popularised as a Boer War anthem, but it was actually written during the earlier Spanish–American War. [2]

Notable recordings

A notable early recording on a 78 rpm record was made in 1901 by Canadian singer Harry Macdonough. In the same year another popular version was recorded by the Big Four Quartette with vocal group members Arthur Collins, Byron Harlan, Joe Natus and A. D. Madeira (Edison 7728). The song featured in Noël Coward's 1931 play Cavalcade and in the movies Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Alfie (1966) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969). The tune (with different lyrics) is also used in the modern day as "Good Old Collingwood Forever", the club song of the Australian Football League's Collingwood Football Club.

"Goodbye, Dolly Gray" was also recorded by Bruce Lacey and the Alberts in the 1960s, and a modern recording by Stan LePard was featured on Xbox Live Arcade game Toy Soldiers as an opening menu theme.

Lyrics

I have come to say goodbye, Dolly Gray,
It's no use to ask me why, Dolly Gray,
There's a murmur in the air, you can hear it everywhere,
It's the time to do and dare, Dolly Gray.
So if you hear the sound of feet, Dolly Gray,
Sounding through the village street, Dolly Gray,
It's the tramp of soldiers' true in their uniforms so blue,
I must say goodbye to you, Dolly Gray.
Goodbye Dolly I must leave you, though it breaks my heart to go,
Something tells me I am needed at the front to fight the foe,
See - the boys in blue are marching and I can no longer stay,
Hark - I hear the bugle calling, goodbye Dolly Gray.

[2]

Notes and references

Notes

  1. Paul Barnes (pseudonym of George Franklin Feger; 1870 Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania – 8 May 1922 New York City) was a vaudeville actor and a second-generation musician, notably, a songwriter. His father, Pvt. William J. Feger, was a musician who, as an E cornetist, served in the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment Band during the American Civil War under the command of Brig. Gen James Nagle.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Whiteman</span> American jazz musician and popular bandleader (1890–1967)

Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist.

Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE is an English folk singer who was a significant contributor to the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s. She often performed and recorded with her sister Dolly, whose accompaniment on piano and portative organ created unique settings for Shirley's plain, austere singing style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will D. Cobb</span> American songwriter

William Denight Cobb was an American lyricist and composer. He and a partner, Ren Shields, produced several popular musicals and musical comedies in the early 20th century. Cobb also had a long-run collaboration with Gus Edwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When Johnny Comes Marching Home</span> American Civil War-era popular song

"When Johnny Comes Marching Home", sometimes "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again", is a popular song from the American Civil War that expressed people's longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islands in the Stream (song)</span> 1983 song by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

"Islands in the Stream" is a song written by the Bee Gees and recorded by American country music artists Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Named after an Ernest Hemingway novel, it was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers's album Eyes That See in the Dark. The song was originally written for Diana Ross in an R&B style but later reworked for the duet by Rogers and Parton. The Bee Gees released a live version of the song in 1998 and a studio version in 2001.

Theodora Morse was an American song writer and composer. She was a Tin Pan Alley lyricist who collaborated to produce a number of popular songs.

Texas Tornados is a Tejano supergroup, composed of some of country music's biggest artists who modernized the Tex-Mex style including Flaco Jiménez, Augie Meyers, Doug Sahm, and Freddy Fender. Its music is a fusion of conjunto with rock, country, and various Mexican styles.

"Universal Soldier" is a song written and composed by Canadian singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. The first released recording was a single by The Highwaymen, released in September 1963. The song was also released on Sainte-Marie's debut album It's My Way!, released in April 1964. "Universal Soldier" was not an immediate popular hit at the time of its release, but it did garner attention within the contemporary folk music community. It became a hit a year later when Donovan covered it, as did Glen Campbell. Sainte-Marie said of the song: "I wrote 'Universal Soldier' in the basement of The Purple Onion coffee house in Toronto in the early sixties. It's about individual responsibility for war and how the old feudal thinking kills us all." The idea was based on that politicians, with power over the military, in democratic states are elected by the people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore F. Morse</span> American songwriter

Theodore F. Morse was an American composer of popular songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mule Skinner Blues</span>

"Blue Yodel no. 8, Mule Skinner Blues" is a classic country song written by Jimmie Rodgers. The song was first recorded by Rodgers in 1930 and has been recorded by many artists since then, acquiring the de facto title "Mule Skinner Blues" after Rodgers named it "Blue Yodel #8".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Battle of New Orleans</span> Song written by Jimmy Driftwood

"The Battle of New Orleans" is a song written by Jimmy Driftwood. The song describes the Battle of New Orleans from the perspective of an American soldier; the song tells the tale of the battle with a light tone and provides a rather comical version of what actually happened at the battle. It has been recorded by many artists, but the singer most often associated with this song is Johnny Horton. His version scored number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1959, it was very popular with teenagers in the late 1950s/early 1960s in an era mostly dominated by rock and roll music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moonlight Bay</span> Song

"Moonlight Bay" is a popular song. It is commonly referred to as "On Moonlight Bay". The lyrics were written by Edward Madden, the music by Percy Wenrich, and was published in 1912. It is often sung in a barbershop quartet style. Early successful recordings in 1912 were by the American Quartet and by Dolly Connolly.

<i>The Day Is Brave</i> 2008 studio album by Brendan James

The Day Is Brave is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Brendan James. It was released on June 3, 2008. The album is an extension of his previous four-song EP The Ballroom Break In which released in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920s in jazz</span> Jazz music-related events during the 1920s

The period from the end of the First World War until the start of the Depression in 1929 is known as the "Jazz Age". Jazz had become popular music in America, although older generations considered the music immoral and threatening to cultural values. Dances such as the Charleston and the Black Bottom were very popular during the period, and jazz bands typically consisted of seven to twelve musicians. Important orchestras in New York were led by Fletcher Henderson, Paul Whiteman and Duke Ellington. Many New Orleans jazzmen had moved to Chicago during the late 1910s in search of employment; among others, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and Jelly Roll Morton recorded in the city. However, Chicago's importance as a center of jazz music started to diminish toward the end of the 1920s in favor of New York.

"One Morning in May" is an English folk song which has been collected from traditional singers in England and the USA and has also been recorded by revival singers. Through the use of double-entendre, at least in the English versions, it tells of an encounter between a grenadier and a lady.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ragtime Soldier Man</span> 1912 song

"The Ragtime Soldier Man" is a World War I era song released in 1912 and 1917. Irving Berlin wrote the lyrics and composed the music, basing it off his 1911 song "Alexander's Ragtime Band". The song was published by Waterson, Berlin & Snyder, Co. of New York, New York. Artist Pfeiffer designed the sheet music cover. It features a U.S. soldier holding his rifle and jumping over cannon balls. The song was written for voice and piano.

"The Rains of Castamere" is a song appearing in the A Song of Ice and Fire novels and in the television series adaptation Game of Thrones. The song's lyrics were written by George R. R. Martin in the original novel, and the tune was composed by Ramin Djawadi in 2011, upon request from the series creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. The song appears multiple times throughout the books and show.

Robert A. King was a prolific early twentieth century American composer, who wrote under pen names including the pen names, Mary Earl, Robert A. Keiser, and Betty Chapin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Barnes (songwriter)</span> American songwriter

Paul Barnes was a vaudeville comedic actor, singer, pianist, and songwriter who, with Will D. Cobb as lyricist, in 1897 composed the Spanish–American War-era hit, "Goodbye, Dolly Gray."

References

  1. "Composer of 'Dolly Gray' Dies, Blind and a Pauper," St. Louis Post-Dispatch , June 1, 1922, p. 3 (accessible via Newspapers.com at www.newspapers.com/clip/41553515/ )
  2. 1 2 [ dead link ]