Joe Hill (song)

Last updated
"Joe Hill"
Song
Released1936 (1936)
Genre Folk
Composer(s) Earl Robinson
Lyricist(s) Alfred Hayes

"Joe Hill", also known as "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night", [1] is a folk song named after labor activist Joe Hill, which was originally written in poem by Alfred Hayes [2] and composed into music by Earl Robinson in 1936. [3] The song recounts a dream in which Joe Hill appears and claims he never died despite being framed for murder and shot by "the copper bosses." He tells the dreamer, “From San Diego up to Maine / In every mine and mill / Where workers strike and organize / It’s there you’ll find Joe Hill."

Contents

Reception

In 2014, the Paul Robeson version of the song was the third-most requested song by British Labour politicians on Desert Island Discs , behind "Jerusalem" and "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika", with the song also chosen by then-party leader Ed Miliband. [4]

Covers and adaptations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Springsteen</span> American rock musician (born 1949)

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", he has released 21 studio albums during a career spanning six decades, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Springsteen is a pioneer of heartland rock, combining a commercially successful rock sound with poetic and socially conscious lyrics reflecting the issues of working class American life. He is known for his descriptive lyrics and energetic concerts, which sometimes last over four hours.

<i>Born in the U.S.A.</i> 1984 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984, by Columbia Records. Produced by Springsteen, Jon Landau, Steven Van Zandt, and Chuck Plotkin, the album was recorded in New York City with the E Street Band over two years between January 1982 and March 1984. Some of the songs originated from the same demo tape that yielded Springsteen's previous album, the solo effort Nebraska (1982), while others were written after that album's release. The sessions yielded between 70 and 90 songs; some were released as B-sides, some later saw release on compilation albums, while others remain unreleased.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Bragg</span> British singer, songwriter and musician (born 1957)

Stephen William Bragg is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His activism is centred on social change and left-wing political causes.

<i>Nebraska</i> (album) 1982 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

Nebraska is the sixth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on September 30, 1982, by Columbia Records. Springsteen recorded the songs as solo demos using a four-track recorder in the bedroom of his home in Colts Neck, New Jersey, intending to rerecord them with the E Street Band, but decided to release them as they were after full-band renditions were deemed unsatisfactory. Seventeen songs appeared on the tape, ten of which appeared on Nebraska, while others appeared in full-band renditions on the follow-up album Born in the U.S.A. (1984) and as B-sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Hill (activist)</span> Swedish-American labor activist, songwriter, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World

Joe Hill, born Joel Emmanuel Hägglund and also known as Joseph Hillström, was a Swedish-American labor activist, songwriter, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World. A native Swedish speaker, he learned English during the early 1900s, while working various jobs from New York to San Francisco. Hill, an immigrant worker frequently facing unemployment and underemployment, became a popular songwriter and cartoonist for the union. His songs include "The Preacher and the Slave", "The Tramp", "There Is Power in a Union", "The Rebel Girl", and "Casey Jones—the Union Scab", which express the harsh and combative life of itinerant workers, and call for workers to organize their efforts to improve working conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dion DiMucci</span> American singer

Dion Francis DiMucci, better known mononymously as Dion, is an American singer and songwriter. His music incorporates elements of doo-wop, pop, rock, R&B, folk and blues. Initially the lead singer of the vocal group Dion and the Belmonts, Dion embarked on a solo career, and was one of the most prominent rock and roll performers of the pre-British Invasion era. He had 39 Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a solo performer, or with the Belmonts and the Del-Satins. He is best remembered for his signature hit songs "Runaround Sue", "The Wanderer", "Ruby Baby" and "Lovers Who Wander", among others.

<i>The River</i> (Bruce Springsteen album) 1980 album by Bruce Springsteen

The River is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released as a double album on October 17, 1980, by Columbia Records. The album was Springsteen's attempt at making a record that captured the E Street Band's live sound. Co-produced by Springsteen, his manager Jon Landau, and bandmate Steven Van Zandt, the recording sessions lasted 18 months in New York City from March 1979 to August 1980. Springsteen originally planned to release a single LP, The Ties That Bind, in late 1979, before deciding it did not fit his vision and scrapped it. Over 50 songs were recorded; outtakes saw release as B-sides and later on compilation albums.

<i>Tunnel of Love</i> (album) 1987 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

Tunnel of Love is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on October 5, 1987. Although members of the E Street Band occasionally performed on the album, Springsteen recorded most of the parts himself, often with drum machines and synthesizers. Tunnel of Love is not officially regarded as an E Street Band album, as The Rising (2002) was marketed as his first studio album with the E Street Band since Born in the U.S.A. (1984).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ol' Man River</span> 1925 composition by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II

"Ol' Man River" is a show tune from the 1927 musical Show Boat with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote the song in 1925. The song contrasts the struggles and hardships of African Americans with the endless, uncaring flow of the Mississippi River. It is sung from the point of view of a black stevedore on a showboat, and is the most famous song from the show. The song is meant to be performed in a slow tempo; it is sung complete once in the musical's lengthy first scene by the stevedore "Joe" who travels with the boat, and, in the stage version, is heard four more times in brief reprises. Joe serves as a sort of musical one-man Greek chorus, and the song, when reprised, comments on the action, as if saying, "This has happened, but the river keeps rolling on anyway."

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live In New York City is the name of a concert film done by HBO, featuring the first ever major televised Bruce Springsteen concert. It was later released on DVD with eleven extra songs not televised, and as a CD of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If I Had a Hammer</span> 1949 song by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays

"If I Had a Hammer " is a protest song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. It was written in 1949 in support of the Progressive movement, and was first recorded by the Weavers, a folk music quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. It was a #10 hit for Peter, Paul and Mary in 1962 and then went to #3 a year later when recorded by Trini Lopez in 1963.

<i>Lifes a Riot with Spy vs Spy</i> 1983 studio album by Billy Bragg

Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy is Billy Bragg's first album, released in 1983. All songs on the original album consisted of Bragg singing to his electric guitar accompaniment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Bonamassa</span> American musician (born 1977)

Joseph Leonard Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his independent record label J&R Adventures, of which eleven have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Blues chart.

<i>Double Live</i> (Garth Brooks album) 1998 live album by Garth Brooks

Double Live is the first live album by American country music singer Garth Brooks. It was released on November 17, 1998, and is a two-disc compilation of live songs, recorded during Brooks's 1996–1998 world tour.

<i>William Bloke</i> 1996 studio album by Billy Bragg

William Bloke is the seventh album by alternative folk artist Billy Bragg, released in September 1996, five years after his last studio album. It peaked at number 16 on the UK Albums Chart. The album's only single, "Upfield", reached number 46 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1996. The album's title is a pun on the 18th-century English poet William Blake.

The Woody Guthrie Foundation, founded in 1972, is a non-profit organization which formerly served as administrator and caretaker of the Woody Guthrie Archives. The Foundation was originally based in Brooklyn, New York and directed by Woody Guthrie's daughter Nora Guthrie.

<i>Working on a Dream</i> 2009 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

Working on a Dream is the sixteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on January 27, 2009, through Columbia Records. It topped the charts in nine countries, including the US, where it was Springsteen's ninth No. 1. "The Wrestler", which appeared as a bonus track, won a Golden Globe award. E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt said that Working on a Dream completed a trilogy which started with The Rising (2002) and continued with Magic (2007), all of which were produced by Brendan O'Brien.

"Land of Hope and Dreams" is a 1999 song written by Bruce Springsteen and performed by Springsteen and the E Street Band. After being performed on tour and released on multiple live albums, a studio recording was released for the first time on Wrecking Ball in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DMA's</span> Australian band

DMA's are an Australian rock band formed in 2012 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band is composed of lead vocalist Tommy O'Dell, lead guitarist Matt Mason, and rhythm guitarist Johnny Took. They originally gained popularity for their debut single "Delete" and for their self-titled EP, which were both released in 2014. The band have since gone on to release four studio albums: Hills End (2016), For Now (2018), The Glow (2020) and How Many Dreams? (2023). All four albums have peaked within the top 10 of the ARIA Albums Chart, with the latter two also reaching the top five in the UK and Scotland.

"There Is Power in a Union" is a song written by Billy Bragg and first released on his 1986 Talking with the Taxman About Poetry album. It is set to the tune of George Frederick Root's "Battle Cry of Freedom".

References

  1. Adler, William M. (2011). The Man Who Never Died: The Life, Times, and Legacy of Joe Hill, American Labor Icon. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN   978-1-60819-285-4.
  2. Mitgang, Herbert (1985-08-15). "ALFRED HAYES, 74, A NOVELIST, POET AND SCREENPLAY WRITER". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-06-03.
  3. "Joe Hill". Song of America. Archived from the original on 26 July 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  4. Weaver, Matthew; Arnett, George (21 November 2014). "Will Theresa May toe party line on Desert Island Discs?". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 26 May 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  5. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 27 March 1943. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  6. Bledsoe, Wayne (16 March 2017). "Shelby Bottom keeps the Joe Hill story alive". Knoxville News Sentinel. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  7. "One Day at a Time". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  8. Billy Bragg - The Internationale Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved 2023-06-03
  9. Daly, Sean (1 May 2014). "Review: Bruce Springsteen still rocking for all he's worth at 64". Tampa: Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2021.