Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho

Last updated

"Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho" (or alternatively "Joshua Fought de Battle of Jericho", "Joshua Fit the Battle" or just Joshua and various other titles) is a well-known African-American spiritual. [1]

Contents

Background

The lyrics allude to the biblical story of the Battle of Jericho, in which Joshua led the Israelites against Canaan (Joshua 6:15-21). [1]

Like those of many other spirituals, the song's words may also be alluding to eventual escape from slavery – in the case of this song, "And the walls came tumblin' down." [2] [3] The lively melody and rhythm also provided energy and inspiration. [4] Critic Robert Cummings wrote: "The jaunty, spirited theme hardly sounds like the product of the pre-Civil War era, and would not sound out of place in a ragtime or even jazz musical from the early 20th century. The closing portion of the tune, sung to the words quoted above, is its most memorable portion: the notes plunge emphatically and impart a glorious sense of collapse, of triumph." [3]

Composition & recordings

The song is believed to have been composed by enslaved peoples in the first half of the 19th century. Some references suggest that it was copyrighted by Jay Roberts in 1865. [5] In 1882, the song was published in Jubilee Songs by M. G. Slayton and in A Collection of Revival Hymns and Plantation Melodies by Marshall W. Taylor.

Early published versions include some parts in dialect, such as "fit" for "fought". A rare, unpublished variation, "Jacob fought the battle of Jericho", has evolved and has been heard sung in the later twentieth century. In this instance, "Jacob" refers to the people of Israel, who won the battle. Though this version is almost never used, the two-syllable name 'Jacob' fits more naturally into the song's meter than the three-syllable name 'Joshua'.

Related Research Articles

<i>The Sun Sessions</i> 1976 compilation album by Elvis Presley

The Sun Sessions is a compilation album by American singer Elvis Presley, issued by RCA Records in 1976. The album contains Presley's earliest commercial recordings, made in Memphis, Tennessee for Sun Records in 1954 and 1955. RCA issued the album in the UK in 1975 under the title The Sun Collection. The album features liner notes by Roy Carr of the New Musical Express. The Sun Sessions features most of the tracks Elvis recorded for Sun Records and produced by Sam Phillips, the head of Sun Studios. The Sun Sessions reached number two on the Billboard Country Albums and number 1 on the Cashbox Country Albums charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Suede Shoes</span> Rock-and-roll standard first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955

"Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard written and first recorded by American singer, songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues, country and pop music of the time. Perkins' original version of the song appeared on the Cashbox Best Selling Singles list for 16 weeks and spent two weeks at the number two position.

Darrell Orvis Glenn was an American singer and songwriter. He first made his mark in the music business with his recording of "Crying in the Chapel" released in 1953, written by his father, Artie Glenn. He also wrote songs recorded by other artists including Elvis Presley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Gate Quartet</span> American gospel vocal group

The Golden Gate Quartet is an American vocal group. It was formed in 1934 and, with changes in membership, remains active.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">An American Trilogy</span> 1972 single by Elvis Presley

"An American Trilogy" is a 1972 song medley arranged by country composer Mickey Newbury and popularized by Elvis Presley, who included it as a showstopper in his concert routines. The medley uses three 19th-century songs:

<i>Moody Blue</i> 1977 studio album by Elvis Presley

Moody Blue is the twenty-fourth and final studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released in June 1977 by RCA Records, about two months before his death. The album was a mixture of live and studio work and included the four tracks from Presley's final studio recording sessions in October 1976 and two tracks left over from the previous Graceland session in February 1976. "Moody Blue" was a previously published hit song recorded at the earlier Graceland session and held over for this album. Also recorded at the February session was "She Thinks I Still Care". "Way Down" became a hit after Presley's death less than one month after this album's release. The album was certified Gold and Platinum on September 12, 1977, and 2× Platinum on March 27, 1992, by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Me Tender (song)</span> 1956 song by Elvis Presley

"Love Me Tender" is a 1956 ballad song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by "Elvis Presley Music" from the 20th Century Fox film of the same name. Lyrics are credited to "Vera Matson". The melody is identical to the sentimental Civil War ballad "Aura Lea" and therefore credited to Aura Lea's composer, the Englishman George R. Poulton. The RCA Victor recording by Elvis Presley was No. 1 on both the Billboard and Cashbox charts in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Million Dollar Quartet</span> 1956 recording of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash performing together

"Million Dollar Quartet" is a recording of an impromptu jam session involving Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash made on December 4, 1956, at the Sun Record Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. An article about the session was published in the Memphis Press-Scimitar under the title "Million Dollar Quartet". The recording was first released in Europe in 1981 as The Million Dollar Quartet with 17 tracks. A few years later more tracks were discovered and released as The Complete Million Dollar Session. In 1990, the recordings were released in the United States as Elvis Presley: The Million Dollar Quartet. This session is considered a seminal moment in rock and roll.

<i>Elvis Christmas Album</i> 1957 studio album by Elvis Presley

Elvis' Christmas Album is the third studio album and first Christmas album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley on RCA Victor, LOC -1035, a deluxe limited edition, released October 15, 1957, and recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood. It has been reissued in numerous different formats since its first release. It spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, and was the first of two Christmas-themed albums Presley would record, the other being Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas, released in 1971. The publication Music Vendor listed Elvis' Christmas Album on their singles charts for two weeks in December 1957 – January 1958, with a peak position of No. 49.

<i>Elvis Is Back!</i> 1960 studio album by Elvis Presley

Elvis Is Back! is the fourth studio album by American singer Elvis Presley, released on April 8, 1960 by RCA Victor. It was Presley's first album of new material since 1958's King Creole soundtrack, as well as his first to be recorded and released in stereophonic sound. The album marked Presley's return to music after his discharge from the U.S. Army.

<i>His Hand in Mine</i> 1960 studio album by Elvis Presley

His Hand in Mine is the fifth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on November 23, 1960 by RCA Victor in mono and stereo, catalog number LPM/LSP 2328. It was the first of three gospel albums that Presley would issue during his lifetime. Recording sessions took place on October 30 and 31, 1960, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee. It peaked at #13 on the Top Pop Albums chart. It was certified Gold on April 9, 1969 and Platinum on March 27, 1992 by the Recording Industry Association of America.

<i>Thats the Way It Is</i> (Elvis Presley album) 1970 studio album by Elvis Presley

That's the Way It Is is the twelfth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Records, LSP 4445, in November 1970. It consists of eight studio tracks recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, and four live in-concert tracks recorded at The International Hotel in Las Vegas. It accompanied the theatrical release of the documentary film Elvis: That's the Way It Is, although it is not generally considered a soundtrack album. The album peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 and at number eight on the country chart. It was certified Gold on June 28, 1973, by the Recording Industry Association of America and up-graded to Platinum, for sales of a million copies on March 8, 2018.

<i>Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II</i> 1995 compilation album by Elvis Presley

Command Performances: The Essential 60s Masters II is a two-disc compilation of studio master recordings by American singer and musician Elvis Presley during the decade of the 1960s, released in 1995 on RCA Records, catalogue number 66601-2. It also includes a booklet with session details and an essay by Susan M. Doll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That's Someone You Never Forget</span> 1967 single by Elvis Presley

"That's Someone You Never Forget" is a song co-written by Elvis Presley in 1961 and published by Elvis Presley Music, which appeared as the closing track on his 1962 album Pot Luck and was released as a single in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You'll Be Gone</span> 1965 single by Elvis Presley

"You'll Be Gone" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music and released in 1965 on the Girl Happy soundtrack album and as a 45 single. The song was recorded in 1962 and was one of very few which Presley was involved in writing; his co-writers were his bodyguard Red West and Charlie Hodge. The other song that Elvis Presley composed was "That's Someone You Never Forget" in 1961 with Red West, which was on the Pot Luck LP released in 1962. The song was recorded on Sunday, March 18, 1962, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee.

"Guitar Man" is a 1967 song written and originally recorded by Jerry Reed, who took his version of it to number 53 on the Billboard country music charts in 1967. Soon after Reed's single appeared, Elvis Presley recorded the song with Reed playing the guitar part, and it became a minor country and pop hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiss Me Quick (Elvis Presley song)</span> 1961 song by Elvis Presley

"Kiss Me Quick" is a 1961 song recorded by Elvis Presley which was first released on the album Pot Luck with Elvis. It was released as a single in the UK in 1963 and the U.S. in 1964.

"Just Pretend" is a 1970 song by Elvis Presley.

<i>Viva Las Vegas</i> (EP) 1964 EP (soundtrack) by Elvis Presley

Viva Las Vegas is an EP by American singer Elvis Presley, containing four songs from the 1964 motion picture, Viva Las Vegas. It was released by RCA Victor in May 1964 to coincide with the film's premiere. The soundtrack EP made the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 92, the lowest-charting release of Presley's career to this point. RCA had not released a Presley EP single in two years; given the format's decreasing popularity in the United States and the disappointing chart performance of Viva Las Vegas, the company would only issue two more for the remainder of Presley's career.

"You'll Think of Me" is a song by Elvis Presley from his 1969 double album From Memphis to Vegas / From Vegas to Memphis.

References

  1. 1 2 "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes". Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  2. ↑ "Spirituals as a Source of Inspiration and Motivation". The Spirituals Project. 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-08-09. Retrieved 2016-08-08.
  3. 1 2 Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho at AllMusic . Retrieved 2018-10-13. Article by Robert Cummings at Allmusic
  4. ↑ Sweet Chariot: Spirituals as a Source of Inspiration and Motivation Archived 2007-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Elvis Presley:original versions of songs he sang, David Neale. Retrieved 5-18-2018
  6. ↑ Paramount Race Series Catalogue
  7. 1 2 Melvyn Bragg (7 April 2011). The Book of Books: The Empirical Impact of the King James Bible. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN   978-1-84894-909-6.
  8. 1 2 Belwin 21st Century Band Method, Level 2: Conductor. Alfred Music Publishing. pp. 394–. ISBN   978-1-4574-4706-8.
  9. ↑ The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music by William H. Rehrig, ed by Paul Bierley. Westerville OH: Integrity Press, 1991, vol. I p. 293
  10. ↑ RCA Victor Records in the 20-3500 to 20-3999 series
  11. ↑ "www.allmusic.com". AllMusic . Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  12. ↑ "www.youtube.com". YouTube . Retrieved October 30, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.