"The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond", or "Loch Lomond" for short, is a Scottish song (Roud No. 9598). [1] [2] The song prominently features Loch Lomond, the largest Scottish loch. In Scots, "bonnie" means "fair" or "beautiful". [3]
"The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond", or "Loch Lomond" for short, is a Scottish song (Roud No. 9598). [1] [2] The song prominently features Loch Lomond, the largest Scottish loch. In Scots, "bonnie" means "fair" or "beautiful". [3]
By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond,
Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.
Chorus:
O ye'll tak' the high road, and I'll tak' the low road,
And I'll be in Scotland afore ye,
But me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.
'Twas there that we parted, in yon shady glen,
On the steep, steep side o' Ben Lomond,
Where in soft purple hue, the highland hills we view,
And the moon coming out in the gloaming.
Chorus
The wee birdies sing and the wildflowers spring,
And in sunshine the waters are sleeping.
But the broken heart it kens nae second spring again,
Though the waeful may cease frae their grieving.
Chorus
Historian Murray G. H. Pittock writes that the song "is a Jacobite adaptation of an eighteenth-century erotic song, with the lover dying for his king, and taking only the 'low road' of death back to Scotland." [4] It is one of many poems and songs that emerged from Jacobite political culture in Scotland. [4] It has been said that there are melodic phrases within the music which are similar to phrases in the song The Bonniest Lass In A' The World. [5] It has been described as a folksong. [6]
About 1876, the Scottish poet and folklorist Andrew Lang wrote a poem based on the song titled "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond". [7] [8] The title sometimes has the date "1746" appended [9] [10] —the year of the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie's rebellion and the hanging of some of his captured supporters. Lang's poem begins
There's an ending o' the dance, and fair Morag's safe in France,
And the Clans they hae paid the lawing,
Morag—great one in Gaelic—referred to Bonnie Prince Charlie, who fled to France after his forces were defeated. [11] Lawing means reckoning in Scots. The poem continues:
And the wuddy has her ain, and we twa are left alane,
Free o' Carlisle gaol in the dawing.
Wuddy means hangman's rope, according to Lang's own notes on the poem; dawing is dawn. [12] The poem continues with the song's well-known chorus, then explains why the narrator and his true love will never meet again:
For my love's heart brake in twa, when she kenned the Cause's fa',
And she sleeps where there's never nane shall waken
The poem's narrator vows to take violent revenge on the English:
While there's heather on the hill shall my vengeance ne'er be still,
While a bush hides the glint o' a gun, lad;
Wi' the men o' Sergeant Môr shall I work to pay the score,
Till I wither on the wuddy in the sun, lad!
"Sergeant Môr" is John Du Cameron, a supporter of Bonnie Prince Charlie who continued fighting as an outlaw until he was captured and hanged in 1753. [12]
The Irish variant of the song is called "Red Is the Rose" and is sung with the same melody but different (although similarly themed) lyrics. [13] It was popularized by Irish folk musician Tommy Makem. Even though many people mistakenly believe that Makem wrote "Red Is the Rose", it is a traditional Irish folk song. [14] [15]
"Loch Lomond" has been arranged and recorded by many composers and performers over the years, in several genres ranging from traditional Scottish folk to barbershop to rock and roll. [2]
Runrig released a cover version of "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond" titled "Loch Lomond" in 1982. [16] The song received significant airplay on Scottish and English radio, including on Radio 1, by the disc jockeys Simon Bates and Terry Wogan. [16] [17] Based on data from the music streaming service Spotify, The Scotsman ranked "Loch Lomond" as one of the top five Runrig songs of all time. [18] The song has been described by the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame as a "rocking anthem" [19] [20] and by The Herald as one of Runrig's best known songs. [21] The song is the anthem of the German football team FC Köln; its supporters sing a song to the tune of "Loch Lomond" before each match the club plays. [22] [23] It is also regularly played as the last song at Scottish weddings. [24] [25] A remix was recorded in 2007 with 50,000 Scotland national football team supporters for the BBC's Children in Need fundraiser in Scotland. [26] [27] "Loch Lomond" reached a peak position of number 86 on the UK Singles Chart. [28] The 2007 version peaked at number 9 on the UK Singles Charts [28] and number 1 on the Scottish Singles Charts. [29]
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC) [30] | 86 |
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scotland (OCC) [31] | 1 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [32] | 9 |
Ralph Vaughan Williams made an arrangement for baritone solo and unaccompanied male choir in 1921. It has been recorded several times, notably by the tenor Ian Partridge and the London Madrigal Singers for EMI in 1970. [33]
Chinese singer-songwriter Li Jian used the melody [34] with Mandarin lyrics of a similar theme in his self-titled 2015 album.[ non-primary source needed ]
Australian rock band AC/DC covered this song, titled "Fling Thing", as the B-side to their single "Jailbreak". They also covered it (as "Bonny") in Glasgow on the collector's edition of their 1992 album AC/DC Live . "Fling Thing" was later remastered and released on the compilation album Backtracks .[ citation needed ]
The Jazz Discography, an online index of studio recordings, live recordings, and broadcast transcriptions of jazz – as of May 22, 2019 – lists 106 recordings of "Loch Lomond" and one recording of "Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond".
A notable big band version of "Loch Lomond", arranged by Claude Thornhill, was recorded in a live performance on January 16, 1938, by the Benny Goodman and His Orchestra on the album, The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert, on January 16, 1938, featuring Martha Tilton on vocals (Columbia SL 160).
Jazz singer Maxine Sullivan, for whom it was a career-defining hit, recorded it at least 14 times:
The song is frequently used in TV and movies to convey a sense of Scottish story setting and/or character identity.
In Our Gang Follies of 1938 , an American short musical film by Hal Roach, Annabelle Logan sings a rendition of "Loch Lomond" at the local talent show. [36] The song features in the 1940 American musical It's a Date. [37]
In the 1945 Sherlock Holmes film Pursuit to Algiers , starring Basil Rathbone, Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) sings a rendition of "Loch Lomond" accompanied by Sheila Woodbury (Marjorie Riordan) on the piano. [38]
In the 1955 Disney animated classic Lady and the Tramp , one of its characters, Jock, a Scottish terrier, sings his own version of "The Bonnie Banks Of Loch Lomond" when he buries a new bone "in [his] bonnie, bonnie bank in the back yard".
In the 1958 Tom and Jerry short Robin Hoodwinked , Nibbles sings the first half of the chorus of "Loch Lomond". [39] [40]
The song is heard in the 1963 Disney film The Three Lives of Thomasina .
The Marcia Blane music class is heard singing the song in the background in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie .
A recording of a Scotsman singing the song in captivity during the First World War featured in the 2007 BBC documentary How the Edwardians Spoke. [41]
In the children's cartoon, Animaniacs , it is heard in "Ups and Downs" as Wakko and Dr. Scratchansniff ride the elevator. [42] [ citation needed ] It is also heard in the Animaniacs feature film Wakko's Wish .
In the 2021 film A Castle for Christmas it is sung by the cast during a pub scene.[ citation needed ]
In the American TV series The Simpsons , Groundskeeper Willie whistles the melody in the episode "Lard of the Dance".
In the Hal Roach short comedy film Tit for Tat , Stan Laurel sings a verse of this song after Oliver Hardy declares in a verbal altercation with his neighbor that he will take the "high road" and walk away.
In Smallville Season 7 Episode 19, the tune is featured under the title "The Birks of St Kilde." It is played by a grandfather clock and later by Lex Luthor on the piano as he quotes alternative plot-important lyrics: "On the shores of St Kilde, birks sway in the wind from the left to the right again."
In the 2000 movie Prince of Central Park J.J. Somerled, played the song in keyboard while Jerry Orbach as a businessman, sang the song.
In The Office Season 8 Episode 20 "Welcome Party" Andy sings an excerpt from the song.
Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands. Traditionally forming part of the boundary between the counties of Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire, Loch Lomond is split between the council areas of Stirling, Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire. Its southern shores are about 23 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of the centre of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. The Loch forms part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park which was established in 2002.
"Auld Lang Syne" is a Scottish song. In the English-speaking world, it is traditionally sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve/Hogmanay. By extension, it is also often heard at funerals, graduations, and as a farewell or ending to other occasions; for instance, many branches of the Scouting movement use it to close jamborees and other functions.
Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included brothers and songwriters Rory MacDonald and Calum MacDonald (percussion). The line-up during most of the 1980s and 1990s, which was the band's most successful period commercially, also included Donnie Munro (vocals), Malcolm Jones (guitar), Iain Bayne (drums), and Pete Wishart (keyboards). Munro left the band in 1997 to pursue a career in politics and was replaced by Bruce Guthro. Wishart left in 2001, also to pursue a career in politics, and was replaced by Brian Hurren. The band released fourteen studio albums, with a number of their songs sung in Scottish Gaelic. At the height of their success during the 1980s and 1990s, Runrig were described by Billboard as one of the "most celebrated" Gaelic language bands in Scotland.
Thomas Makem was an Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banjo, tin whistle, low whistle, guitar, bodhrán and bagpipes, and sang in a distinctive baritone. He was sometimes known as "The Bard of Armagh" and "The Godfather of Irish Music".
"The Parting Glass" is a Scottish traditional song, often sung at the end of a gathering of friends. It has also long been sung in Ireland, where it remains popular; this has strongly influenced how it is often sung today. It was purportedly the most popular parting song sung in Scotland before Robert Burns wrote "Auld Lang Syne".
Balloch Country Park is a 200-acre (0.81 km2) country park on the southern tip of Loch Lomond in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It was recognised as a country park in 1980, and it is the only country park in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, Scotland's first national park. Balloch Country Park features nature trails, guided walks, a walled garden, and picnic lawns with views of the Loch. It was originally developed in the early 19th century by John Buchanan, a partner in the Glasgow and Ship Bank, and the gardens were significantly improved by the Dennistoun-Browns, who bought the estate in 1851. Buchanan also built Balloch Castle, which now serves as the park's visitors' center.
Makem and Clancy was an Irish folk duo popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The group consisted of Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, who had originally achieved fame as a part of the trailblazing folk group The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem in the 1960s. Makem and Clancy sang a combination of traditional Irish music, folks songs from a variety of countries, and newly written pieces, including compositions that Tommy Makem himself wrote. One reporter described their music as "more polished and varied than that used by the Clancy Brothers."
Sarah Makem a native of Keady, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, was a traditional Irish singer. She was the wife of fiddler Peter Makem, mother of musicians Tommy Makem and Jack Makem, and grandmother of musicians Tom Sweeney, Jimmy Sweeney, Shane Makem, Conor Makem and Rory Makem. Sarah Makem and her cousin, Annie Jane Kelly, were members of the Singing Greenes of Keady.
The MacDonald Brothers, now performing as The Macs, are a Scottish pop folk duo from Ayr, South Ayrshire, Scotland, consisting of brothers Brian and Craig MacDonald. They first rose to prominence in the third UK series of television talent show The X Factor in 2006, and have since gone on to release four studio albums. Their debut studio album, self-titled The MacDonald Brothers was released in April 2007 to positive reviews. The album went on to top the charts in their native Scotland and also performed well on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 18.
Loch Lomond may refer to:
Tradition Records was an American record label from 1955 to 1966 that specialized in folk music. The label was founded and financed by Guggenheim heiress Diane Hamilton in 1956. Its president and director was Patrick "Paddy" Clancy, who was soon to join his brothers Liam and Tom Clancy and Tommy Makem, as part of the new Irish folk group, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. Liam Clancy designed the company's maple leaf logo. Columbia University Professor of Folklore Kenneth Goldstein was also involved in the early creation of the company, which operated out of Greenwich Village, New York, United States.
"One Great Thing" is the third single from Scottish band Big Country's 1986 album, The Seer. The composition of the song and in particular the guitar solo appears to feature similar melody from the chorus of Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond. After the somewhat disappointing chart performance of the band's previous single "The Teacher", the song reached No. 19 in the UK Singles Chart.
Children in Need 2007 was a campaign held in the United Kingdom to raise money for Children in Need. It culminated in a live broadcast on BBC One on the evening of Friday 16 November, through to the morning of Saturday 17 November. The broadcast was hosted by Terry Wogan and Fearne Cotton, joined by other guest presenters throughout the night. The voice over reading out hourly totals was Alan Dedicoat. The event broke all previous records with a total of £19,089,771 raised by the closing minute. The show's average audience was 9.56 million, a huge amount higher than the previous year's event.
"Rhythm of My Heart" is a song written by Marc Jordan and John Capek that was first recorded by Dutch rock and roll artist René Shuman, included on his 1986 self-titled debut album. In 1991, British singer Rod Stewart recorded the song for his album Vagabond Heart with production by Trevor Horn. It is the album's opening track and was released as its second single on 4 March 1991 by Warner.
Strathyre is a district and settlement in the Stirling local government district of Scotland. It forms the south-eastern part of the parish of Balquhidder and was, prior to the 1973 reorganisation of local government, part of Perthshire. It is within the bounds of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. In Gaelic, the district is Srath Eadhair and the village is An t-Iomaire Riabhach or an t-Iomaire Fada.
John Du Cameron was a Scottish Sergeant in the French Royal Army who came back to Scotland to fight for Prince Charles Edward Stuart during the Jacobite rising of 1745. When the rebellion failed he took to the hills with a band of renegades and fought on until he was captured and hanged in 1753. He is better known by the name of Sergent Mòr.
This is a comprehensive listing of the discography of Celtic rock group Runrig. They released their debut album, Play Gaelic, in April 1978, followed by the albums The Highland Connection (1979), Recovery (1981) and Heartland (1985). The band achieved moderate breakthrough commercial success in 1987 upon the release of The Cutter and the Clan, which yielded the singles "Worker for the Wind" / "Alba" and "Protect and Survive", which peaked just outside the Top 100 of the UK Singles Chart. "News from Heaven" was released as the lead single from their sixth album Searchlight (1989), which peaked at number ninety on the UK Singles Chart. Searchlight reached a peak of number eleven on the UK Albums Chart, and was certified Silver in the United Kingdom and marked the beginning of a period of commercial success for the band across Europe.
"Flower of the West" is a 1991 single released by Scottish celtic rock band Runrig, released as the lead and only single from their seventh studio album The Big Wheel (1991). The single was released on 28 October 1991 and was released by Chrysalis. Upon its release, "Flower of the West" became the highest-charting entry for the band on the UK Singles Charts, following its peak at number forty-three.
"An Ubhal as Àirde " is a 1995 single released by Scottish celtic rock band Runrig. The release of the single marks the second stand alone single release by the band, preceded by "This Time of Year" a year earlier in 1994. The song gave Runrig their highest placing to date on the UK Singles Charts, becoming their first UK Top 20, debuting at number eighteen in May 1995.
"Maymorning" is a 1999 single released by Scottish celtic rock band Runrig, released as the second single from their tenth studio album In Search of Angels (1999). Its release was preceded by the single "The Message". Written by Rory MacDonald and Calum MacDonald, it was released via Ridge Records in the United Kingdom, and by Columbia Records across continental Europe. The release of the single marked one of the first releases of new lead singer for the band, Bruce Guthro, following the departure of original lead singer Donnie Munro.
Makem said he learned the song from his mother, Sarah, who was a well known singer and folk song collector from Armagh in Northern Ireland. ... A recording of Red is the Rose that was made in 1934 by Josephine Beirne and George Sweatman under the title, My Bonnie Irish Lass
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