Category Archives: Musical

Hymn – Calabasas, California

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 21, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Hebrew

Hamotzee

Hamotzee l’chem meen ha’aretz

We give thanks to God for bread

Our voices join in happy chorus

As our prayers are humbly said

Barooch atah adonai eloheynu melech ha’olam

Hamotzee l’chem meen ha’aretz

Amen

Jay Rockman is a freshman at USC and a dedicated follower of Jewish religion and tradition. His mother is Israeli, and as a child he learned to speak Hebrew. From grades 6-12 he attend Milken Community School, a prestigious private school in Calabasas, CA that integrates Jewish education into its curriculum. According to Jay, his family would sing the “Hamotzee” every Friday  night to celebrate Shabbat (the Sabbath). The song, which integrates the English translation with the traditional prayer, is recited as father uncovers the holy bread (a special type of bread known as “chalah”). The “Hamotzee” is part of a specific series of prayers sung to welcome the Sabbath, which also includes lighting the candles and drinking the wine.

This prayer is designed as a proclamation to God of thankfulness and joy. According to Jewish religion, simply having bread on the table is a blessing, considering all of the adversity that the ancient Hebrews encountered thousands of years ago. Thus, the “Hamotzee” ensures that nobody takes the simple aspects of life for granted and stresses the importance of “humbly” going about one’s life. Shabbat is also intended to bring the entire family together in prayer (“happy chorus”) and signal the upcoming rest period, since devout Jews try to refrain from using electricity and motor vehicles for the night and the following day.

Folk Song

Age: 11
Occupation: Student
Residence: Westlake Village, CA
Performance Date: April 7, 2007
Primary Language: English

Happy Birthday Rendition

Happy birthday to you,

You live in a zoo,

You look like a monkey,

And you smell like one too

(And many more, On Channel 4, And a Big Fat Lady, on Channel 80, and Scooby Doo, On 32, and all the rest, on CBS)

Normal rendition = Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear (person’s name), happy birthday to you!

Talia recalls multiple occasions during which she and her friends have tried to distort the traditional happy birthday song. This comedic rendition is sung as the birthday boy/girl is receiving the birthday cake, while the majority is singing the normal song.

The modified verse is not intended to offend the person celebrating his/her birthday; instead, it coincides with many other lighthearted birthday rituals indicating rites of passage (such as receiving punches for the number of one’s age). Talia states that the birthday boy/girl almost always laughs at the gag, and the joke is mainly geared as a prank on the parents who are so methodical about the traditional song. While the lines about the monkey serve as a practical joke, the addition about the television stations is completely impersonal and aimed at adding a tone of humor to the song as a whole. Talia claims that almost every time her friends sing “Happy birthday,” someone adds in their own performance of “and many more;” in face, it is almost implied amongst kids that someone will provide an addendum to the song.

The children’s desire to amend the song indicates their desire to add excitement to a very routine traditional song. The thrill of these pranks enables the singers to enjoy themselves and show enthusiasm while harmonizing about a friend’s birthday. Perhaps, the additions also provide a brief moment in the spotlight for the children on a day where the focus lies completely on one kid’s birthday.

The lines about the television statements offer an interesting depiction about the media these days. They suggest that most television stations offer nothing more than cartoons and reality shows, and that most of the news and popular culture on TV (“all the rest”) can be found on mainstream networks such as CBS and NBC (Channel 4 in the Los Angeles area).

Folk Song – Westlake Village, California

Age: 21
Occupation: Summer Camp Director
Residence: New York, NY
Performance Date: April 8, 2007
Primary Language: English

Little Red Wagon

You can’t ride in my little red wagon

Front seat’s broken

And the axel’s draggin

CHUGA!….CHUGA!…CHUGA CHUGA CHUGA!

Next verse, same as the first

But a whole lot louder and a whole lot worse!

Nicole Ross is the camp director of First Neighborhood Day Camp in Westlake Village, CA. Over 200 kids attend camp every week, and throughout the day the counselors lead multiple song medleys. Generally, Nicole selects a counselor to come on stage with his/her group of campers and pick a song, which they will sing on stage in front of the entire camp. I attended the camp from ages 7-13, but when I arrived to work as a head counselor in the summer of 2006 I noticed that many of the songs had changed. Since the camp has been around for more than twenty years, many of the songs have been modified, and Nicole brought many new songs to the camp’s tradition. She claims to have learned “Little Red Wagon” back when she was a camper around 1993.

“Little Red Wagon” is one of the most energetic songs that the campers sing, as it progressively gets louder for about five verses until everyone is screaming at the top of their lungs. Naturally, the clamor makes it a camp favorite, but it also presents an anti-materialistic message. Although the wagon has a broken seat and a faulty axel, the singers are proud to own it and are unwilling to part with it. The wagon is described as shoddy and small, but yet its sentimental value is indispensable. Surprisingly, the song seems to discourage sharing, which is a primary value of the camp, but the central message conveyed is that value is not measured in monetary standards. Instead, it encourages the children, rich or poor, to take pride in their interests, regardless of how they are perceived by others. Although most campers come from relatively wealthy families, Nicole has established a rule that prevents campers from bringing their personal gadgets to the camp (such as cell phones and portable video games) in order to prevent jealousy and class-consciousness amongst the campers.

Folk Song – Korean

Nationality: Korean-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: California
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: Korean
Language: English

???, ???, ????…
??? ??? ????.
?? ??? ??? ??
??? ??? ????.

Translation:

Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo
I am crossing over Arirang Pass
The man or woman who abandoned me
Will not walk even ten li before his/her feet hurt

My informant told me that she learned this folk song at a very young age. The title of the song is “arirang,” which means beautiful dear in Korean. Because this is the most popular folk song in Korea, every child learns the song once they enter school. Many versions of the song exist, but the melody of the song is always the same. The content in the song is actually very sad. However, she says that Koreans feel much attached to the song because it is very rich in its history. The song dates back to over 600 years ago. This song is about a lover who has been scorned and thus is very depressed. The lover cannot let go of the hurt her partner inflicted upon her. Thus, her heart is broken and the lyrics reflect her state of mind.

Although the lyrics of this song do not seem to be fit for young children to learn, my informant tells me that she did not even think about what the song meant when she learned it. It was more of a folksong that everyone knew. The meaning of the song did not really matter as much as knowing the song.

She says that when everyone in her class sings this song together, it is like people singing the national anthem in America. It gives her a sense of unity and peace with her teachers and classmates. Also, when she was younger, she would sing this song with her friends when they would get together to play. It was a fun pastime to be able to sing together and get closer through a popular folk song.

Children’s Rhyme

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Culver City, CA
Performance Date: April 1, 2007
Primary Language: English

Miss Susie had a tugboat

The tugboat had a bell—ding ding

Miss Susie went to heaven

And the tugboat went to—

HELL-o operator lease give me #9

And if you disconnect me I will

Chop off your behind

Behind the‘frigerator there was

A piece of glass

Miss Susie sat upon it

And it went right up her—

ASS-k me no more questions and I’ll

Tell you no more lies

The boys are in the bathroom

Zipping up their—

Flies are in the meadows

The bees are in the park

Miss Susie and her boyfriend are

Kissing in the

D-A-R-K, D-A-R-K, Dark, dark, dark

–is like a movie, a movie’s

like a show,

A show is like a TV set and that

Is all I—

Know I know my Ma, I know I know my Pa,

I know I know my sister with her

40 meter bra, bra, bra

My mother is Godzilla

My father is King Kong

My brother is the stupid one

Who made up this whole song

Miss Susie had a baby

She named him Tiny Tim

She put him in the bathtub to

See if he could swim

He drank up all the water

He ate up all the soap

He tried to eat the bathtub

But it wont fit down his throat

Miss Susie called the doctor

The doctor called the burse

The nurse called the lady

With the alligator purse

Miss Susie punched the doctor

The doctor punched the nurse

The nurse punched the lady

With the alligator purse

Analysis:

The subject told me that she used to recite the rhyme with all of the other girls at recess in third grade (which is about 10 years ago). She said that the Miss Susie rhyme was one of the most popular rhymes used often in conjunction with hand clapping of various patterns (see above picture for example). When I asked her why this one was so popular, she suggested that it may be because of the length and the melody, which makes it easier to make up intricate clapping routines.

When I first heard the subject recite this rhyme I was immediately taken back to my elementary school. I also did the various clapping routines during this rhyme with my little sister, however mine was a little different, instead of a tug boat mine was a steam boat, as well as several other word choice changes throughout the rhyme. I mentioned this to her, and she nodded saying that within her own school district there were many different versions. I took note of this and looked up the rhyme online and found many different websites citing the rhyme, each one a little different. Some of the rhymes, like the one below, is shorter than the one she and I knew. Also a few of the rhymes had Miss Lucy as the subject rather than Susie. I was surprised as to how many variants there were of this one children’s rhyme. Then I read the website, and it was dedicated to children rhymes of the eighties, and although there was no proof of its birth in the eighties, I think that since its been around for over 20 years, there are many different variants. However each variant still stays true to the melody and the disguised cuss words.

I think that this rhyme was and is still so popular among young girls and boys is because of the cuss words, hell turns into hello, ass into ask, and flies (referring to pants) turns into flies (referring to bugs). I know that little kids are normally not allowed to cuss so this is a way to get around it, without getting into trouble. I also agree with the subject, in the fact that the length and speed of the rhyme was ideal to a good clapping routine.

When I looked up this rhyme I found a wikipedia article on it, in which it gave a list of allusions that use a line or refer to the rhyme in their contents, I have included the list at the bottom of the page. I was surprised at the array of sources that used the rhyme from cartoons like Rocko’s Modern Life and The Simpsons to bands such as The White Stripes as well as comedian Bob Saget.

http://www.inthe80s.com/rhymes.shtml 4/20/07

Miss Susie had a tug boat,

her tug boat had a bell (ding ding),

miss Susie went to heaven her tug boat went to HELL…o operator

please give me number nine,

and if you disconnect me I’ll cut off your behind the refrigerator

there lay a piece of glass

miss Susie sat upon it and cut her little ASS…k me no more questions,

I’ll tell you now more lies

the boys are in the bathroom zipping up their flies..are in the meadow,

the bees are in the park,

miss Susie and her boyfriend are kissing in the d-a-r-k, d-a-r-k, dark dark dark.

The dark is like the movies,

the movies’ like the show,

the show is like tv

and that is all I know know know, I know I know my ma

I know I know my pa,

I know I know my sister with the 49’rs bra. The bra is for the boobies,

the boobies for the milk,

the milk is for the babies with diapers made of silk.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Susie

Allusions

  • Bob Saget sings a similar song at the end of his live comedy act.
  • In the White Stripes song “Hello Operator” (on the album De Stijl): “Hello operator / Can you give me number nine?”
  • In the Self song “Pattycake” (a reminiscence of the narrator’s 1970s childhood, on the album Gizmodgery, which was performed using only children’s toy instruments): Verses 2 through 4 and a modified version of verse 5 as a bridge.
  • In The Simpsons episode Bart Sells His Soul, Sherri and Terri sing, “Bart sold his soul, and that’s just swell / Now he’s going straight to / Hello operator / give me number nine” in Bart‘s nightmare.
  • In The Simpsons episode Fat Man and Little Boy, Lisa and her friend Janey recite this rhyme. An eavesdropping Homer gasps whenever he expects profanity and lets out sighs of relief when they turn out to be innocuous.
  • In South Park, Wendy Testaburger has a similar song (“Miss Landers was a health nut…”).
  • On Rocko’s Modern Life, Rocko and Heffer sing the first few bars of the song on a car trip.