Help required - who sang "If I had a hammer " ?
David Jennings
Hi there,
Can anyone put me out my misery?
Who originally sang " If I had a hammer " by Pete Seeger?
I cannot remember for the life of me, and it's driving me insane!
I'd really appreciate your help here.
regards,
Dave.
--
David Jennings
alec martin
Trini Lopez!
Alec Martin
bus...@zen.co.uk
http://www.zen.co.uk/home/page/busker
David Jennings <Da...@ibfgroup.com> wrote in article
<SemQ9CAz...@ibfs.demon.co.uk>...
LAYATES
"Originally" it was sung by Pete Seeger, the Weavers, and Peter, Paul, and
Mary, to name but three. Trini Lopez followed them, but had the hit.
Phil Geyer
Dave:
Although Trini Lopez did a version of the song that is loved by many, it
was written by Lee Hays and originally performed by the Weavers, which
Hays founded with Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman.
Phil
MIKE REGENSTREIF
In article <SemQ9CAz...@ibfs.demon.co.uk>, David Jennings <Da...@ibfgroup.com> writes:
>Hi there,
>
>Can anyone put me out my misery?
>
>Who originally sang " If I had a hammer " by Pete Seeger?
>
>I cannot remember for the life of me, and it's driving me insane!
>
>I'd really appreciate your help here.
>
>regards,
>
>Dave.
>--
>David Jennings
The Weavers, circa 1950; the song was co-written by Pete Seeger and
fellow-Weaver Lee Hays. You may also be thinking of the popular version
by Peter, Paul & Mary.
MR
David Jennings
WOW!
Thanks a million for coming back to me so quickly!
Perhaps I can get some sleep now.
I appreciate your help.
Best regards,
Dave.
--
David Jennings,
The IBF Group.
http://www.ibfgroup.com da...@ibfgroup.com
Print Providers Computer Consumables Hardware Solutions
FREECALL 0800 026 2486 FREEFAX 0800 026 2487 FREEPOST IBF GROUP
Joel Weber
As I recall back then if I'd have had a hammer I'd have probably
smashed my radio. Bteween PP&M and Trini Lopez the tune became
nauseatingly frequent.
joel
Preferred Customer
Possibly "The Weavers"
The "Pop" version was Trini Lopez
David Jennings <Da...@ibfgroup.com> wrote in article
<SemQ9CAz...@ibfs.demon.co.uk>...
Joe Kesselman, yclept Keshlam
Odd observation: A group of friends and I, as a workshop exercise,
worked up an arrangement of this song which slowed it down considerably,
gave it drum-and-rattle-and-sustained-chord accompaniment (almost
resembling Hollywood's idea of Indian music), and had some slightly more
dissonant vocal harmonies. I'm not sure we could repeat it if we tried, but
it worked startlingly well.
Similarly, Walkabout has started doing a slowed-down version of This
Land Is Your Land, with the deliberate intent of getting listeners to actually
pay attention to the words rather than just going along for the ride.
If you've got a song that's going stale, try preparing it a different way!
------------------------------------------------------
Joe Kesselman, http://www.lovesong.com/people/keshlam/
New URL for Walkabout Clearwater Coffeehouse and Chorus:
http://www.lovesong.com/walkabout/
Joe Felsenstein
In article <6kenoq$d...@bgtnsc03.worldnet.att.net>,
To this day it has another problem. When I sing it with friends (it's usually
they who want to sing it, under the delusion that it's compulsory when one
sings "folk songs"), I sing the original Seeger/Hays version which has
"all-ALL-all-all-all over this land!"
while my friends invariably sing the Peter Paul and Mary arrangement:
"all over this la-a-a-and, ooh wah ooh ooh!
Then I feel self-righteous and irritated at them, though it's not clear
which arrangement of this line is sillier.
--
Joe Felsenstein j...@genetics.washington.edu
Dept. of Genetics, Univ. of Washington, Box 357360, Seattle, WA 98195-7360 USA
Stephen Suffet
David Jennings wrote:
>
> Hi there,
>
> Can anyone put me out my misery?
>
> Who originally sang " If I had a hammer " by Pete Seeger?
>
> I cannot remember for the life of me, and it's driving me insane!
>
> I'd really appreciate your help here.
>
> regards,
>
> Dave.
> --
> David Jennings
Dear David:
"If I Had a Hammer," originally called "The Hammer Song," was
co-written by Lee Hays and Pete Seeger. It appeared as Song #1 on the
cover of the first issue of "Sing Out!" That was in May 1950.
The Weavers (Hays and Seeger plus Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Heller-
man) began singing the song immediately. Pete Seeger also performed it
by himself after he left the Weavers.
Other artists who performed it include Peter, Paul, & Mary, and
Trini Lopez. Perhaps you were thinking of Lopez's recording, as it
became a to-of-the-charts pop hit.
Regards,
Steve
Lee Gold
My own favorite version of this song was by Chad Mitchell Trio.
Spa...@fatsparrowstudios.co.nz
Joel Weber <RETRO...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>As I recall back then if I'd have had a hammer I'd have probably >smashed my radio. Bteween PP&M and Trini Lopez the tune became
>nauseatingly frequent.
>
You mean, the lyrics should really go like this, huh? . . . .
"If I had a hammer,(ooo oo oo,) I'd wave it at the radio ,
I'd smash it's little circuits, all over the floor
I'd hammer out "Overdone!", I'd hammer out "No More!"
No love between , the singer and the audience,
a-all over this band . . . oooo ooo, oooo oo, etc"
FolkRadicl
Please watch out for the version by Billy Bragg and Eliza Carthy that will be
on the next volume of the "Songs of Pete Seeger" coming out next year.....
Jim Musselman(Appleseed)
Joel Weber
===============
That was great. So glad to know I wasn't the only one. Love that
verse.
joel
Paul Martin Baker
Jeremy
>
> Other artists who performed it include Peter, Paul, & Mary, and
> Trini Lopez.
>
Another artist who sang it was Leonard Nimoy, Spock from Star Trek. It was
pretty annoying, though
Rob Kowalewski
In article <01bd8b23$def730e0$836e19ce@sovereig>, "Jeremy "
<sove...@dave-world.net> wrote:
Hmmm...I'm trying to imagine this.
And it makes my head hurt.
Sure that his rendition was most logical, however,
Rob K.
--
rdk...@concentric.net
Rev1880
If I'm not mistaken. Marlene Deitricht (!) also recorded it. A good movie about
the Weavers, focussing on their last concert in 1980, is "Wasn't That a Time."
I'm sure it's out on video and does occasionally hit the PBS circuit. Excellent
film.
Bill
Paul E. Cohen
Pete Seeger sang it of course, but Peter, Paul and Mary also recorded
it, as did Trini Lopez.
alec martin wrote:
> Trini Lopez!
>
> Alec Martin
> bus...@zen.co.uk
> http://www.zen.co.uk/home/page/busker
>
> David Jennings <Da...@ibfgroup.com> wrote in article
> <SemQ9CAz...@ibfs.demon.co.uk>...
RAREDANCE
><HTML><PRE>Subject: Re: Help required - who sang "If I had a hammer " ?
The Hammer Song was first recorded by the Weavers in 1949 on the Charter
Records label, lyrics by Lee Hayes music by Pete Seeger. . According to Pete
Seeger, Lee Hays used to say that recording was a collectors' item because
nobody but collectors bought it. When the Weavers became sort of popular in
1950 their manager wouldn't let them sing it any more because it would only
encourage the blacklisters. Eventually the blacklisters had there way anyhow
and the Weavers were forced into a sabbatical ("and a Mondaycal and a
Tuesdaycal etc" -Lee Hays). Peter Paul & Mary picked it up in the early 60's
and changed Pete's tune a bit. Pete has made some changes himself and he now
does a hybrid version. Apparently in Europe people added verses for drums and
trumpets and other items. Pete has said when he is leading a sing-a-long he
jokes that people can sing the melody as he wrote or or as others have changed
it all at the same time. " Somehow they all harmonize. There's a good moral
here, for the world" PS. The song has also showed up in a 1992 "Dennis The
Menace" cartoon where Dennis is pounding away and his mom is on the phone
saying " We gave him a hammer. He hammers in the morning, he hammers in the
evening all over this land!".
Pete Seeger has it on at least 8 albums. The Weavers have the original single
plus recordings on "REunion At Carnegie Hall" and "Wasn't That A Time" (both
the 4CD set and the video).
Amopng the other notable who have recorded it are: Aretha Franklin, Gretchen
Reed (Come Holy Spirit Freedom Ministries), Eddy Arnold, Anita Bryant, Ray
Coniff, Senator Sam Ervin (of Watergate hearings fame), Percy Faith, Waylon
Jennings
rich r
Greg Ioannou
In article <199805301020...@ladder01.news.aol.com>, rev...@aol.com (Rev1880) wrote:
>If I'm not mistaken. Marlene Deitricht (!) also recorded it.
She recorded a lot of folk classics. I have an LP of hers, "The Magic of
Marlene Dietrich" (English EMI NTS 107) with (among other things) Puff the
Magic Dragon, Where Have all the Flowers Gone (in both English and German),
and Blowin' In the Wind. All three are pretty well unlistenable, alas. The
liner notes of the album say, "In recent years songs by Pete Seeger and Bob
Dylan have been added to her repertoire. Songs that mirror her own feelings of
compassion and the need for understanding on the part of all peoples in this
world." [Sentence fragment EMI's, not mine.]
Greg Ioannou
gr...@e-mend.com
ham...@atl.mindspring.com
rare...@aol.com (RAREDANCE) wrote:
>><HTML><PRE>Subject: Re: Help required - who sang "If I had a hammer " ?
>trumpets and other items. Pete has said when he is leading a sing-a-long he
>jokes that people can sing the melody as he wrote or or as others have changed
>Pete Seeger has it on at least 8 albums. The Weavers have the original single
>plus recordings on "REunion At Carnegie Hall" and "Wasn't That A Time" (both
>the 4CD set and the video).
I vote for the Weavers rendition of it with Erik Darling who added a
new dimension to the song by interjecting a Black gospel feel. Don't
know if this was ever recorded but if it was, it would be worth
checking out.
Frank
WalterH796
I believe Trini Lopez also had a hit recording of it.
Eric Berge
In Article<6kqbop$b9c$1...@news.interlog.com>, <gr...@e-mend.com> writes:
> She recorded a lot of folk classics. I have an LP of hers, "The Magic of
> Marlene Dietrich" (English EMI NTS 107) with (among other things) Puff the
> Magic Dragon, Where Have all the Flowers Gone (in both English and German),
> and Blowin' In the Wind. All three are pretty well unlistenable, alas.
She also covered "I Wonder As I Wander".
Also badly.
Eric Berge
Joseph C Fineman
gr...@e-mend.com (Greg Ioannou) writes:
>She recorded a lot of folk classics.
Probably 30 years ago, I heard her sing "Go Way from My Window" at a
concert. She did tolerably well.
On her German-language W.W. II propaganda record, she did some of the
old German songs ("Muss I Denn" etc.).
--- Joe Fineman j...@world.std.com
||: April is the cruellest month, :||
||: Breeding lilacs out of the dead land, :||
Gerry Myerson
In article <356BECC7...@mediaone.net>, Lee Gold
<lee...@mediaone.net> wrote:
> My own favorite version of this song was by Chad Mitchell Trio.
I thought I had a complete discography of this group and of the Mitchell
Trio, but the hammer song isn't listed. They may well have performed it
in concert --- did they ever record it?
Posted & emailed.
Gerry Myerson
Lee Gold
Gerry Myerson wrote:
Urr, umm, would you believe a defense of dysnymia (confusing names)?
I've just rechecked my vinyl collection, and I meant the Limeliters.
--Lee Gold
EJRen
"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" was actually a big hit for her in Germany.
-- EJR
Edward J. Renehan, Jr.
http://members.aol.com/EJRen/EJRen.html
Theresa Jones
Lee Gold
Theresa Jones wrote:
> Peter, Paul and Mary
> Lee Gold wrote in message <35721BF6...@mediaone.net>...
Urr, yes, I know that Peter, Paul and Mary recorded "If I Had a Hammer,"
but so did the Limeliters, and I preferred the latter version.
RBZNY
Trini Lopez recorded a rockin' version of the song, if I may say so!
Robin
pb...@a2.com.au
In article <199806182342...@ladder01.news.aol.com>,
rb...@aol.com (RBZNY) wrote:
>
> Trini Lopez recorded a rockin' version of the song, if I may say so!
> Robin
-----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==-----
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Mike Painter
I have a friend who sings it quite well. I worry though. The pin she wears
says:
"If I had a hammer, there would be no folk music."
pb...@a2.com.au wrote in message <6md3ai$3n0$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>...
Tri...@webtv.net
In article <qoHi1.8226$_W5.26...@news.inreach.com>,
>
> John
> The Triofan
MEPeterson
This reminded me of the introduction Judy Henske wrote for Phil Ochs' songbook,
"The War is Over."
"I'll never forget the one time I saw Phil Ochs perform. It was in Hollywood
and the crowd was tense with electric anticipation as the incredibly dapper
figures walked out on the stage. Phil looked great that night; his crisp black
hair had been freshly coiffed, his dark skin and eyes setting off both the
startling brilliance of his freshly capped teeth and the red silk lining of his
beautifully tailored tuxedo. In lightly accented English, he introduced the
first big hit, 'La Bamba'. A roar went up as the crowd started singing and
clapping along. He followed this tour de force with 'Lemon Tree' and 'If I Had
A Hammer'. What a performer! He was called back for encore after encore.
"On the bill with Ochs that night was a sloppy longwinded protest singer whose
name I forget. I left in the middle of his act."
-- Judy Henske.
God, I loved that era!
Mike Peterson
Plattsburgh NY