Old Mac Donald

[MikeFromHolland]

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It seems that no-one likes Elvis' version of this song. Still some background information:

Thomas D'Urfey (a.k.a. Tom Durfey; 1653 – 26 February 1723) was an English writer and wit. He composed plays, songs, and poetry, in addition to writing jokes. He was an important innovator and contributor in the evolution of the Ballad opera. He wrote 500 songs, and 32 plays, starting with The Siege of Memphis in 1676. His first play was a failure, but he responded in the following year (1677) with a comedy, Madame Fickle, which proved more successful.

His plays include The Fond Husband (1676), The Virtuous Wife (1680), and Wonders in the Sun, or, The Kingdom of the Birds (1706). This last play was published in 1719-1720 in Thomas D’Urfey’s Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy. This text from that play may be considered the earliest known source for Old Mac Donald Had A Farm:

"In the Fields in Frost and Snows,
Watching late and early;
There I keep my Father’s Cows,
There I Milk ’em Yearly:
Booing here, Booing there,
Here a Boo, there a Boo, every where a Boo,
We defy all Care and Strife,
In a Charming Country-Life."

In the 1917 book Tommy’s Tunes, a collection of World War I era songs by F. T. Nettleingham, the song “Ohio (Old Macdougal Had a Farm)” has quite similar lyrics though with a slightly different farmer’s name and refrain:

"Old Macdougal had a farm in Ohio-i-o,
And on that farm he had some dogs in Ohio-i-o,
With a bow-wow here, and a bow-wow there,
Here a bow, there a wow, everywhere a bow-wow."

This version lists seven species of animal: some dogs (bow-wow), some hens (cluck cluck), some ducks (quack quack), some cows (moo moo), some pigs (grunt grunt), some cats (meow meow), and a donkey (hee-haw).

The Traditional Ballad Index consider the “Tommy’s Tunes” version to be the earliest known version of “Old Macdonald Had a Farm”, though it cites numerous variations, some of them much older.

Other titles and variations:
- As I Was a Farmer
- The Farmer’s Boy
- The Farmyard
- Old MacDougal

A British version of the song, called "The Farmyard, or The Merry Green Fields," was collected in 1908 from a 74-year-old Mrs. Goodey at Marylebone Workhouse, London, and published in Cecil Sharp's Collection of English Folk Songs.

"Up was I on my father's farm
On a Mayday morning early
Feeding of my father's cows
On a Mayday morning early.
With a moo, moo here
And a moo, moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo,
Here a pretty moo;
Six pretty maids come and gang along o' me
To the merry green fields and the farmyard.

Up was I on my father's farm
On a Mayday morning early
Feeding of my father's goats
On a Mayday morning early.
With a nan, nan here
And a nan there,
Here a nan, there a nan,
Here a pretty nan;
Six pretty maids come and gang along o' me
To the merry green fields and the farmyard.".


Another variant was published in Vance Randolph's Ozark Folksongs in 1980, "Old Missouri", sung by a Mr. H. F. Walker of Missouri in 1922, a version that names different parts of the mule rather than different animals:

"Old Missouri had a mule, he-hi-he-hi-ho,
And on this mule there were two ears, he-hi-he-hi-ho.
With a flip-flop here and a flip-flop there,
And here a flop and there a flop and everywhere a flip-flop
Old Missouri had a mule, he-hi-he-hi-ho".


The ealiest known existing recording of "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" by American Quartet on Victor 19265-A was recorded on October 30, 1923 (Victor matrix B-28816).

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Many other versions are know:

1959
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1960
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1965
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Elvis recorded his vocal overdub on the earlier recorded track for the movie Double Trouble on June 30, 1966.

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Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_d%27Urfey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wit_and_Mirth,_or_Pills_to_Purge_Melancholy
https://library.villanova.edu/Find/Record/794511
http://www.stephengriffith.com/folksongindex/old-macdonald/
https://www.worldcat.org/title/tommys-tunes-a-comprehensive-collection-of-soldiers-songs-marching-melodies-rude-rhymes-and-popular-parodies/oclc/2841687
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_MacDonald_Had_a_Farm
http://www.joe-offer.com/folkinfo/songs/522.html
https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/matrix/detail/800002865/B-28816-Old_MacDonald_had_a_farm
http://www.keithflynn.com/recording-sessions/60_index_02.html

[brian]

Elvis Presley the King of rock & roll. The man who revolutionized music is singing a children's song in a bad film. It's understandable why no one liked it and people wished Elvis had never recorded it. It's an okay song to be sung on Sesame street but not by Elvis. Elvis should've been recording R&B songs at Muscle shoals instead.

[Rob]

Man, that is hard to watch.

[r&b]

Elvis Presley the King of rock & roll. The man who revolutionized music is singing a children's song in a bad film. It's understandable why no one liked it and people wished Elvis had never recorded it. It's an okay song to be sung on Sesame street but not by Elvis. Elvis should've been recording R&B songs at Muscle shoals instead.

I think you about summed it up here. I will go one step further. No one envisioned in just 10 short years after Elvis did what you stated that this would be the product Elvis was barfing out. Its one thing to try and change the rebel image after the army. Rock went soft in 1960-61. I understood why GI Blues was made, and songs like Wooden Heart were recorded for it. But this 6 years later when music was revolutionized again? No, there was no excuse for this utter garbage. What he needed to go along with each crappy soundtrack were real recording sessions of solid material either at Muscle Shoals, Stax, or at Gold Star with The Wrecking Crew. People have no idea how badly Elvis was perceived by teens in the 60's with product like this. It really did almost kill his career, not financially but reputation wise.

[colonel snow]

Recording for the movie Double trouble:
According to the script for scene # 156 was selected the song “Antwerp here we come” written by Randy Starr. While playing the demo Elvis noticed the song sounds very much like Old MacDonald.
Elvis preferred to record “Old MacDonald” in stead of Antwerp here we come.
Randy Starr has to re-write the lyrics and an instrumental version only was recorded on 29 june 1966.
Elvis did his vocal overdub track 2014 take 2 on 30 june 1966.
This mastertake is edited to 2:06.

Elvis fans always ask why Elvis recorded this song but they don’t know it was Elvis’ choice to record the song. You may dislike a song but you have to know the facts / history about a song before you give your opinion.

colonel snow

[jurasic1968]

The clip of the song in the movie is atrocious.

[brian]

Elvis preferred to record “Old MacDonald” in stead of Antwerp here we come.
Randy Starr has to re-write the lyrics and an instrumental version only was recorded on 29 june 1966.
Elvis did his vocal overdub track 2014 take 2 on 30 june 1966.
This mastertake is edited to 2:06.

Elvis fans always ask why Elvis recorded this song but they don’t know it was Elvis’ choice to record the song. You may dislike a song but you have to know the facts / history about a song before you give your opinion.

colonel snow

Colonel Snow,

You miss the point and you take things out of context to make a false point. Elvis Presley during his movie years was given a bunch of crappy demo's to choose from. Elvis Presley was a professional he did his job instead of putting his foot down like he should've have. Elvis was given a choice between Antwerp here we come or Old macdonald. You can image how bad Antwerp was for Elvis Presley to choose to sing Old Macdonald. It's not that Elvis wanted to record Old Macdonald. It's not like he turned down Witchita lineman to record Old Macdonald. What a ridiculous post. You are trying to spin things.

[r&b]

Recording for the movie Double trouble:
According to the script for scene # 156 was selected the song “Antwerp here we come” written by Randy Starr. While playing the demo Elvis noticed the song sounds very much like Old MacDonald.
Elvis preferred to record “Old MacDonald” in stead of Antwerp here we come.
Randy Starr has to re-write the lyrics and an instrumental version only was recorded on 29 june 1966.
Elvis did his vocal overdub track 2014 take 2 on 30 june 1966.
This mastertake is edited to 2:06.

Elvis fans always ask why Elvis recorded this song but they don’t know it was Elvis’ choice to record the song. You may dislike a song but you have to know the facts / history about a song before you give your opinion.

colonel snow

Well it doesnt sound like much of a choice if you ask me. Antwerp or Old McDonald? Good God, really? Elvis just went with the more familiar tune, but the point is, the scene and the song should have been cut out of the movie. There was no need for it, and this is where Elvis should have put his foot down. He bowed down once again to what the suits and The Col wanted from him. That is why he loses respect from many.

[colonel snow]

Elvis fans not born during Elvis's lifetime have another opinion about Elvis' music and his movies. I can't change these opinions and I don't try to change that.


colonel snow

[jurasic1968]

The song should have been cut from the movie and from the LP.

[colonel snow]

Elvis Presley the King of rock & roll. The man who revolutionized music is singing a children's song in a bad film. It's understandable why no one liked it and people wished Elvis had never recorded it. It's an okay song to be sung on Sesame street but not by Elvis. Elvis should've been recording R&B songs at Muscle shoals instead.

You must know the song is written for a certain scene in the movie. The song is not recorded to steal the show and you can’t compare these kind of tracks with a studio-album.

For the “fans” some other recordings:
18-09-25 - Sam Patterson Trio (Edison 51644);
31-10-27 - Gid Tanners Skillet Lickers (Columbia 15204);
11-02-46 - Spike Jones (RCA 20-1836).


colonel snow

[colonel snow]

Thanks MikefromHolland; as expected a lot of different opinions from "experts" / people with "knowledge" about Elvis music.


colonel snow

[brian]

You must know the song is written for a certain scene in the movie. The song is not recorded to steal the show and you can’t compare these kind of tracks with a studio-album.

Yes, I do. That's the point. He was given a choice between recording two crappy songs to fit that scene. He had to pick one. You were talking as if Elvis wanted to record the song. Like he turned down The Letter in favor of Old Macdonald because he really wanted to record Old Macdonald. That's not true but that's what you made it seem like in your previous post. He was Elvis Presley he shouldn't have been recording any of those songs. He should've only been considering top tier tunes. The cream of the crop. He should've been recording songs to steal the show. Fans do compare movie soundtracks with regular albums because it's what Elvis Presley was putting on the market. It's only natural.

[brian]

Thanks MikefromHolland; as expected a lot of different opinions from "experts" / people with "knowledge" about Elvis music.

I don't know what you keep going on about. You are always going to find a handful of people who praise this song on this forum. We have a few people on this forum that foam at the mouth at alternate takes of Yoga is as Yoga does. We have a group of people on this forum who want Elvis in Concert to get a mainstream release because they collect everything he did good or bad. That doesn't mean the vast majority think it was a good song for Elvis to record. That they wouldn't have preferred Elvis recording something better. I guess people with knowledge about Old Macdonald know better.

[norrie]

I commend the effort and the quality of your post MikeFromHolland much more than the quality of the song surely the worst song Elvis ever recorded.

norrie

[Rob]

Just for the record, I'd take ten 'Old MacDonald's' before I'd take one 'Queenie Wahine's Papaya.'

But that's just the way I roll with my pineapple, pumpkin and poy.

[jurasic1968]

But what about Dominic and Confidence?

[norrie]

Just for the record, I'd take ten 'Old MacDonald's' before I'd take one 'Queenie Wahine's Papaya.'

But that's just the way I roll with my pineapple, pumpkin and poy.

Hmmm,yeah OK I'll give you that one.

norrie

[MikeFromHolland]

Thanks MikefromHolland; as expected a lot of different opinions from "experts" / people with "knowledge" about Elvis music.


colonel snow

That's the charm of this forum.



.

[brian]

I don't think it was preferable to record movie soundtracks and studio albums at the same time. He should've just recorded studio albums and not record any of the soundtracks. They were a waste of time and talent. All the music Elvis did for five years was record soundtracks. Of course it's going to get treated like regular albums. That was his entire output at the time. So what do you expect people to do.

[mike edwards66]

Elvis himself contributed the 'hamburger medium-rare' line. I read it somewhere.

While you chew on that, enjoy:

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[colonel snow]

I don't think it was preferable to record movie soundtracks and studio albums at the same time. He should've just recorded studio albums and not record any of the soundtracks. They were a waste of time and talent. All the music Elvis did for five years was record soundtracks. Of course it's going to get treated like regular albums. That was his entire output at the time. So what do you expect people to do.

It’s easy: Elvis was too lazy to manage his own artistic career in that way; the money came in by millions of dollars so why change the concept?. Of course you can blame Colonel Parker (partly) for that. Colonel Parker wasn’t interested in Elvis’ artistic career but he was only interested to get the highest price for “his boy”. (Result: a greater share / amount for Colonel Parker as we all know).


colonel snow

[brian]

It’s easy: Elvis was too lazy to manage his own artistic career in that way; the money came in by millions of dollars so why change the concept?

Because it was bad for his career in every other way besides earning money. It almost destroyed his career had he kept appearing in those movies for another couple of years I don't think he would've been able to make a comeback. It did damage his reputation. I don't think his reputation as an artist was ever the same as it was before. Because all the damage that the movies and their soundtracks did. That's always been a sore spot for many of his fans and it always will be.

[Ryan73]

It’s easy: Elvis was too lazy to manage his own artistic career in that way; the money came in by millions of dollars so why change the concept?

Because it was bad for his career in every other way besides earning money. It almost destroyed his career had he kept appearing in those movies for another couple of years I don't think he would've been able to make a comeback. It did damage his reputation. I don't think his reputation as an artist was ever the same as it was before. Because all the damage that the movies and their soundtracks did. That's always been a sore spot for many of his fans and it always will be.

Besides earning money there seemed to be no drive. From the movie All the Money in the world "Fletcher Chase: What would it take? I mean, what would it take for you to feel secure?
John Paul Getty III: More."

[brian]

That's the only reason Parker had Elvis doing those movies. To make money he didn't care about artistic value at all. You can make money and do quality work but Parker didn't care about that. He only cared about making an easy buck. He even admitted that openly in the media.