Listen to the Mockingbird
Encyclopedia
"Listen to the Mocking Bird" (1855) is an American folk song of the mid-19th century. Its lyrics were composed by Septimus Winner
under the pseudonym
"Alice Hawthorne", and its music was by Richard Milburn
.
It relates the story of a singer dreaming of his sweetheart, now dead and buried, and a mockingbird
, whose song the couple once enjoyed, now singing over her grave. Yet the melody is moderately lively.
"Listen to the Mocking Bird" was one of the most popular ballad
s of the era and sold more than twenty million copies of sheet music. It was popular during the American Civil War
and was used as marching music. Abraham Lincoln
was especially fond of it, saying, "It is as sincere as the laughter of a little girl at play."
The song's melody was reprised by Louis Prima
& Keely Smith
for their 1956 version of the song, with new lyrics, entitled "Nothing's Too Good For My Baby". Its verse was the instrumental introduction to a number of the early short films by The Three Stooges
, rendered in a comical manner with birds chirping in the background. The first Stooges short to employ this theme was 1935's Pardon My Scotch
; in later shorts the song was replaced with "Three Blind Mice
".
"Listen to the Mocking Bird" was parodied in the television series, The Flintstones
',' as a swinging jazz tune called "Listen to the Rocking Bird".
It was background music in Looney Tunes
whenever a bird was depicted.
In the movie The Alamo
, Davy Crockett
plays "Listen to the Mocking Bird" on his fiddle to a crowd, although the song was not composed until 1855, 19 years after the Battle of the Alamo
where Crockett died.
Septimus Winner
Septimus Winner is best known as a songwriter of the nineteenth century. He used his own name, and also the pseudonyms Alice Hawthorne, Percy Guyer, Mark Mason, Apsley Street, and Paul Stenton...
under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Alice Hawthorne", and its music was by Richard Milburn
Richard Milburn
Richard Milburn or "Whistling Dick" was a nineteenth century African American composer and barber. Milburn cut hair in his father's shop on Lombard Street in Philadelphia. He played the guitar, and he often whistled tunes while he worked...
.
It relates the story of a singer dreaming of his sweetheart, now dead and buried, and a mockingbird
Mockingbird
Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in three genera...
, whose song the couple once enjoyed, now singing over her grave. Yet the melody is moderately lively.
"Listen to the Mocking Bird" was one of the most popular ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s of the era and sold more than twenty million copies of sheet music. It was popular during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and was used as marching music. Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
was especially fond of it, saying, "It is as sincere as the laughter of a little girl at play."
The song's melody was reprised by Louis Prima
Louis Prima
Louis Prima was a Sicilian American singer, actor, songwriter, and trumpeter. Prima rode the musical trends of his time, starting with his seven-piece New Orleans style jazz band in the 1920s, then successively leading a swing combo in the 1930s, a big band in the 1940s, a Vegas lounge act in the...
& Keely Smith
Keely Smith
Keely Smith is an American jazz and popular music singer who enjoyed popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. She collaborated with, among others, Louis Prima and Frank Sinatra.-Career:...
for their 1956 version of the song, with new lyrics, entitled "Nothing's Too Good For My Baby". Its verse was the instrumental introduction to a number of the early short films by The Three Stooges
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
, rendered in a comical manner with birds chirping in the background. The first Stooges short to employ this theme was 1935's Pardon My Scotch
Pardon My Scotch
Pardon My Scotch is the ninth short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.-Plot:...
; in later shorts the song was replaced with "Three Blind Mice
Three Blind Mice
Three Blind Mice is an English nursery rhyme and musical round. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3753.-Lyrics:The modern words are:-Variations and uses:Amateur music composer Thomas Oliphant noted in 1843 that:...
".
"Listen to the Mocking Bird" was parodied in the television series, The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
',' as a swinging jazz tune called "Listen to the Rocking Bird".
It was background music in Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
whenever a bird was depicted.
In the movie The Alamo
The Alamo (2004 film)
The Alamo is a 2004 American war film about the Battle of the Alamo during the Texas Revolution. The film was directed by Texan John Lee Hancock, produced by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Mark Johnson, and distributed by Touchstone Pictures....
, Davy Crockett
Davy Crockett
David "Davy" Crockett was a celebrated 19th century American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier and politician. He is commonly referred to in popular culture by the epithet "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S...
plays "Listen to the Mocking Bird" on his fiddle to a crowd, although the song was not composed until 1855, 19 years after the Battle of the Alamo
Battle of the Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar . All but two of the Texian defenders were killed...
where Crockett died.