The Music Man (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Music Man" is a popular cumulative folksong among children, rugby players and Hash House Harriers
.
Peter Kennedy
published a song called "The German Musicianer" in "Folk Songs of Britain and Northern Ireland" (1975). It has some similarities with this song. Even earlier, "The Wonderful Musician
", written by Walter Greenaway, was published in 1871. The chorus begins: "A big drum, a kettle drum, the fiddle, flute, and piccolo, piano, harp, harmonium and many more beside". The song is also known in Germany
as "Ich bin ein Musikante".
For each verse the participants act out different instruments with specific actions. Some of the actions for the adult version can be rude or crude. They may also attempt to imitate the sound of each instrument.
It is sometimes performed in cabaret with the audience challenging the artistes to ever more extravagant - and difficult - renditions of, for example, the flugelhorn
.
Later, it was recorded by Black Lace
, a British pop group from Ossett
in West Yorkshire
.
Each verse features a specific instrument with accompanying actions. After each verse, singers sing the previous verses in reverse order before singing the main chorus lines again. The song proceeds thus:
Chorus:
Piano:
Trombone:
Bagpipes:
Call and response section:
Football section:
Dambusters:
"Here We Go, Here We Go" Theme:
Hash House Harriers
The Hash House Harriers is an international group of non-competitive running, social and drinking clubs...
.
Peter Kennedy
Peter Douglas Kennedy
Peter Douglas Kennedy was an English collector of folk songs in the 1950s. Peter's father, Douglas, was EFDSS director after Cecil Sharp....
published a song called "The German Musicianer" in "Folk Songs of Britain and Northern Ireland" (1975). It has some similarities with this song. Even earlier, "The Wonderful Musician
The Wonderful Musician
The Wonderful Musician or The Strange Musician or The Marvellous Musician is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm as tale number 8 in their Grimm's Fairy Tales...
", written by Walter Greenaway, was published in 1871. The chorus begins: "A big drum, a kettle drum, the fiddle, flute, and piccolo, piano, harp, harmonium and many more beside". The song is also known in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as "Ich bin ein Musikante".
For each verse the participants act out different instruments with specific actions. Some of the actions for the adult version can be rude or crude. They may also attempt to imitate the sound of each instrument.
It is sometimes performed in cabaret with the audience challenging the artistes to ever more extravagant - and difficult - renditions of, for example, the flugelhorn
Flugelhorn
The flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
.
Later, it was recorded by Black Lace
Black Lace (band)
Black Lace is a British Euro pop band, best known for novelty party records, including their biggest hit, "Agadoo". The band first came to the public eye after being selected to represent the UK in the 1979 Eurovision Song Contest, in which they finished seventh with the song "Mary Ann"...
, a British pop group from Ossett
Ossett
Ossett is a market town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is located on junction 40 of the M1 motorway, half-way between Dewsbury, to the west, and Wakefield, to the east. In the 2001 census, it was classified as part of the West Yorkshire...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
.
Song structure and lyrics
Each verse begins with the following chorus lines, divided between the lead singer ("The Music Man") and the audience:-
- The Music Man: "I am the music man, I come from down your way, and I can play!"
- Audience: "What can you play?"
Each verse features a specific instrument with accompanying actions. After each verse, singers sing the previous verses in reverse order before singing the main chorus lines again. The song proceeds thus:
Chorus:
-
- Singer: Everybody clap your hands in the air and follow the Music Man!
- Singer:I am the music man, I come from far away, and I can play!
- Audience: What can you play?
Piano:
-
- The Music Man: "I play the piano!"
- Sing "Pia-pia-pia-no, pia-no, pia-no; pia-pia-pia-no, pia-pia-no" to the tune
- Actions: act out playing chords on a piano
- Follow with chorus
Trombone:
-
- The Music Man: "I play the trombone!"
- Sing "oomp-pa-oomp-pa-ooomp-pa-paaaa, oomp-pa-paaaa, oomp-pa-paaa; oomp-pa-oomp-pa-oomp-pa-paaaa, oomp-pa-oomp-pa-pa" to the tune
- Actions: mime playing trombone
- Follow with piano and chorus
Bagpipes:
-
- The Music Man: "I play the bagpipes!"
- Sing "Scotland the BraveScotland the Brave"Scotland the Brave" is a Scottish patriotic song. It was one of several songs considered an unofficial national anthem of Scotland.Scotland the Brave is also the authorised pipe band march of The British Columbia Dragoons of the Canadian Forces, and is played during the Pass in Review at Friday...
" - Actions: mime playing bagpipes
- Follow with trombone, piano, and chorus
Call and response section:
-
- The Music Man: "Whoawhooaa!"
- Audience: "Whoawhooaa!"
- The Music Man: "Yeeaah-yeah-yeah-yeah"
- Audience: "Yeeaah-yeah-yeah-yeah"
- The Music Man: "Oggy oggy oggyOggy Oggy OggyThe Oggy Oggy Oggy chant , and its numerous variations, are often heard at sporting events, political rallies and around Scout and Guide campfires, primarily in Britain, Ireland and some Commonwealth nations....
!" - Audience: "Oi oi oi!"
- The Music Man: "Oggy oggy oggy!"
- Audience: "Oi oi oi!"
Football section:
-
- Sing theme from Match of the DayMatch of the DayMatch of the Day is the BBC's main football television programme. Typically, it is shown on BBC One on Saturday evenings during the English football season, showing highlights of the day's matches in English football's top division, the Premier League...
- Actions: scarf waving
- Follow with bagpipes, trombone, piano, and chorus
- Sing theme from Match of the Day
Dambusters:
-
- The Music Man: "I play The Dam Busters!"
- Sing the theme to The Dam BustersThe Dam Busters (film)The Dam Busters is a 1955 British Second World War war film starring Michael Redgrave and Richard Todd and directed by Michael Anderson. The film recreates the true story of Operation Chastise when in 1943 the RAF's 617 Squadron attacked the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe dams in Germany with Wallis's...
- Actions: with arms outstretched, like bomberBomberA bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
aircraft; alternatively, make an "okay" sign with both hands and place over eyes (with palms touching cheeks, thumbs over eyebrows and the 3 loose fingers of each hand pointing down) in the manner of an aviator's goggles. - Follow with football, bagpipes, trombone, piano, and chorus
"Here We Go, Here We Go" Theme:
-
- Sing: Here we go, here we go, here we go; Here we go, here we go, here we go; Here we go, here we go, here we go; Here we go, here we go, here we go; Here we go, here we go, here we go; Here we go, here we go, here we go; Here we go, here we go, here we go; Here we go, here we go, here we go; Here we go, here we go, here we go; Here we go, here we go, here we go....
- Actions: Scarf waving to "Here We Go"
-
- Singer: I am the Music man!
- Audience: Oi!