By Marco den Ouden
Traditions are varied and many, ranging from the cultural to the historical to the deeply personal. Holidays, annual fairs and festivals, rites that celebrate aspects of our growth and maturity, right down to the absurd and ridiculous but highly amusing, traditions are, for good or ill, part of what makes us – us. We are not always bound by tradition. We can choose a different path as some of the people in our songs have. But for many, if not most people, traditions are part of our identity.
We start off our set with a song appropriately called Tradition. Sung by Topol, it opens the movie version of Fiddler on the Roof. The tradition he sings of is both cultural and familial. And very old fashioned! Who rules the roost? The papa! Who looks after everything in the household so the papa can read holy books? Why the mama, of course!
One of the traditions of farming families is the harvest and in Harvest of the Moon, Steeleye Span sing about Brighid, the pagan goddess of the harvest. Nominator Alaricmc tells us: “As the Moon goddess she personified its various phases, and her attributes were enchantment, ripeness and wisdom. To the Irish she was the goddess of fertility, inspiration and healing. Around 520 A.D. supposedly lived St. Bridget of Kildare, who became a Christianised version of all the pagan Bridgets that went before her. In this song she represents the re-emerging goddess of the feminine principle in mankind; bringing harmony and healing to all our troubled relationships.”
But farming life is not an easy life. Jake Thackray tells us the story of Old Molly Metcalfe. He starts out by explaining that “In Swaledale, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, sheep-farmers used to, and some still do, count their sheep in a very curious fashion: instead of one, two, three, four they go thus: yan, tan, tether, mether, pip; azar, sazar, akker, conter, dick; yanadick, tanadick, tetheradick, metheradick, bumfit; yanabum, tanabum, tetherabum, metherabum, jigget. Having reached twenty they then take a stone, representing the twenty sheep that they have counted, and if they possess more than twenty sheep then they go for another twenty.” Thackray discovered that he had a Great Aunt Molly who started as a shepherdess at age seven. He tells the story of the life and death of Molly.
I debated with myself whether to include the song in the A-List or relegate it to the B-List. I wanted to keep the A List as upbeat as I could and the story of old Molly is so heartbreaking Thackray himself chokes up as he sings it. It is too powerful a song to ignore.
Nowadays, thank goodness, we are not as hamstrung by tradition as we used to be. Giorgio Moroder tells us how he bucked tradition, declining to be the Son of the Father.
From these domestic traditions we move now to some intriguing traditions from around the world. Some you will have heard of. Others you may not have. Most were new to me. I had heard of the first one – the bizarre annual ritual of chasing a cheese down a hill. The Maccabees ask “Can You Give It?". I’m not really sure what the question has to do with chasing a cheese, but the music video captures its nuttiness, or should I say cheesiness, in all its glory!
Then it's off to Germany for Oktoberfest. Die 3 Besoffskis sing a medley or Sauflieder (Potpourri) of drinking songs including the classic Ein Prosit.
From Germany it’s on to France to celebrate New Year’s Eve as the festival of Saint Sylvestre. The song is by Les Innocents.
From France we cross over two oceans to get to the Japanese island of Okinawa where Takashi Hirayasu & Bob Brozman sing about an unusual tradition. If someone turns 97 in Okinawa, the whole community celebrates the birthday on September 7th (9-7) with a ceremony that includes whirligigs or small pinwheels. The tradition goes back to a dispute between two gods. As one website notes: “To this day in Okinawa, when a person reaches the age of 60 it is called “Kanreki” the beginning of happy old age. At the age of “88” it’s called “Toukachi” to celebrate the maturity of old age. Then, at the age of “97” "Kajimaya" every one celebrates it as if they were newly born by carrying a handmade paper windmill in a parade thought the village.”
Takashi Hirayasu & Bob Brozman
And then we head to the main part of Japan where the Shinto religion has a rite of passage for children. Ajostu tells us “it is the tradition of ShichiGoSan, celebrated in mid-November, when families go to the temple to celebrate their children reaching certain birthday milestones.” SchichiGoSan means 7-5-3, the ages celebrated. Shikata Akiko sings a medley of four children’s songs—Tooryanse, Haturakoi, Zui Zui Zukorabashi, Kagome Kagome—in a beautiful a capella rendition.
And one final trip across the sea to Mexico where the Day of the Dead is an annual celebration. Lila Downs sings Son de Difuntos.
And we close out our set with three songs about Christmas. The first tells about the origin of a tradition of countries calling a temporary one-day truce at Christmas during wartime. Mike Harding tells us how this happened at Christmas 1914. A very moving story.
I am a non-religious person and a while back I wrote an essay called An Atheist Celebrates Christmas explaining why I love Christmas. Australian comedian and singer Tim Minchin reflects a lot of my thoughts about this holiday in his White Wine in the Sun. It’s not the religious significance that appeals, but the closeness of family. Like the Thackray and Harding songs, I found this one very emotional but for different reasons.
And we end on an old favourite that tells of a lot of Christmas traditions—The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole. That old chestnut you say! Damn straight. And they’re best when roasted on an open fire!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the Landlord and to all of the Song Bar’s patrons.
Established Ways A-List Playlist:
1. Tradition - Topol (BanazirGalbasi)
2. Harvest of the Moon - Steeleye Span (Alaricmc)
3. Old Molly Metcalfe - Jake Thackray (Alaricmc)
4. Son of My Father - Giorgio Moroder (Traktor Albatrost)
5. Can You Give It? - The Maccabees (Alaricmc)
6. Sauflieder (Potpourri) - Die 3 Besoffskis (Alaricmc)
7. Hana Nu Kajimaya - Takashi Hirayasu & Bob Brozman (Nicko)
8. Saint Sylvestre - Les Innocents (swawilg)
9. Medley: Tooryanse, Haturakoi, Zui Zui Zukorabashi, Kagome kagome - Shikata Akiko (ajostu)
10. Son de Difuntos - Lila Downs (Makinavaja)
11. Christmas 1914 - Mike Harding (Alaricmc)
12. White Wine in the Sun - Tim Minchin (Noodsy)
13. The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole (ajostu)
Big Beliefs B-List Playlist:
1. Sky Burial - Hen Ogledd (Uncleben)
2. Nostalgia for the Annual Festival - Samingad (Tarquinspodd)
3. Sky Burial - Dadawa (Tarquinspodd)
4. Macnas Parade - The Saw Doctors (Suzi)
5. Hallows Eve - Show of Hands (Suzi)
6. Two Fingers - Sea Power (DiscoMonster)
7. Remembrance Day - B Movie (megadom)
8. White Wedding Part 1 - Billy Idol (amylee)
9. Something Old, Something New - The Fantastics (severin)
10. We Sing Hallelujah - Richard & Linda Thompson (severin)
11. River - Joni Mitchell (sonofwebcore)
12. I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock and Roll - Nick Lowe (IsabelleForshaw)
13. Mari Lwyd - Carreg Lafar (Suzi)
14. You Will Burn - Steeleye Span (Alaricmc)
15. Norupo - Heilung (VikingChild)
16. San Jacinto - Peter Gabriel (VikingChild)
17. Storm Chips - Waylon Napadogan (tincanman)
18. Christmas in the Trenches - John McCutcheon (BanazirGalbasi)
19. Decoration Day Blues - Sonny Boy Williamson II (Nicko)
20. Bonfire Night - Chloe Adams (Alaricmc)
The Instrumental C-List Playlist:
1. Hill Climb - The Kickstands (megadom)
2. Manha da Carnaval - Stan Getz (swawilg)
3. Tradition - Stanley Clarke (BanazirGalbasi)
4. Tradition - Jon Simon (BanazirGalbasi)
5. Auld Lang Syne - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (Loud Atlas)
6. The Winter Solstice - Sufjan Stevens (megadom)
7. I'm Old-fashioned - John Coltrane (megadom)
8. Highland Games - Alex Khaskin (Alaricmc)
9. Communion - Swing Out Sister (Fred Erickson)
10. Tribal Dance - Peter Green (Fred Erickson)
Guru’s Wildcard Playlist:
1. The Mummers Song - Simani
2. Mele Kalikimaka - Bing Crosby
3. Christmas in Killarney - The Irish Rovers
4. Kung Fu Christmas - National Lampoon
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations from last week's topic: It's that time again: songs about tradition. The next topic will launch on Thursday at 1pm UK time.
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