My Bonnie
My Bonnie (Lies Over the Ocean) is a public domain , traditional Scottish folk song first published in 1882 by Charles E. Pratt as Bring Back My Bonnie to Me . The piece became popular worldwide through the Beatles in 1961 and has become an evergreen .
History of origin
The origin of the song is uncertain; what is certain is that its title has undergone some transformations. It is believed in literature that it was sung for the first time from April 16, 1746 about Charles Edward Stuart (called "Bonnie Prince Charlie") after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden . Send Back My Barney to Me was written and published by Harry Clifton around 1860, but contains different text. In July 1872, the song was listed in the New Prize Medal Song Book as # 9. The song first appeared in print on January 15, 1881 in the 2nd edition of William H. Hills ' Students' Songs ( Cambridge / Massachusetts ) under the title My Bonnie (p. 9). The as yet unknown student song was first published by Pratt in 1882 under the pseudonym “J. T. Woods "and" H. J. Fulmer ”published in the Tin Pan Alley phase by the music publisher T. B. Harms & Co. under the title Bring Back My Bonnie to Me .
Lyrically it is about a woman who dreams of the death of her partner at sea ("read over the ocean") and misses him very much ("bring back my Bonnie to me"). The sea breezes she wanted (“the winds have blown over the ocean”) finally bring him back. 'Bonnie' means 'pretty' in Scottish and is usually a female, rarely a male first name.
First recordings
Alma Gluck - Bring Back My Bonnie to Me (1918)
Ella Logan - My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean (1938)
Ella Fitzgerald - My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean (1952)
The Beatles - My Bonnie (US single, 1964)
It took decades for the music industry to take up the popular song. The variety of titles on which the various arrangements were based is striking. The Haydn Quartet started as the first band with the title Bring Back My Bonnie to Me (recorded November 14, 1900; Victor A-123), followed by the Leake County Revelers with My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean (October 25, 1927; Columbia 15227-D). The soprano Alma Gluck chose Bring Back My Bonnie to Me (September 11, 1918; Victrola 64793), Ella Logan chose My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean (July 17, 1938; Brunswick 8196; ranked 8th in the US pop hit parade) The same title was taken over by the Mobile Strugglers the song (July 18, 1954; AmSkBa), Ella Fitzgerald under My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean (August 11, 1952; Decca 28375). Ray Charles brought My Bonnie as a B-side of You Be My Baby Out (Feb. 20, 1958; Atlantic in 1196, published in August 1958), Duane Eddy used in its instrumental version titled Bonnie Came Back (February 1960; GB-12) . This was followed by Bobby Darin (LP Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles ; November 7, 1961, released March 1962), Bing Crosby (June 21, 1962), JBO chose My Bonnie (September 1995). My Bonnie appeared as a song form in the movie of the same name, which premiered on September 15, 1925. Since the song has been in the public domain, every editor can give his name as the author.
Version of the Beatles
The Polydor - music producer Bert Kaempfert planned music recordings with Tony Sheridan and found a support group in Hamburg appearing Liverpool beat band The Beatles . The group had taken the Ray Charles version as a model and had already played My Bonnie several times at their appearances in Hamburg's Top Ten Club . They recorded the title on June 22, 1961 in Hamburg under the name Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers. The recordings were made in the occupation of Tony Sheridan (vocals / guitar), George Harrison (lead guitar), John Lennon (rhythm guitar), Paul McCartney (bass guitar) and Pete Best (drums). At My Bonnie , George Harrison played lead guitar, but Tony Sheridan did the intro and solo guitar . For the recording session as a support band for Sheridan, the Beatles received 300 marks (adjusted for purchasing power in today's currency: around 680 euros).
On October 23, 1961, the single My Bonnie (My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean) / The Saints (When the Saints Go Marching In) (Polydor 24 673) was released and reached number 5 in the German charts ; 100,000 singles were sold in Germany. In Great Britain the single came on the market on January 5, 1962 and could only place itself there at number 48 in the charts. The later Beatles manager Brian Epstein ordered 200 pieces for his Liverpool record store NEMS. In the USA, the record was only launched on January 27, 1964 during the British Invasion (MGM K 13213), and on February 8, 1964, it reached rank 26 and sold 300,000 copies there. In total, the single sold over a million times worldwide by 1964.
reception
My Bonnie first went through a change from student song to nursery rhyme to shanty before it was discovered by pop music . There it was used across different styles, from old-time music (forerunner of country music ; Leake County Revelers) to jazz versions (Ella Fitzgerald), rhythm and blues (Ray Charles) to rock 'n' roll (Beatles). Even DJ Ötzi couldn't avoid this evergreen (April 2001). There are at least 44 versions in total.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Deepti Menon, Arms And The Woman , 2002, p 260th
- ↑ James Hogg, The Forest Minstrel , 2006, p. 366.
- ^ Dan Worrall: Tom Maguire, A Forgotten Late Nineteenth Century Irish Vocalist, Comedian, Concertinist, and Songwriter . ( Memento of the original from May 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 833 kB) June 2, 2010, p. 10 f.
- ↑ Male & Female Names, Bonnie ( Memento of the original from January 28, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Scott Wheeler, Charlie Lennon: Uncle to a Beatle , 2005, pp. 174 ff.
- ^ A b Joseph Murrells: The Book of Golden Discs: The Records That Sold a Million . 2nd Edition. Limp Edition, London 1978, ISBN 0-214-20512-6 , pp. 139-140 .
