Sometimes you come across a song that strikes you in a particular way. You immediately need to look it up and find other versions of it. It may in fact be nothing special at first, but you need to see where it leads to. Let's take The Wellerman as an example. It's a sea shanty that by itself I found rather mediocre. It quite absurdly relates the story of a whaling ship in its eternal struggle with an uncatchable whale. Very Moby Dick-esque. The rhythm of the sound, of course, is very characteristic for a sea-shanty, as it is supposed to aid in moving in unison (though it is also described as a ballad... oh well). But whether actual sailors on 19th century clipper ships used to sing this song while heaving away, is dubious at best.
Going Back All the Way ... to the 1960's
According to Wikipedia this song was first documented in 1966. Being a folk song, there is of course always some unnamed uncle mentioned, who had learned it from that old sailor with a peg-leg. Harrr! Interestingly, the name of the song, and the supply-ship in its lyrics, goes back to a New Zealand based whaling company that actually did exist in the 19th century. And yes, besides whales they dealt in all kinds of other commodities: Sugar and tea and rum, not to mention tattooed Maori heads! But they also went bankrupt a good century before the practice of whaling was discontinued.
Modern Interpretations
So, have I managed to talk down this song sufficiently for you to lose interest? Because as it turns out, The Wellerman has gained quite a bit of popularity recently. Could it be because a young Scottish lad happened to do pretty well with it on a social media site? I mean, it sure looks very polished. But I wanted to find some other covers that are more raw and meaty. There are numerous versions out there, some more impressive than others. Let's start with those others and build up from there:
Highland Saga
This group prides itself on Celtic music and Scottish heritage. On the stage they have everything assembled, from bagpipes to male and female vocals, even electric guitars, to take this sea-shanty to allegedly higher levels... only to fail miserably. And it's not even for the lack of trying. If anything, they try too hard. At least for me, it was a bit of a letdown. Not even the bagpipes did any justice to it. However, I saw the immense potential of this song. And by golly, there's bound to be an unknown band in a dusty pub somewhere in Manitoba (or some other less likely place) that actually delivers what Highland Saga promises. And who knows, with today's connectedness we may even find out. Just gotta keep digging for it...
Alina Gingertail
Moving on to a whole different game. This kinda thing has been getting pretty popular lately: tackling every aspect of the music, from the vocals to the percussions, to playing every single instrument, while combining it audio-visually. By wearing different outfits, it even appears that you are in fact in a band, with yourself. This lady (and her cat) managed to ignite the song that the multi-member, crossover Celtic group could not. I particularly like how she even made her eyes appear to have different colors. And that shark soft-toy is just hilarious. Oh, and her playing the accordion, flute, banjo, and mandolin, deserves respect!
Scott Bradlee
Okay, so are you ready to get your minds blown? Imagine the early 1900's, maybe in a saloon in the West that remains pretty Wild. The latest fad arriving from the cities back East is a thing they call Ragtime. It's a way to get the piano hopping, so much that your feet can't stand still either. By now no one remembers that this song may have had to do with oceangoing vessels. And why would they? Just listen to this crazy rhythm! I could, all day long...
ThreTuneTueday Challenge
This post is my entry to this week's #TTT challenge, created by @ablaze . Thank you very much! To see more of my music related posts, please visit my ongoing Monday Music collection.
