The Styrous® Viewfinder: Looney Tunes

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September 11, 2023

20,000 vinyl LPs 334: The Byrds ~ Turn! Turn! Turn, Oh, Susana

The Byrds ~ Turn! Turn! Turn!

vinyl LP front cover

cover photo by Guy Webster

cover design by Bob Cato

photo of album cover by Styrous®

September 11 is a day with many historical references, the most infamous being the disastrous incident in New York City, in 2001. But another event happened over a hundred and fifty years earlier in 1847. The Stephen Foster song, Oh! Susannah, was performed in public for the first time by a local quintet in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

I have always been intrigued by this song as a lot of the lyrics make no sense whatsoever! Samples: "It rain'd all night the day I left, The weather it was dry, The sun so hot I froze to death..." and so on. I remember as a kid thinking this was, "The cat's pajamas!" a phrase still in use at the time.

And the name, Susana, has always been a fascination for me. The rhythmic syllables, the bouncy feeling of the consonants and vowels dancing around each other and, of course, when pronouncing it in the Castilian/Catalan tounge, the sensuous pursing of the lips to produce the sound "Su" (link below). VERY erotic! From my childhood, the name has always had a middle-eastern sound to my ears; then in 2000 when I was on Cyprus, the distant call of the Iman electrified me to the core when I heard it clearly ringing out above the raucous cacophony of the busy city streets. This totally cemented it in my mind as a mysterious, sensual, powerful and wonderful name!

Anyway, I digress, back to the song itself! Foster was only 21 years old when he composed it in 1848. He later wrote, “the two fifty-dollar bills I received (for "Oh! Susanna") had the effect of starting me on my present vocation as a songwriter.” He wrote over two hundred songs, a lot of them dealing with the South although he only visited it once (link below). Oh! Susannah was a favorite of the ‘49ers during the California Gold Rush and others heading west during the mid-nineteenth century.

The first version of it I knew was featured in the film, The Jazz Singer, with Al Jolson singing in black face. In 1942, Looney Tunes had Elmer Fudd singing a totally wacked-out version of it for the war effort. Connie Francis covered it in 1961 on her Connie Sings Folksong Favorites album. The version The Byrds did in 1965 on their album, Turn! Turn! Turn!, is one of my all-time favorites. James Taylor did a really wonderful duet for guitar & vocal on his Sweet Baby James 1970 album (links below).

The cover design was by Bob Cato who also did a cover for Blood, Sweat & Tears, Simon & Garfunkel and the graphics for the sound track recording of the 1933 film, King Kong which starred Fay Wray.

The Byrds ~ Turn! Turn! Turn!

vinyl LP back cover

photo of album cover by Styrous®

In 1940 the United States Postal Service issued a 1¢ commemorative stamp in Foster's honor for the Famous American Composers series.

Stephen Foster 1¢ stamp - 1940
photo: Gwillhickers

There has been opposition to honors for him because of the racist aspect of the lyrics of his songs; but it was another era with different values.

Lyrics

I came from Alabama, ⁠ Wid my banjo on my knee, 

I'm gwyne to Louisiana,  ⁠My true love for to see;  

It rain'd all night the day I left,  ⁠The weather it was dry,

 The sun so hot I froze to death,  ⁠Susanna, don't you cry.

CHORUS.
⁠Oh! Susanna,  ⁠Oh don't you cry for me, ⁠

I've come from Alabama ⁠ Wid my banjo on my knee.

2
I jumped aboard de telegraph,  ⁠And trabbled down de riber,  

De lectric fluid magnified,  ⁠And killed five hundred nigger.  

De bullgine bust, de horse run off, ⁠ I realy thought I'd die; 

I shut my eyes to hold my breath,  ⁠Susanna, don't you cry. ⁠

Cho: Oh! Susanna &c.

3
I had a dream de odder night ⁠ When ebery ting was still, 

I thought I saw Susanna  ⁠A coming down de hill;  

The buck-wheat cake was in her mouth,  ⁠The tear was in her eye;

 Says I, "I'm coming from de south,  ⁠Susanna, don't you cry.

" ⁠Cho: Oh! Susanna &c.

4
I soon will be in New Orleans,  ⁠And den I'll look all round,  

And when I find Susanna, ⁠ I will fall upon de ground. 

And if I do not find her,  ⁠Dis darkie'l surely die,  

And when I'm dead and buried,  ⁠Susanna, don't you cry. ⁠

Cho: Oh! Susanna &c.

The Byrds ~ Turn! Turn! Turn!

vinyl LP side 1

photo by Styrous®

The Byrds ~ Turn! Turn! Turn!

vinyl LP side 2

photo by Styrous®

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season),Adapted By, Music By – Pete Seeger - 3:34
A2 - It Won't Be Wrong, written by Gerst* - 1:58
A3 - Set You Free This Time - 2:49
A4 - Lay Down Your Weary Tune - 3:30
A5 - He Was A Friend Of Mine - 2:30

Side 2:

B1 - The World Turns All Around Her - 2:12
B2 - Satisfied Mind, written by J. Rhodes*, R. Hayes* - 2:21
B3 - If You're Gone - 2:45
B4 - The Times They Are A-Changin' - 2:17
B5 - Wait And See, written by D. Crosby* - 2:19
B6 - Oh! Susannah, arranged by J. McGuinn* - 3:00

Companies, etc.

    Printed By – Modern Album, Terre Haute, Indiana
    Published By – Melody Trails, Inc.
    Published By – Tickson Music Co.
    Published By – M. Witmark & Sons
    Published By – Peer International Corp.

Credits:

    Art Direction [Uncredited] – Bob Cato, John Berg
    Bass – Chris Hillman
    Drums – Mike Clark*
    Guitar, Leader – Jim McGuinn
    Liner Notes – Derek Taylor (2)
    Photography By [Cover Photo] – Guy Webster
    Producer – Terry Melcher
    Rhythm Guitar – Dave Crosby*
    Tambourine – Gene Clark
    Written-By – B. Dylan* (tracks: A4, B4), G. Clark* (tracks: A3, B1, B3), J. McGuinn* (tracks: A2, B5)

Notes:

Columbia Two-Eye Red label, "360 Sound Stereo" in white text.
NONBREAKABLE printed on labels.
Columbia Masterworks on label rim.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (Label matrix, side A): XSM 112091
    Matrix / Runout (Label matrix, side B): XSM 112092
    Matrix / Runout (Runout, side A, etched): XSM 112091 1D
    Matrix / Runout (Runout, side B, etched): XSM 112092 1C
    Matrix / Runout (Runout var 1, side A, etched): XSM 112091 1A O C
    Matrix / Runout (Runout var 1, side B, etched): XSM 112091 1B D O
    Rights Society (Tracks A1 to A3, A5 to B3, B5 and B6): BMI
    Rights Society (Tracks A4 and B4): ASCAP
    Other (Rear jacket fabricator identification): 3

The Byrds – Turn! Turn! Turn!
Label: Columbia – CS 9254
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: Dec 6, 1965
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock

Viewfinder links:

Blood, Sweat & Tears

The Byrds

Bob Cato

King Kong & Fay Wray

Postal stamps

Simon & Garfunkel

Net links:

Digital Music News ~

The Original Lyrics to ‘Oh Susanna’ Are Brutally Racist

YouTube links:

2nd South Carolina String Band ~ Oh! Susanna

The Byrds ~ Oh, Susana

Connie Francis ~ Oh, Susana

Elmer Fudd - Oh, Susana

Al Jolson ~ Oh, Susana

PronounceNames.com ~ Susana

Stephen Foster ~ OH! SUSANNA - Original 1848 Lyrics

James Taylor ~ Oh, Susana

Styrous® ~ September, 11, 2023

20,000 Vinyl LPs Archive
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~

November 16, 2021

Carl W. Stalling & Walt Disney

Carl W. Stalling
date & photographer unknown

Carl W. Stalling was born a hundred and thirty years ago on November 10, 1891, in Lexington, Missouri. He is most closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts (links below) produced by Warner Bros., where he averaged one complete score each week, for 22 years.

Stalling met Walt Disney in the early twenties; In 1928, Disney was on a journey from California to New York City to record the sound and make the preview of Steamboat Willie, Disney's first released sound short. During the journey he stopped at Kansas City to hire Stalling to compose film scores for two other animated shorts. Stalling composed several early cartoon scores for Disney, including Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho in 1928 (but not Steamboat Willie, Disney's first released sound short). Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho were originally silent films and were the first two Mickey Mouse animated short films in production. Disney hired Stalling as his studio's first music director.

Animation historian Allan Neuwirth credits Stalling for basically inventing the process of creating a film score for cartoons. According to Strauss, the "wildly talented" Stalling was suitable as a film score composer for animated films. Stalling even voiced Mickey Mouse in The Karnival Kid in 1929.

Stalling encouraged Disney to create a new series of animated short films, in which the animation and its action would be created to match the music. This was still unusual at the time, since film music was played or composed to match the action of a film. Stalling's discussions with Disney on whether the animation or the musical score should come first led to Disney creating the Silly Symphonies series (links below) of animated short films. Stalling is credited with both the composition and the musical arrangement of The Skeleton Dance (1929), the first of the Silly Symphonies.

A great example of Stallings work is in The Haunted House (links below) in which Disney provided the voice of Mickey and Ub Iwerks was the primary animator.

The Haunted House

Carl Stalling & Ub Iwerks

These cartoons allowed Stalling to create a score that Disney handed to his animators. The Silly Symphonies was an innovative animated film series, in which pre-recorded film scores were making use of well-known classical works and the animation sequences were choreographed to match the music. Stalling helped Disney streamline and update the sound process used in creating early animated sound films, following the long and laborious synchronization process used in Steamboat Willie. The close synchronization of music and on-screen movement pioneered by the Disney short films became known as Mickey Mousing.

Stalling left Disney after two years, at the same time as animator Ub Iwerks. Stalling had completed the scoring of about 20 animated films for Disney. Stalling served as the music director of Iwerks' studio until the studio shut down in 1936. In 1936, when Leon Schlesinger, under contract to produce animated shorts for Warner Bros., hired Iwerks, Stalling went with him to become a full-time cartoon music composer. As music director Stalling became an integral member of the team producing two very successful animated series. The two animated series which Schlesinger produced for Warner Bros. were the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, both introduced in the early 1930s.

Stalling served as music director for Warner Bros. for 22 years and is credited for the film score of over 600 animated films. He remained with them until he retired in 1958.

Carl W. Stalling died in the Los Angeles area on November 29, 1972, nineteen days after his 81st birthday.

In 1995 Warner Bros. Records released a two volume compilation of music from the Warner Bros. cartoons from 1939 to 1957; more on that in a future article.