“Whiskey in the Jar”: History and Transformation of a Classic Irish Song Masters Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of
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“Whiskey in the Jar”: History and Transformation of a Classic Irish Song Masters Thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Dana DeVlieger, B.A., M.A. Graduate Program in Music The Ohio State University 2016 Thesis Committee: Graeme M. Boone, Advisor Johanna Devaney Anna Gawboy Copyright by Dana Lauren DeVlieger 2016 Abstract “Whiskey in the Jar” is a traditional Irish song that is performed by musicians from many different musical genres. However, because there are influential recordings of the song performed in different styles, from folk to punk to metal, one begins to wonder what the role of the song’s Irish heritage is and whether or not it retains a sense of Irish identity in different iterations. The current project examines a corpus of 398 recordings of “Whiskey in the Jar” by artists from all over the world. By analyzing acoustic markers of Irishness, for example an Irish accent, as well as markers of other musical traditions, this study aims explores the different ways that the song has been performed and discusses the possible presence of an “Irish feel” on recordings that do not sound overtly Irish. ii Dedication Dedicated to my grandfather, Edward Blake, for instilling in our family a love of Irish music and a pride in our heritage iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank my advisor, Graeme Boone, for showing great and enthusiasm for this project and for offering advice and support throughout the process. I would also like to thank Johanna Devaney and Anna Gawboy for their valuable insight and ideas for future directions and ways to improve. I am very grateful to my talented colleagues, Lindsay Warrenburg and Caitlyn Trevor for the proofreading and helpful editing suggestions. Finally, I would like to thank The Ohio State University for making this project possible. iv Vita May 2008………………………………………………………..Conestoga High School May 2012.................................………....................B.A. Music Performance and Psychology, University of Notre Dame June 2013…………………………………..…..M.A. Humanities, University of Chicago August 2014 to present………………... Graduate Teaching Associate, School of Music, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Music Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization: College Teaching v Table of Contents Abstract………………………………………………………………………………..ii Dedication……………………………………………………………………………..iii Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………………..iv Vita…………………………………………………………………………………….v List of Figures………………………………………………………………………...vii Chapter 1: Introduction………………………………………………………………...1 Chapter 2: Methodology and Background…………………………………………….17 Chapter 3: Traditional Performances………………………………………………….31 Chapter 4: Rock Performances………………………………………………………..43 Chapter 5: Results…………………………………………………………………….52 Chapter 6: Unusual Performances…………………………………………………….85 Chapter 7: Conclusion……………………………………………………………….103 References…………………………………………………………………………...107 Discography…………………………………………………………………………119 vi List of Figures Figure 1. P.W. Joyce’s transcription of “There’s Whiskey in the Jar”…………………..22 Figure 2. Colm O’Lochlainn’s transcription of “There’s Whiskey in the Jar”………….23 Figure 3. James N. Healy’s transcription of “Whiskey in the Jar”……………………...25 Figure 4. Sam Henry’s transcription of “Whiskey in the Jar…………………………....26 Figure 5. Helen Hartness Flanders’ transcription of “Lovel, the Robber”……………..27 Figure 6. Oliver Ditson Co.’s transcription of “Whiskey in the Jug”…………………..28 Figure 7. James F. Leisy’s transcription of “Whiskey in the Jar”……………………….29 Figure 8. Alam Lomax et al.’s transcription of “Whiskey in the Jar”…………………...30 Figure 9. Transcription of The Dubliners’ “Whiskey in the Jar”………………………37 Figure 10. Transcription of The Pogues’ “Whiskey in the Jar”………………………...41 Figure 11. Transcription of Thin Lizzy’s “Whiskey in the Jar”………………………...46 Figure 12. Transcription of guitar riff from Thin Lizzy’s “Whiskey in the Jar”………...47 Figure 13. Recordings by year…………………………………………………………52 Figure 14. Recordings by country……………………………………………………...53 Figure 15. Lyric groupings…………………………………………………………….55 Figure 16. Traditional lyrics by year…………………………………………………....56 Figure 17. Traditional lyrics by country………………………………………………..57 Figure 18. Rock lyrics by year…………………………………………………………58 vii Figure 19. Rock lyrics by country……………………………………………………...58 Figure 20. Folk lyrics by year……………..…………………………………………....60 Figure 21. Folk lyrics by country………..……………………………………………..60 Figure 22. Hybrid lyrics by year………..………………………………………………62 Figure 23. Hybrid lyrics by country…...……………………………………………….62 Figure 24. Lyrics over time…………..………………………………………………...63 Figure 25. Traditional accents………..………………………………………………..64 Figure 26. Traditional singing styles…………………………………………………...65 Figure 27. Traditional instruments…………………………………………………….68 Figure 28. Rock accents……………………………………………………………….70 Figure 29. Rock singing styles…………………………………………………………70 Figure 30. Rock instruments…………………………………………………………..72 Figure 31. Folk accents………………………………………………………………..73 Figure 32. Folk singing styles………………………………………………………….74 Figure 33. Folk instruments…………………………………………………………...75 Figure 34. Hybrid singing styles……………………………………………………….76 Figure 35. Hybrid instruments………………………………………………………...77 Figure 36. Miscellaneous singing styles………………………………………………..78 Figure 37. Miscellaneous instruments…………………………………………………79 Figure 38. Instrumental recordings by year……………………………………………80 Figure 39. Instrumental recordings by country………………………………………...80 Figure 40. Instrumental instruments…………………………………………………..82 Figure 41. Total instruments…………………………………………………………..83 viii Figure 42. Transcription of Ewan MacColl’s “Whiskey in the Jar”…………………….85 Figure 43. Transcription of Tom Kines’ “Whiskey in the Jar”………………………....86 Figure 44. Transcription of Mark T. Conard’s “Whiskey in the Jar”…………………...87 Figure 45. Transcription of Brendan Moriarty’s “Whiskey in the Jar”…………………88 ix Chapter 1: Introduction “Whiskey in the Jar” is a popular Irish song about a highwayman who is betrayed by the woman he loves. Versions of this song have been found all over Ireland, as well as in several other countries, appearing under different titles and with different lyric and melodic alterations. While the ubiquity, variety, and popularity associated with this song apply to many other Irish folk songs, “Whiskey in the Jar” is unusual because it is performed by bands and musicians from several different musical genres. In fact, the most popular version of the song on iTunes is by Metallica, which is not a band known for singing Irish folk songs. “Whiskey in the Jar”’s multi-genre appeal can be traced back to Thin Lizzy’s recording of the song, released as a single in 1972.1 While The Dubliners helped to popularize “Whiskey” in 1968, Thin Lizzy’s was the first major performance of it as a rock song instead of a folk song, and it became their breakout hit.2 This recording enabled the song to reach a new audience by appealing to rock fans outside of Ireland, as well as a younger generation within Ireland. Today, performances of the song often engage with multiple influences, including the Irish folk and pop music traditions, the folk punk/rock movement, and rock and heavy metal. The goal of this paper is to explore the different ways that “Whiskey in the Jar” has been performed and to determine if the Irish identity of the song remains relevant to all performances. This 1 Annie Zaleski, “The long and winding road of “Whiskey in the Jar,” Irish music’s most beloved song,” A.V. Club, March 17, 2015, 2 Noel McLaughlin and Martin McLoone, Rock and Popular Music in Ireland: Before and After U2 (Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 2012), 95. 1 paper does not seek to provide a systematic analysis of the melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic features found on diverse recordings. Instead, by investigating the markers of different lines of musical traditions in performances of “Whiskey in the Jar,” I will discuss how the inclusion of different musical features identifies each recording with specific musical communities. The remainder of this chapter will review previous corpus studies in the music theory, musicology, and music psychology literature that have investigated multiple performances of a single song. It will also discuss literature pertaining to “covers” of popular songs. In Chapter 2, I will outline the methodology for the current corpus study and provide a brief musical history of “Whiskey in the Jar.” Chapters 3 and 4 situate two of the more prominent lines of influence, recordings of “Whiskey” by The Dubliners and Thin Lizzy, respectively, in their historical context and discuss these performances in depth. The results of the broader corpus study are addressed in Chapter 5, and Chapter 6 provides more detailed analysis and discussion of several unusual performances of the song. Finally, Chapter 7 discusses the results of this study in terms different musical communities, evaluating the influences of each of these on contemporary performances of “Whiskey in the Jar.” Previous Research The idea of focusing a project on multiple recordings of a single song is well- anchored in music scholarship. Several papers have examined multiple performances of a single song in the folk, blues, or rock tradition that was transmitted either orally or through recordings. For example, in the final chapter of The Melodic Tradition of Ireland, James R. Cowdery looks at several transcribed performances of the traditional 2 instrumental