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"Oh My Darling, Clementine" is an American western folk ballad in trochaic meter usually credited to Percy Montrose (1884), although it is sometimes credited to Barker Bradford. The song is believed to have been based on another song called "Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden" by H. S. Thompson (1863). It is commonly performed in the key of F Major. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

Synopsis

Multiple variations of the song exist, but all center around Clementine, the daughter of a "miner forty-niner" and the singer's lover. One day while performing routine chores, Clementine trips and falls into a raging torrent of brine and drowns, as her lover is unable to swim and unwilling to attempt to rescue her. In Montrose's version, the song ends somewhat farcically by noting he will not go so far as necrophilia: "Though in life I used to hug her, now she's dead—I'll draw the line."

History and origins

The lyrics were written by Percy Montrose in 1884, based on an earlier song called "Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden". The origin of the melody is unknown. In his book South from Granada, Gerald Brenan claims that the melody was from an old Spanish ballad, made popular by Mexican miners during the California Gold Rush. It was best known from Romance del Conde Olinos o Niño, a sad love story very popular in Spanish-speaking cultures. It was also given various English translations. No particular source is cited to verify that the song he used to hear in the 1920s in a remote Spanish village was not an old text with new music, but Brenan states in his preface that all the information in his book has been checked reasonably well.

It is unclear when, where and by whom the song was first recorded in English, but the first version to reach the Billboard charts was that by Bing Crosby recorded on June 14, 1941, which briefly reached the No. 20 spot. It was given an updated and up-tempo treatment in an arrangement by Hal Hopper and John Scott Trotter. The re-written lyrics include a reference to Gene Autry ("could he sue me, Clementine?") amongst the five swinging verses.

Notable versions

There have been numerous versions of the song recorded over the years.

Bobby Darin version

Bobby Darin recorded a version of the song, credited to Woody Harris, in which Clementine is reimagined as a 299-pound beast of a woman. After she falls into the water, Darin implies that Clementine has transformed into a whale and calls out to those on the high seas to watch for her in a rhythm and style reminiscent of Darin's rendition of "Mack the Knife:" "Hey you sailor, way out in your whaler, a-with your harpoon and your trusty line, if she shows now, yell... there she blows now It just may be chunky Clementine".

Jan and Dean version

Jan and Dean had a hit with "Clementine", charting as high as 65 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was released on the Dore label (SP DORE 539 (US)) in November, 1959; "You're on My Mind" was the B Side.

Tom Lehrer version

Tom Lehrer recorded a set of variations on the song on his live album An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer, demonstrating his theory that "folk songs are so atrocious because they were written by the people." He plays the first verse in the style of Cole Porter, the second in the style of "Mozart or one of that crowd", the third in a disjointed jazz sound in the style of Thelonious Monk, and the final verse in the style of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Other versions

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Oh My Darling, Clementine" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

• Television host Jack Narz recorded the song for his 1959 album Sing the Folk Hits With Jack Narz.
• In 2004, the song was recorded by Westlife on their Allow Us to Be Frank.
• The song is referenced in the lyrics of two separate songs by Elliott Smith. The first, "Clementine", from his 1995 self-titled album. The second, "Sweet Adeline", appears three years later on XO.
• Megan Washington recorded "Clementine" in 2010. The song references some of the lyrics from the original.
• In 2012, Neil Young and Crazy Horse recorded a minor-key hard-rock version of "Clementine" on their album Americana.

In popular culture

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Film

• The song plays during the opening credits for John Ford's 1946 movie My Darling Clementine, with Henry Fonda. It also runs as a background score all through the movie.
• In the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, there are two references to the song (specifically its use by Huckleberry Hound): one at the beginning and one at the end, both regarding Clementine (Kate Winslet)'s name. Joel (Jim Carrey) mentions the song to Clementine when they introduce themselves, and Clementine sings the chorus to Joel on a train to Montauk.

Television

• In 1992, Peter Brooke, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, sang "Darlin' Clementine" on The Late Late Show on Republic of Ireland television. Just hours earlier, eight people (seven of them civilians) had been killed in the Teebane bombing. Brooke was forced to resign shortly after.
• In the 2001 Columbo episode "Murder With Too Many Notes", Lieutenant Columbo, played by Peter Falk, sings the first verse of the song along with Billy Connolly's character Findlay Crawford. Columbo also sings it in the 1978 episode "Make Me A Perfect Murder.
• An mangled rendition of "Darling Clementine" is animated coonhound Huckleberry Hound's signature tune, sung most every episode.

Use of melody

• The melody is used in "Xīnnián Hǎo" (新年好), a Chinese New Year song.
• The melody is used in "Dip The Apple In The Honey", a Jewish new years song.
• The melody was applied to "Erika", a German marching song (however, the original version used by the military did not use this melody).
• The chorus to Cher Lloyd's 2011 single Swagger Jagger was seen as heavily borrowed from the melody of "Oh My Darling Clementine"

Other

• In the 1945 novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, the pig Old Major explains his dream of an animal-controlled society. The song's tune is described in the novel as sounding like a combination of "La Cucaracha" and "Oh My Darling, Clementine".
• The 1994 NASA Clementine mission to test sensors and spacecraft components and make scientific observations of the Moon was named after the song.

References

1. Western Writers of America (2010). "The Top 100 Western Songs". American Cowboy. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014.
2. Brenan, Gerald (1957). South from Granada. Cambridge: Penguin. p. 119. ISBN 9780141189321. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
3. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
4. Reynolds, Fred. The Crosby Collection 1926–1977 (Part Two 1935–1941 ed.). John Joyce. pp. 209–210.
5. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Soundtracks". Retrieved 1 September 2018.
6. https://extra.ie/2019/01/06/entertainment/movies-tv/are-these-top-20-most-memorable-moments-from-rtes-late-late-show
7. http://www.indymedia.ie/article/69009
8. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/1992-in-the-north-85-people-killed-in-the-troubles-1.3340596
9. "Columbo: An analysis of "Make Me a Perfect Murder" part 1 – Biohazard Films". Radioactive-studios.com. 2015-06-13. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
10. Sonny (March 26, 2019). "So What's the Deal with Huckleberry Hound and Clementine?". Omigods. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
11. "Chinese new year in Nagoya". Retrieved 8 February 2018.
12. "ROSH HASHANAH FOR KIDS: DIP THE APPLE IN THE HONEY".
13. "When a former Nazi meets a Holocaust survivor". Jewish Journal.
14. "Cher Lloyd's Swagger Jagger sample of Percy Montrose's Oh My Darling Clementine". whosampled.com. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
15. Hauss, Charles (2005). Comparative Politics: Domestic Responses to Global Challenges: Domestic Responses To Global Challenges. Cengage Learning. ISBN 9780534590536.

External links

• MIDI sound file
• Short radio episode "Clementine" from California Legacy Project.
• The free score on www.traditional-songs.com

• 19th-century songs
• American folk songs
• California Gold Rush
• English children's songs
• Jan and Dean songs
• Traditional children's songs
• Vaudeville songs
• Western music (North America)
• Westlife songs
• Year of song unknown