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Thread: Adapting material for children

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    Oliphaunt Rube E. Tewesday's avatar
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    Default Adapting material for children

    I'd originally thought of making this a rant, but on retrospect, I think there's something to be discussed.

    Last night I was searching on iTunes for versions of "Goodnight, Irene". That's got to be one of the greatest songs of all time. According to legend, Leadbelly could reduce hardened cons in Angola prison to tears when he sang it.

    It's about a crazy mofo who's thinking of killing himself for the love of a woman he can't stay faithful to for a week. It's straight out nuts, if you pay attention to the lyrics (with some versions of the lyrics being nuttier than others).

    So, I was surprised to find a couple of versions on children's albums.

    I gave a test listen to one of them:

    "Sometimes I live in the country, sometimes I live in the town,
    Sometimes I takes a great notion, to jump in the river and drown"

    had become something like,

    "Sometimes I live in the country, sometimes I live in the town,
    Sometimes I take a great notion to dance all around."

    OK, I've got no problem with changing the words to "Goodnight, Irene". Folk singers are always changing the words to "Goodnight, Irene". Leadbelly changed the words to "Goodnight Irene".

    But it seems to me that making it "kid friendly" is different. If you don't want kids hearing about crazy mofos wanting to off themselves, keep them from the song. Or, why not just let them hear the real song, and be prepared to discuss whether drowning yourself is a good way to deal with life's little problems? Why mess around with the emotions of the song?

    Anybody have any thoughts on this?
    Last edited by Rube E. Tewesday; 07 Feb 2012 at 03:40 PM.

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    Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo What Exit?'s avatar
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    But Pete Seeger has been singer Goodnight Irene for at least 60 years. I would think his version is probably the best known.

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    The Queen Zuul's avatar
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    Yeah, that does seem to be a rather odd choice for a song to make kid-friendly. It'd be on par with making Stagger Lee for kids. When the work in question is based on concepts that aren't appropriate for kids, then what's the point?

    I'd liken this to the recent decision to change the illustrations in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Except in that case the creepy content in the story is still there (like a scarecrow skinning a farmer and then putting his skin sack on the roof to dry) and only the pictures changed.
    So now they are just dirt-covered English people in fur pelts with credit cards.

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    Quote Originally posted by Zuul View post
    I'd liken this to the recent decision to change the illustrations in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Except in that case the creepy content in the story is still there (like a scarecrow skinning a farmer and then putting his skin sack on the roof to dry) and only the pictures changed.
    I was a weenie kid who was afraid to sleep in the same room as those books, but changing the illustrations is a travesty.

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    Oliphaunt Rube E. Tewesday's avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by What Exit? View post
    But Pete Seeger has been singer Goodnight Irene for at least 60 years. I would think his version is probably the best known.
    Does his version have "dance around" for "jump in the river and drown?"

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    A Groupie Marsilia's avatar
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    One of those "Kids sing the hits" groups did a cover of Lady Gaga's Born This Way. While references to cholas and being made in the Orient were still there as far as I can remember, they removed all references to "the gays" that Gaga had declared the song to be specifically for. Glee did the same thing in the episode where they covered the song.
    So, I'll whisper in the dark, hoping you'll hear me.

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    The Queen Zuul's avatar
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    Glee also removed the word "transsexual" from the song "Sweet Transvestite", didn't they?

    Because having teachers grind up on each other, people dancing around in their underwear and singing about transvestites isn't anything compared to...::whispers:: ...transsexuals!
    So now they are just dirt-covered English people in fur pelts with credit cards.

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    Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo What Exit?'s avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday View post
    Quote Originally posted by What Exit? View post
    But Pete Seeger has been singer Goodnight Irene for at least 60 years. I would think his version is probably the best known.
    Does his version have "dance around" for "jump in the river and drown?"
    This is what I found online, I don't have an ear for lyrics, so I am not sure what I heard in concerts. I've heard him sing it maybe 4-6 times, not sure.


    Irene goodnight,
    Irene goodnight.
    Goodnight, Irene, goodnight, Irene,
    I'll see you in my dreams.

    Sometimes I live in the country,
    Sometimes I live in town.
    Sometimes I take a great notion
    To jump into the river and drown.

    I asked your mother for you,
    She told me you was too young.
    I wish to God I'd never seen your face,
    I'm sorry you ever was born.

    You caused me to weep, you caused me to mourn,
    You caused me to leave my home.
    But the very last words I heard her say,
    Was please sing me one more song.

    In 1950, one year after Leadbelly's death, the American folk band The Weavers recorded a version of "Goodnight, Irene". The single first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on June 30, 1950 and lasted 25 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1. Although generally faithful, the Weavers chose to omit some of Leadbelly's more controversial lyrics, leading Time magazine to label it a "dehydrated" and "prettied up" version of the original.[3] Due to the recording's popularity, however, The Weavers' lyrics are the ones generally used today. The Weavers' enormous success inspired many other artists to release their own versions of the song, many of which were themselves commercially successful.

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    Oliphaunt Rube E. Tewesday's avatar
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    Right, Jim, even in the Weavers' sanitized version the song is obviously about a suicidal nut. Making it a dance around song for kids seems wrong to me. It wouldn't even bother me if there were a children's song with different words to the same traditional tune, but calling a song about dancing around "Goodnight, Irene" does bother me.

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    Oliphaunt The Original An Gadaí's avatar
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    The version I'm familiar with has a reference to taking morphine.

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    A Groupie Marsilia's avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by Zuul View post
    Glee also removed the word "transsexual" from the song "Sweet Transvestite", didn't they
    Yes! I'd forgotten! "Sensational Transylvania"? What? And, the song was sang by a chick.
    So, I'll whisper in the dark, hoping you'll hear me.

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    The Queen Zuul's avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by Marsilia View post
    Quote Originally posted by Zuul View post
    Glee also removed the word "transsexual" from the song "Sweet Transvestite", didn't they
    Yes! I'd forgotten! "Sensational Transylvania"? What? And, the song was sang by a chick.
    At which point, I imagine they only left the word "transvestite" in there because they couldn't figure out what to replace it with.
    So now they are just dirt-covered English people in fur pelts with credit cards.

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    A Groupie Marsilia's avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by Zuul View post
    Quote Originally posted by Marsilia View post
    Quote Originally posted by Zuul View post
    Glee also removed the word "transsexual" from the song "Sweet Transvestite", didn't they
    Yes! I'd forgotten! "Sensational Transylvania"? What? And, the song was sang by a chick.
    At which point, I imagine they only left the word "transvestite" in there because they couldn't figure out what to replace it with.
    That, and it's the title of the song. :snerks: Maybe, they could have called it "Sweet Hot Momma"?
    So, I'll whisper in the dark, hoping you'll hear me.

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    The Queen Zuul's avatar
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    And maybe she could have held up a candy bar to assure everyone about what kind of "candy man" Riff Raff was hoping for?
    So now they are just dirt-covered English people in fur pelts with credit cards.

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    Quote Originally posted by Zuul View post
    And maybe she could have held up a candy bar to assure everyone about what kind of "candy man" Riff Raff was hoping for?
    Speaking of "Candy Man," that's a song that they didn't edit any more than Xtina. So, panty dropping guys with a "real big ahhh" are more appropriate for family hour than someone pretending to be a transexual.
    So, I'll whisper in the dark, hoping you'll hear me.

  16. #16
    Oliphaunt The Original An Gadaí's avatar
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    Have the cast of Glee covered every song in existence yet? Shore feels like it.

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    Oliphaunt Rube E. Tewesday's avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by The Original An Gadaí View post
    The version I'm familiar with has a reference to taking morphine.
    I think those versions are the best, but it's often dropped. Every aimed-at-adults version I know of, though, has the "jump in the river and drown" line.

    It's a funny thing that happens with a lot of popular songs, "Born in the USA" being the most famous example. If you do a bouncy version of a song, everybody thinks it's cheerful, no matter what the lyrics are.

    And since that's the case with adults, there seems even less reason to censor the lyrics for kids. (Of course, I understand the singer and the record company don't want stress when parents hear their kids sing about drowning, but I still say don't record it if you're so longer really singing the song.)

  18. #18
    Oliphaunt The Original An Gadaí's avatar
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    Yet they expose their kids to filth such as this:

    Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetops,
    When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,
    When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
    And down will come baby, cradle and all.
    And don't get me started on Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

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    Quote Originally posted by The Original An Gadaí View post
    Have the cast of Glee covered every song in existence yet? Shore feels like it.
    Really? They actually haven't covered many of the artists I listen to....
    So, I'll whisper in the dark, hoping you'll hear me.

  20. #20
    Oliphaunt The Original An Gadaí's avatar
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    Oh I dunno. I don't watch Glee. It's just any time a lot of songs are mentioned online it seems the Glee version isn't far behind.

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