# "Beef, it's what's for dinner" theme

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-its-whats-for-dinner-theme/380962>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 18, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-its-whats-for-dinner-theme/380962 "2006-11-18T17:45:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ragerdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d07c76/32.png) [@ragerdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ragerdude)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-its-whats-for-dinner-theme/380962/1 "2006-11-18T17:45:55Z")

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I thought it was Copland’s Rodeo, but someone told me it was a Brahms Hungarian Dance. I don’t have a quick way of comparing the three, so I’m wondering if someone knows the answer already. Which is it, and are you certain?

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**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-its-whats-for-dinner-theme/380962/2 "2006-11-18T17:47:18Z")

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You were right. We played the song in my high school orchestra, and everybody had fun with the “Beef! It’s what’s for dinner” thing.

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**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-its-whats-for-dinner-theme/380962/3 "2006-11-18T18:35:08Z")

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Yup. Starts at 38 seconds into clip 5 (Hoe-Down) on [this page.](http://www.amazon.com/Aaron-Copland-Billy-Kid-Rodeo/dp/B000002RO5)

Here are clips from the [Hungarian Dances,](http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Hungarian-Dances-Nos-1-21/dp/B0000013KA)but I don’t know which one your friend thinks it is.

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**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beef-its-whats-for-dinner-theme/380962/4 "2006-11-18T21:35:54Z")

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And Copland “borrowed” it note-for-note from “Bonaparte’s Retreat”, one of the tunes collected in the book “Our Singing Country”. You can hear the source recording here (click on “access this item” in the white area) [http://www.aca-dla.org/cdm4/item\_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/Berea&CISOPTR=1429&REC=3](http://www.aca-dla.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/Berea&CISOPTR=1429&REC=3)