# How to kill a great song (Bing Crosby destroying "Ol' Man River") **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 22, 2013, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618 "2013-03-22T07:28:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/21 "2013-03-27T17:55:11Z")
Here is the Paul Robeson version for comparison. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/eh9WayN7R-s/hqdefault.jpg "Paul Robeson - Ol' Man River (Showboat - 1936) J.Kern O. Hammerstein II") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh9WayN7R-s) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/22 "2013-03-27T18:04:10Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I wouldn’t call it carnival music. It took a broadway song which was inspired by spirituals and turned it into a old style light jazz song. And his backing band is pretty damn good. Yes, the band is good, but it sounds to me like the type of up-beat jazz you’d hear at Disneyland or something. If carnival music and jazz had a bastard child, this would be it. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/23 "2013-03-27T18:22:06Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > It’s hard to do worse than Joan Baez’ version of The Band’s The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Take Levon Helm’s vocals and drain all the soul and sincerity out and you’ve got Baez. That was the version I’d heard most often (I don’t think I’ve ever heard The Band’s version, must do so). Even when I heard it as a kid, it was always very weird to hear Joan singing that her name was Virgil Caine (a man’s name) and the line “back with my wife in Tennesee.” ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/24 "2013-03-27T18:58:24Z")
I’d say Bing wasn’t interested in exploring the mood and meaning of the song relative to the lyrics. Rather he wanted to work with the tune and adapt it to a different musical style. Free from any expectations based on previous renditions, it’s good for what it is. Odds are it’s the first time those musicians got to play it at that tempo, and it looked to me like they were having a ball jazzing it up like that. From the perspective of the feeling and ideas of the song in its original form, yeah it was murdered. From the perspective of playing around with the music to see where one could go with it, it was a vibrant transformation. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/25 "2013-03-27T19:55:41Z")
> [@Hermione](#): > > That was the version I’d heard most often (I don’t think I’ve ever heard The Band’s version, must do so). Wow, I can’t believe you haven’t heard it. [Here it is.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceRg_rxXQ_E) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/26 "2013-03-27T20:00:50Z")
When I was a kid my father had a record of the Christy Minstrels that featured an uptempo smilie “Jump Down/Turn Around/Pick a Bale of Cotton!” that was whiter than Donnie & Marie with SWpecial Guest Julie Andrews all singing Pat Boone’s Greatest Hits. I used to love to put it on just for the camp factor. YouTube has similar offerings. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/27 "2013-03-27T20:10:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yes, the band is good, but it sounds to me like the type of up-beat jazz you’d hear at Disneyland or something. If carnival music and jazz had a bastard child, this would be it. It’s very dated. Because its been out of style for 60 years. When that was filmed it was out of style. The Paul Robeson version sounds dated too, particularly the old style broadway chorus behind him. But his wonderful voice transcends that. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/28 "2013-03-27T20:19:31Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > It’s hard to do worse than Joan Baez’ version of The Band’s The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. Take Levon Helm’s vocals and drain all the soul and sincerity out and you’ve got Baez. She also fucked up the line about Stoneman’s cavalry. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/29 "2013-03-27T20:21:25Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > It’s very dated. Because its been out of style for 60 years. When that was filmed it was out of style. The Paul Robeson version sounds dated too, particularly the old style broadway chorus behind him. But his wonderful voice transcends that. It’s not a matter of being “dated.” The Robeson version sounds great to me. It’s a matter of it being appropriate for the song. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/30 "2013-03-27T21:02:37Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s not a matter of being “dated.” The Robeson version sounds great to me. It’s a matter of it being appropriate for the song. The play came out in 1927. Bing Crosby had a hit with an up tempo version in 1928 (singing with Paul Whiteman and his orchestra). The Robeson version was from 1936. Bing was first. I really don’t see a problem with him keeping a hit from the beginning of his career in his show. I too prefer the Robeson version (grew up in Robeson territory so I better) but see no problem with Bing. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/31 "2013-03-27T21:36:20Z")
A lousy interpretation couldn’t have been made in 1928? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/32 "2013-03-27T22:14:17Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > A lousy interpretation couldn’t have been made in 1928? Of course. But I wouldn’t consider it an inappropriate interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/33 "2013-03-27T22:58:22Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Bing understood the plight of black Americans under slavery better than almost anyone. He had even [been one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnzdFKz_X4Q). > > One of my favorite moments on _Newhart_ was of Stephanie (the spoiled rich white heiress played by Julia Duffy) singing Ol’ Man River. I wonder if it might have been inspired by this song. It’s [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL3VodwtG_s) around minute 19. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/34 "2013-03-27T23:05:05Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Of course. But I wouldn’t consider it an inappropriate interpretation. _shrug_ It just sounds wrong to me given the lyrical content. Maybe that opinion is heavily shaped by my exposure to the Robeson version and versions in that vein, but the up-tempo version just sounds ridiculous to my ears. YM obvious V. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/35 "2013-03-28T03:02:12Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Wow, I can’t believe you haven’t heard it. [Here it is.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceRg_rxXQ_E) Very nice, thank you! (Wish I could say the same for the YouTube comments. Honestly…) I think the reason I’d only heard the Baez version as a kid was that it was the only version played on the adult-contemporary station that my mother always listened to in the car. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2013, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618/36 "2013-03-28T04:39:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > If you want to se it really destroyed, [wait until the PC police get a hold of it.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLlTlYfqQV4) If you hadn’t posted that, I was going to. > [@kunilou](#): > > Bobby Darin, [“Artificial Flowers.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1U-vcuw38I) > > Child labor, swing version. Hey, Bobby Darin was cool. Besides, have you ever really listened to the lyrics to _Mack the Knife_? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-a-great-song-bing-crosby-destroying-ol-man-river/653618.md?page=1)