So. It’s Christmas -almost - and of course you hear all the songs.
My question is WHY are there added echoes to the song Rudolph the red nosed reigndeer? Where did they come from? Why is that the only song (except for jingle bells’ -now that I think of it - added “ha ha ha”)
Do any of the other songs have echoes?
Thanks and merry Christmas.
Moved to Cafe Society.
There was a time, iirc from the mid-50s to the mid-60s, when lots of echo chamber was very popular in songs. “Who put the Bomp” by Barry Mann or “Downtown” by Petula Clark for examples.
Hmm? I don’t think I know those?
I’m talking about the added 'reindeer ’ 'like a light bulb ’ 'like George Washington ’ among others, in the song.
The phenomenon the OP is referring to is a variant of Call & Response.
I first encountered it in a New Orleans-area public high school, circa 1985. I subsequently introduced my older siblings and ~5y.o. nephew to the responses during a shopping trip that winter and quickly got them doing the responses with me.
I encountered it in elementary school presentations around 1980-82.
It irritates the crap out of me, and I go out of my way to thank music directors when they have a chorus sing it without the damned ‘echoes.’
On the other hand, I join in loudly and enthusiastically when the song comes on the radio during the five-week 24/7 Christmas music festival that I love…
I hadn’t heard it until an early Simpson’s episode, around 1990 or so. It was on Rudolph of course.
“Mony, Mony” as covered by Billy Idol Mony Mony - Wikipedia does
May not be spot on, but “A Certain Girl” as covered by Warren Zevon has a similar call and response pattern.
Hank Williams Jr.'s Family Tradition we always called it the “add-ins”
Or the “Alice? Who the fuck is Alice?” that people add to Smokie’s “Living Next Door to Alice.”
No reference in Wikipedia, but I remember the bar crowds in Long Beach, LI singing “So good, so good, so good!” in call/response fashion to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” in the late 80s-early 90s.
I recalled caroling once and some people insisting on doing the echos… so then I would add my own in later to songs where they didn;t fit… just at the end.
“Sleeeep in heavenly peeeeeace… LIKE A LIGHTBULB!”