I was watching a movie from the '50s – probably a comedy or heavy on comic relief – and when the scene cut to a different location, the soundtrack played that cliché bit of music that you always recognize means we are about to see a bunch of Native Americans, most likely hostile.
I am not good with chords, but I think it is something minor – often, the first note is enough to recognize what you are going to hear. The sequence fundamentals, to my iffy ear, sound like F[sup]#[/sup] E F[sup]#[/sup] D D D.
Anyone know the origin of that?
(I used “Injun” in the title for clarity, sorry that I was unable to think of a less offensive phrasing.)
Do you mean this theme? (In the midst of possibly one of the most tasteless songs of the past several decades.) If so, I’m familiar with it, have no idea of the origin, and have no idea how to search it down.
Yes, that one. It seems to me like it turned up in a lot of movies in the ~'30s-'50s but basically went away by the '70s. It has to come from somewhere.
I remember in my piano lesson books, there was a piece called Yellowhand that was an extension of that theme.
Yellowhand, ride out and your tribe will follow yoooouuuuu…
Cross the prairies wide to join the Sioux…the Sioux…
Cheyenne and the Sioooouuuuxxxxx…"
Something like that anyway.
On the other hand, I have read that the whiny nasal musical theme used to represent Arabia was first heard at the 1893 Chicago’s World Fair, and was played for Little Egypt’s exotic dance which was scandalous for the day.
Steve Allen used to use this when he would interview people in the audience. He’d pick out an obvious candidate and ask “Where are you from?” The guy would reply “Egypt” or some other Middle Eastern country, and Steve would pinch his nose and go “Naa-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-naaaaah!”
The audience would erupt in laughter, and the poor mark would just stand there looking bewildered.
The earliest attestation I has found so far seems to be from a cartoon from the early '50s called Pow Wow the Indian Boy. They credit a Monty Kelly with composing the song, but I am not entirely sure whether he might have just attached lyrics to the tune.
This link concurs with the melody originating from the “Pow Wow the Indian Boy” song from the '50s cartoon Adventures of Pow Wow (and possibly where you read it).
Listen to the tune of the vocals. It fits pretty closely. The minor chord construction is obviously absent, since it is just one voice, but I suspect it might emerge naturally from the key.