I'm so glad I heard this when it was first sung and then in just a few years music was transformed, still with the same quality of singing and playing. The Beatles and soon after L.S.D. were the catalysts, turning folk music electric and fusing it with rock and roll. It happened so quickly, it was breathtakingly exciting.
This song is surprisingly ominous for 1961 television. But then again, I’ve seen some twisted stuff in 1950s movies that I didn’t believe was socially acceptable in those days. On a related note, though I’ve heard multiple versions of this song-all of them haunting-none of them reach the level Curt Cobain did when he sang his live version. 30 years have passed since then and it still gives me chills.
I wouldn't say that because the 2 versions are too different. Leadbellay is very a blues roots version while the Journeymen version is more totally in a crafted folk option with beautiful vocal harmonies. You have also a 3rd option with the folk-hard-unplugged Nirvana's version. Kurt Cubain doesn't hide his "grief" while it is more like and inner pain inside in the other versions...
Hauntingly gorgeous.. I wonder why, in the Unplugged Nirvana version, they changed the words to, "My girl, my girl," rather than this original "Black girl, black girl"?
Leadbelly recorded several versions. The original was "Black Girl" because it was released as a "race record" marketed to blacks. Later when he was getting mainstream notice, he re-recorded it as "My Girl." The version that Cobain was familiar with was off of the "Leadbellys Last Sessions" box set where it was recorded as "In The Pines" with the "my girl, my girl" lyrics.
@@lowtunesinc.2926 This song was written shortly after the Civil War. It was picked up in the folk movement NOT because of racist connotations--just the opposite. It's talking about the INJUSTICE experienced by the "black girl" in the song. Wish folks knew their history more and stopped viewing everything from the vantage of Black Lives Matter/MeToo/MGTOW. SMDH.
BLM looks for anything they can possibly skew towards their warped way of thinking to create racial divide. While the people they are supposed to be helping are out in the chaos they create, they are busy shopping for million dollar homes in predominantly white neighborhoods. Makes sense to me! LOL
@@Julie-ev5js It is not necessarily talking about the injustice experienced by the Black girl of the song. And we really do not know if the song is of Black or white origin, although the latter is often assumed because of its prevalence in country and bluegrass music. What we do know is that in the Appalachian mountains, there was considerable interaction between African-Americans who escaped from slavery, Native Americans, and whites, which led to some "tribes" of mixed race people including the Lumbee, Haliwa and Melungeon people. Also, we think that "In The Pines" was an early song tradition that somehow got merged with another called "The Longest Train," so it is really hard to determine exactly what the resulting "merged" song is about, if it is about anything specific. The opening refrain, "Black girl, Black girl, don't you lie to me," is accusatory. The husband or boyfriend is accusing his girl of cheating on him; she responds that she was "In the Pines, in the Pines, where the sun never shines," but she does not say why she was there, or even what "the Pines" truly symoblize, Death? Illicit sex/prostitution? Hell? We might believe she went there because her husband (or someone she loved) was killed there by a train, or perhaps murdered, except that the latter incident probably came from the other song, "The Longest Train." And while it is often assumed that the husband/boyfriend was killed by a train, the line "his body was never found," seems to rule that out, suggesting that he was murdered rather than merely being killed accidentally. Only recently have some scholars suggested that perhaps he was lynched, and that possibly as a Black railroad worker he was killed by resentful white employees or perhaps strikers. But all of that is conjecture, and it generally ignores the fact that two songs were meshed together by various anonymous singers over many years. Of course we can imagine the horror of a Black girl looking for her husband who didn't come home from work and finding his head (with the body missing) in a driving wheel on the train tracks "in the pines." But that hardly explains why she would be spending the whole night out there, or plan on going back.
This is a traditional song of the XIXth century about railroad men, slavery etc. The first recording of this song is by Doc Walsh "In the Pines" in 1925: ruclips.net/video/REJFzgfpD7E/видео.html
It's NOT a racist song. It was written shortly after the Civil War, and it refers to the INJUSTICE experienced by blacks at that time. I swear, so many people DO NOT know history and have no context other than this crap time in history.
caleb prodtoins: NOBODY knows who wrote this song. It is traditional. You don’t know if it was a black person or a white person or a male or female. The song goes as far back as the 1870s. Led Belly did an interpretation.
John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, And Dick Weissman. The Journeymen This Was Real Folk Music ! 🎵
John Phillips - One of the most important guys in folk / rock music. A true legend !!
The guy had an incestuous relationship with his own daughter
great folk tune....beautiful harmony and feeling.
I'm so glad I heard this when it was first sung and then in just a few years music was transformed, still with the same quality of singing and playing. The Beatles and soon after L.S.D. were the catalysts, turning folk music electric and fusing it with rock and roll. It happened so quickly, it was breathtakingly exciting.
Young Scott McKenzie :) Great band.
Another one of at least 50 versions of this song written in the mid 1800's...well done.
See also the versions done by Leadbelly and Curt Cobain
*Kurt 🥰
I dont know how I feel about this song, it's sad and sombre but the melody is quite beautiful.
Never heard this before. Such a beautiful melody…
Holy shit this is the song Nirvana covered!! Mind blown x
Leadbelly
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
This is a treasure.
This song is surprisingly ominous for 1961 television. But then again, I’ve seen some twisted stuff in 1950s movies that I didn’t believe was socially acceptable in those days.
On a related note, though I’ve heard multiple versions of this song-all of them haunting-none of them reach the level Curt Cobain did when he sang his live version. 30 years have passed since then and it still gives me chills.
Clean cut hair styles & suit & tie
I'm still waiting for that style to come back.
Great Video ! Have a good week
Gene Clark did a great version of this but it was called In The Pines
I wouldn't say that because the 2 versions are too different. Leadbellay is very a blues roots version while the Journeymen version is more totally in a crafted folk option with beautiful vocal harmonies. You have also a 3rd option with the folk-hard-unplugged Nirvana's version. Kurt Cubain doesn't hide his "grief" while it is more like and inner pain inside in the other versions...
Some transformation 5-6 years later!
Hauntingly gorgeous.. I wonder why, in the Unplugged Nirvana version, they changed the words to, "My girl, my girl," rather than this original "Black girl, black girl"?
+Julie Swahn Probably afraid of racist connotations.
Leadbelly recorded several versions. The original was "Black Girl" because it was released as a "race record" marketed to blacks. Later when he was getting mainstream notice, he re-recorded it as "My Girl." The version that Cobain was familiar with was off of the "Leadbellys Last Sessions" box set where it was recorded as "In The Pines" with the "my girl, my girl" lyrics.
@@lowtunesinc.2926 This song was written shortly after the Civil War. It was picked up in the folk movement NOT because of racist connotations--just the opposite. It's talking about the INJUSTICE experienced by the "black girl" in the song. Wish folks knew their history more and stopped viewing everything from the vantage of Black Lives Matter/MeToo/MGTOW. SMDH.
BLM looks for anything they can possibly skew towards their warped way of thinking to create racial divide. While the people they are supposed to be helping are out in the chaos they create, they are busy shopping for million dollar homes in predominantly white neighborhoods. Makes sense to me! LOL
@@Julie-ev5js It is not necessarily talking about the injustice experienced by the Black girl of the song. And we really do not know if the song is of Black or white origin, although the latter is often assumed because of its prevalence in country and bluegrass music. What we do know is that in the Appalachian mountains, there was considerable interaction between African-Americans who escaped from slavery, Native Americans, and whites, which led to some "tribes" of mixed race people including the Lumbee, Haliwa and Melungeon people. Also, we think that "In The Pines" was an early song tradition that somehow got merged with another called "The Longest Train," so it is really hard to determine exactly what the resulting "merged" song is about, if it is about anything specific. The opening refrain, "Black girl, Black girl, don't you lie to me," is accusatory. The husband or boyfriend is accusing his girl of cheating on him; she responds that she was "In the Pines, in the Pines, where the sun never shines," but she does not say why she was there, or even what "the Pines" truly symoblize, Death? Illicit sex/prostitution? Hell? We might believe she went there because her husband (or someone she loved) was killed there by a train, or perhaps murdered, except that the latter incident probably came from the other song, "The Longest Train." And while it is often assumed that the husband/boyfriend was killed by a train, the line "his body was never found," seems to rule that out, suggesting that he was murdered rather than merely being killed accidentally. Only recently have some scholars suggested that perhaps he was lynched, and that possibly as a Black railroad worker he was killed by resentful white employees or perhaps strikers. But all of that is conjecture, and it generally ignores the fact that two songs were meshed together by various anonymous singers over many years. Of course we can imagine the horror of a Black girl looking for her husband who didn't come home from work and finding his head (with the body missing) in a driving wheel on the train tracks "in the pines." But that hardly explains why she would be spending the whole night out there, or plan on going back.
Eterno Scott e John
@@Julie-ev5js what do you mean by that?
Sounds like will ferrell's a capella group on the "other guys" "and it was con-sen-sual "
Omg 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Vary interesting
black wasn't a racial term back then. it meant a girl with dark hair or mysterious.
John looks much older here than he would a few years later with Mamas & Papas.
Let me ask something if his body has never been found than how do u know he died a mile and a half from here?
This is a traditional song of the XIXth century about railroad men, slavery etc.
The first recording of this song is by Doc Walsh "In the Pines" in 1925:
ruclips.net/video/REJFzgfpD7E/видео.html
But his head was found
There were witnesses to the murder, or blood found at the scene.
Your copyright disclaimer doesn't cover this, hombre. Look it up.
@bonmot7850 Pay the dead.
🙄🤔🤨😕😖😎👊🏾
is this what kurt cobain covered?
Yes, this is like a work song covered many times. I also like the Nirvana Unplugged version.
Amazing!!!
Sounds like a racist minstrel band back in the days of yore. LOL
Why would you say that? This is the famous Leadbelly song in the pines that was later redone by Nirvana
they sing very well. but the song a bit racist.
The guy who wrote it is black and what difference does it make everybody's racist
It's NOT a racist song. It was written shortly after the Civil War, and it refers to the INJUSTICE experienced by blacks at that time. I swear, so many people DO NOT know history and have no context other than this crap time in history.
You is stupid.
caleb prodtoins: NOBODY knows who wrote this song. It is traditional. You don’t know if it was a black person or a white person or a male or female.
The song goes as far back as the 1870s.
Led Belly did an interpretation.
I knew this whine about racism was going to come along. "Ain! It's racism!"