"Beer Barrel Polka", originally in Czech "Škoda lásky", also known as "The Barrel Polka", "Roll Out the Barrel", or "Rosamunde", is a 1927 polka composed by Czech musician Jaromír Vejvoda. Lyrics were added in 1934, subsequently gaining worldwide popularity during World War II as a drinking song.[1]
| "Škoda lásky" | |
|---|---|
 Memorial plaque of the author with the song's name in Czech, German and English | |
| Song | |
| Language | Czech |
| English title | "Beer Barrel Polka" |
| Written | 1927 (music), 1934 (lyrics) |
| Composer(s) | Jaromír Vejvoda (from "Modřanská polka") |
| Lyricist(s) | Vašek Zeman |
History
editIn 1927, the music for the polka was composed by the Czech musician Jaromír Vejvoda.[2][3]: 131 Eduard Ingriš wrote the first arrangement of the piece, after Vejvoda came up with the melody and sought Ingriš's help in refining it. At that time, it was played without lyrics as "Modřanská polka" (English: "Polka of Modřany").[4]
In 1934, the first text for the polka was written by Vašek Zeman – with the title "Škoda lásky"(English: "Unrequited Love"[a])[3]: 131 [5] Around that same time, Shapiro Bernstein acquired the rights to the song and English lyrics were written by Lew Brown and Wladimir Timm. Zeman's original Czech lyrics framed the polka as a love song, whereas Brown and Timm's English version framed it as a song celebrating the repeal of Prohibition in the United States. At first the English version of the song was relatively unknown and unpopular, but it gained a great deal of popularity after The Andrews Sisters recorded it in 1939.[3]: 131–33 . Subsequently, many other artists released versions, including the Glenn Miller Orchestra; Benny Goodman; Bobby Vinton;[6]: 330 Billie Holiday; John Serry Sr (RCA Thesaurus, 1954)[7] and Joe Patek, who sold over a million copies of his album "Beer Barrel Polka".[5][8]
The polka soon became famous around the world. In 1939 Will Glahé recorded an instrumental version that was a big hit in the United States, being ranked #3 by the radio program Your Hit Parade in June of that year.[3]: 132 .[9]: 1662 The June 17, 1939 edition of Billboard magazine noted that "Beer Barrel Polka" was the 12th most popular song by radio plays on New York City radio stations WJZ, WEAF and WABC. Daniel Richman wrote "There's hardly a [jukebox] machine from Maine to California that still isn't inviting patrons to roll out the barrel, and from all indications it will probably be another couple of weeks before the 'roll out' can be changed to 'throw out.'"[10]: 13, 76
During World War II, versions in many other languages were created and the song was popular among soldiers, regardless of their allegiances.[1][11] Italian writer Primo Levi wrote that when he was deported to Auschwitz, the camp's orchestra was playing Rosamunda, the German version of "Beer Barrel Polka," as he arrived.[12] According to TIME magazine, when the first Australian contingent of troops arrived in England, they were singing the polka.[13] On VE Day — May 8 or 9, 1945 — Humphrey Lyttelton played it standing on a handcart outside Buckingham Palace, a performance that could be heard in the BBC broadcast from the victory celebrations.[14][15]
It was claimed many times that the song was written in the country where it had just become a hit. TIME wrote that "Germans insisted it was an old Bavarian drinking song. Americans and British thought it was one of their own. Anyhow, they all sang it."[11] Its actual composer was not widely known until after the war.[4]
Names in other languages
edit- Basque: Gora ta gora beti
- Catalan: La polca de la cervesa
- Chinese: 啤酒桶波尔卡/啤酒桶波爾卡
- Croatian: Rozamunda
- Czech: Škoda lásky
- Danish: Hvor er min Kone
- Dutch: Rosamunde (also Rats, kuch en bonen)
- Finnish: Tonttujen joulupolkka, Böömiläinen polkka
- French: Frida oum Papa
- Greek: Ροζαμούντα
- German: Rosamunde
- Hungarian: Sej-haj Rozi
- Italian: Rosamunda
- Japanese: ビヤ樽ポルカ, ビア樽ポルカ
- Latvian: Rozamunde
- Norwegian: Hvor er min kone
- Polish: Banda or My młodzi, my młodzi, nam bimber nie zaszkodzi... or Szkoda miłości
- Portuguese: Barril de chope
- Russian: Розамунда
- Spanish: Polka del Barril, el Barrilito, Polca de la Cerveza or Barrilito de Cerveza
- Swedish: Ut i naturen
- Ukrainian: Не вернуться роки мої молоді
Covers and homages
editMusic
edit- Bobby Vinton recorded "Beer Barrel Polka" in 1975. The song was released as the follow-up single to his multi-million selling "My Melody of Love" and reached number 33 on the Billboard, number 45 on the Cashbox Top 40 hit charts and number 51 in Australia.[6]: 330 The success of the single, which was particularly popular on jukeboxes, led to its inclusion on Vinton's Heart of Hearts album in 1975.
- The song became a signature song of well-known entertainer Liberace,[16][17] and he played it on an episode of his eponymous television show.[18]
- Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra made their own composition of "Beer Barrel Polka".[19]
- The song is a standard for the accordion rock band Those Darn Accordions,[20] who released a studio version in 1992 on their album Vongole Fisarmonica.[21]
- John Serry Sr. arranged and recorded the polka for accordion and ensemble for RCA Thesaurus (1954).[22]
- The theme was interpreted in Spanish over the years by various artists such as Manolita Arriola[23] from Mexico, Elsa Valladares from Cuba, Gildardo Montoya and El Grupo Venezuela, Los Hermanos Corrales from Colombia,[24] the group "Los Mismos" from Spain, Anteojito from Argentina, among others.
Sports
edit- Since the 1970s, it has been played during the seventh inning stretch at Milwaukee Brewers baseball games,[25] as well as becoming one of the state of Wisconsin's unofficial state songs as it is also played at numerous University of Wisconsin sporting events, as well as Green Bay Packers home games.[26][27]
- The 2016 Premiership winning Australian National Rugby League club Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks' theme song, Up Up Cronulla, uses the tune of Beer Barrel Polka.[citation needed]
- At San Jose Giants home games, a batter from the opposing team is designated the "beer batter." If the San Jose pitcher strikes out that batter, beer is half price in the beer only lines for the 15 minutes immediately following the strike out.[28] The PA system plays "Beer Barrel Polka" whenever the beer batter comes to the plate and after every strike during the beer batter's at-bat.[29]
- Pro wrestler Crusher Lisowski used the song as his entrance music,[30][page needed] and would often growl out a few bars of it during interviews.[31]
- The German football club Bayern München use the tune of "Rosamunde" for their song FC Bayern, lala lalala lala.[32]
Plays and movies
edit- Chico Marx of the Marx Brothers plays a variation of this song in the 1939 movie At the Circus and later reprised it in 1946’s A Night in Casablanca.[33]: 148
- An instrumental version is featured in the 1941 film Meet John Doe.[33]: 145
- In the 1967 film Late August at the Hotel Ozone a 78 rpm record of the polka is the last surviving piece of music.
- In Carl Davis's 1990 score for 1916 epic silent drama Intolerance, Davis incorporates the Beer Barrel Polka at the "Strike" scene at 17:33,[34][35] despite the scene taking place in 1916, a decade before the song was written.
Television
edit- It was sung in the final scene of the Rumpole of the Bailey television episode, "Rumpole and the Alternative Society" (1977).[36]
- In M*A*S*H season 10 episode 2 ("That's Show Biz, Part 2"), Eleanor Carlyle plays the song on piano at officers' club in after she says that "Even Dvorak and Brahms wrote folk dances" to Major Winchester.[37]
- In the Frasier episode, "Where Every Bloke Knows Your Name," Frasier Crane and his new friends sing "Roll Out the Barrel" in a British-style pub as a frustrated, and bewildered Daphne Moon looks on.[38]
References
edit- ^ a b Koten, Marek (2022-07-19). "The Czech Folk Song Known All Around the World". 3 Seas Europe. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "'Roll Out the Barrel' composer Jaromír Vejvoda". Radio Prague International. 2014-04-13. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ a b c d Greene, Victor R. (1992). A Passion for Polka: Old-Time Ethnic Music in America. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520075849. OCLC 25246359.
- ^ a b "Roll out the Barrell — the Beer Barrel Polka". Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra. 2012. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ a b Vallier, Nolan (2021-03-16). "Beer Barrel Polka". Singing the Temperance Blues.
- ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Eastman School of Music - University of Rochester - Sibley Music Library: John J. Serry Sr. Collection "John Serry Sextette" Audio recording for RCA Thesaurus of arrangements and performances by John Serry at the RCA Victor Studios in 1954 p. 18-19 The John J. Serry Sr. Collection archived at the University of Rochester
- ^ "Patek, Joseph | The Handbook of Texas Online". Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2 (1st ed.). Guinness World Records Limited.
- ^ Richman, Daniel (1939-06-17). "Songs With Most Radio Plugs / Record Buying Guide" (PDF). Billboard – via World Radio History.
- ^ a b "Music: Peripatetic Polka". TIME. 1945-09-17. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Shawver, Kristina (2020-06-12). "Polish Composers And Music At Auschwitz". Archived from the original on 2020-08-12. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Western Theatre: Solidarity". TIME. 1940-01-08. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Gardiner, Juliet (2005). Wartime: Britain 1939-1945. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 9780755310289.
- ^ "Humphrey Lyttelton: Obituary". The Independent. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
- ^ Austin, Keith (2010-10-15). "Curtain falls on the Liberace show". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Varga, George (2014-12-18). "Liberace hologram show is Las Vegas-bound". San Diego Tribune. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Liberace Girl (2017-05-28). Liberace's TV-Show: Liberace plays the "Beer Barrel Polka" (1950s). Retrieved 2024-06-10 – via Youtube.
- ^ Fagan, Matt (2023-08-03). "This 18-time Grammy winner will perform in Clifton and Passaic for free". northjersey.com. USA Today. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
His songs include 'Beer Barrel Polka' [...] and many more
- ^ Lane, Marilyn (2023-08-08). "The Cotati Accordion Festival and Those Darn Accordions: A mutual history". Sonoma County Gazette. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Vongole Fisarmonica". Those Darn Accordions. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Sibley Music Library (Spring 2023). "John J. Serry, Sr., Collection" (PDF). Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Véliz, Lupe (2014-12-28). "Voces mexicanas triunfan en la Habana entre 1938 y 1958" [Mexican Voices Triumph in Havana between 1938 and 1958]. Inter Press Service en Cuba (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ "Listado de Obras Pendientes for Identificar (PI) - Tercer Trimestre 2022" [List of Pending Works to Identify (PI) - Third Quarter 2022] (PDF). Society of Authors and Composers of Colombia (in Spanish).
- ^ Pentis, Andrew (2012-08-17). "Stadium Songs: Milwaukee Brewers". ESPN. The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Meinert, Kendra (2019-12-06). "Rolling out the barrel at Lambeau is a Packers polka tradition with a history of famous faces". Green Bay Press Gazette. USA Today.
- ^ Meinert, Kendra (2014-12-06). "How Lambeau comes alive on Packers game day". Green Bay Press Gazette. USA Today.
- ^ Jackson, Josh (2021-11-30). "Visit San Jose's Excite Ballpark". Major League Baseball (MLB). Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Paul (2009-07-06). "Municipal Stadium, San Jose, California". Paul's Ballparks. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
- ^ Solomon, Brian (2000). Pro Wrestling FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the World's Most Entertaining Spectacle. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781617136283.
- ^ Carlson, Brady (2019-06-10). "A Statue Of Da Crusher: South Milwaukee, WI". Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ "Lieder" [Songs]. Südkurve München (in German).
- ^ a b Thirouin, Marie-Odile (2021). "Škoda lásky ou le fabuleux destin d'une petite polka tchèque" [Škoda lásky or the fabulous destiny of a little Czech polka]. Faire l'Europe par la culture / Europäisierung durch Kultur (in French): 129–172.
- ^ "Intolerance | Kanopy". www.kanopy.com. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
- ^ Carl Davis / The Luxemburg Radio Symphony Orchestra – Intolerance (Original Film Score) (1990, CD), retrieved 2021-10-06
- ^ "Rumpole and the Alternate Society". Rumpole of the Bailey. Episode 2. 2022-10-10 [1977]. PBS. KSPS. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
- ^ Pollock, David; Davis, Elias; Koenig, Dennis (1981-10-26). "That's Show Biz, Part 2". M*A*S*H. Season 10. Episode 2. Relevant scene from 11:10-11:32. CBS.
- ^ Hanning, Rob (1998-01-06). "Where Every Bloke Knows Your Name". Frasier. Season 5. Episode 10. Relevant scene from 8:48-9:40. CBS.
Notes
edit- ^ The Czech title has been translated into English in slightly different ways by various sources, but all capture the same basic meaning. For example, Greene (1992) says "Unrequited Love", Vallier (2021) says "Wasted Love," and Larkin (1992) says "Lost Love"
External links
edit- "MP3 file audio : part 1". Ingeb.org. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- "MP3 file audio : part 2". Ingeb.org. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- "MP3 file audio : part 3". Ingeb.org. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- Vlasta Krsek performs the song on The Tonight Show in 1985
