Swanee River ( #AtoZChallenge & #BOTB Results )

       Happy Earth Day!  It's a good day to celebrate rivers which are the circulatory system of our planet.  Sing a river song if you know one.  Or just read on to hear about some river songs or some rivers with other musical connections.  There is music in the rivers...

Songs, Songs, Songs  (BOTB Results)

        Since we're on the subject of songs let's start right off with the winner of my most recent Battle of the Bands.  The song picks were the similarly named "(Floating) Down by the River" by the group Beast from 1969 and "Down by the River" a 2014 release from German group Milky Chance.

         As for my preference I like both of these songs a great deal.  Either one fits my musical tastes, but the song by Beast definitely is the song and performance I like best.  Back in the early 70s after my friend Vernon Clouse picked up the Beast album on 8 track cartridge we listened many many times as we drove around the mountains (often along rivers).  My friend Marvin Lowe was able to find the LP version in a cut-out bin and he tells me that the album remains a favorite to this day.  I would agree with that assessment.  So many wonderful memories of younger days!

       It was a close race and my vote for Beast puts the contest at a tie!

Final Vote Tally

Beast                    6 votes

Milky Chance      6 votes

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More Songs, More Rivers

Jefferson County, West Virginia, State Route 9 bridge crossing the Shenandoah River.

                                                                   (Raymond Whitacre)

           A popular song by Stephen Foster is "Old Folks at Home" or more commonly called "Swanee River".   You probably at least know of the song if not able to sing most or all of it.  The song was a huge hit in its day (1850s) and remains the state song of Florida (with lyrics revised for modern sensibilities).  When the song first came to him Foster was stumped about which two syllable southern river name to use.  His brother first suggested the Yazoo or the Pee Dee but neither of those sounded right to Stephen.  Then, looking at a map, they found the Suwanee River in Florida. The spelling was changed for the song to reflect the way the name sounds when spoken.  Go ahead and say "Suwanee" three times quickly and you'll see what I mean.

           Over the years many other songs have used the Swanee River name in them.  It's a name with a lyrical sound that evokes memories of old times even though maybe those old times were a bit glamorized for music audiences.  Because of the songs this river has gained fame as a U.S. river even though most people probably couldn't even tell you where it is or point it out on a map.  When I was a kid living in San Diego far from the Florida river and having no idea where the river was, I used to often play "Old Folks at Home" on my harmonica or violin.  Undoubtedly you have heard this song or other Swanee songs many times in your own life since they have become so ingrained in popular culture.

           Another river that has been an inspiration for many songs is the Shenandoah River of Virginia and West Virginia.  The most widely known song is the beautiful "Oh, Shenadoah" which is an authentic American folk song with exact origins unknown.  This song has been recorded by numerous artists over the years.  There are many other lesser known songs that refer to the Shenandoah River or region. Even a popular country music group has called itself Shenandoah.  The Shenandoah River and the river valley area are stunningly beautiful places that are deserving of the music they have inspired.

           Across the continent in the wild west of  Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington one can find the Snake River which travels for over 1000 miles through some wild scenic territory.   There are a number of songs that mention the Snake River and some of those refer specifically to the crazy rocket cycle jump that daredevil Evel Knievel attempted over a deep portion of the river canyon.  He survived the stunt though he wasn't totally successful either.  The event became the stuff of  legend so that it inspired mention in a number of songs.

          There are probably at least a few songs that celebrate San Antonio River in the Texas city of the same name. In any event, if you are strolling the famed Riverwalk of San Antonio or riding on one of the boats that are available to visitors you will hear a lot of music playing in the many restaurants, bars, or other establishments situated along this renown river trail in the heart of downtown San Antonio.  This is a must see destination for anyone visiting the Texas city and well worth a leisurely stroll.  

           In the early 20th century composer Percy Grainger wrote a musical piece called "Spoon River" inspired by the popular poetry work Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters.   The much beloved collection of poetry takes place in the fictional town of Spoon River sitting along the real waterway of Spoon River which runs 147 miles through west central Illinois. It's a river I've crossed over a number of times as I've toured the country.

         Near Havre de Grace Maryland traveling down I-95 crossing the  Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge  over the Susquehanna River which passes through New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland I always marvel at the grand sight of this wide point in the river and the large bridge that crosses it.  It's a rather breathtaking view that I never tire seeing.  With such scenic beauty and a musical sounding name it would be no surprise to find some songs that mention this river.  I can't think of any extremely well known songs that mention the Susquehanna, but be assured that there are some.  Saying "Susquehanna" kind of sounds nice to me. The name is like a song in itself.

       Another river near where I live is San Gabriel River in California.  Like the other Los Angeles rivers near where I live much of it is lined with concrete and flood control devices.  Seemingly it wouldn't be much to inspire many artistic souls and yet looking on Google I find a few songs that refer to the San Gabriel River.  In fact there is even an EP called San Gabriel by the duo Joseph Bradshaw & Natalie Nicoles with songs about the San Gabriel River.  I guess I'll start looking at this river from a different perspective whenever I cross it.  And I cross this one a lot these days..

         Is there a river near where you live that you've never appreciated much?   What is your favorite river song?    Which river would you like to hear celebrated in song?