Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post is part of an ongoing series that showcases Rhythm & Blues songs which are sources of or whose lyrics are included in certain English language playground rhymes.
This post focuses on the 1954 song "Annie Had A Baby" by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, entertainment, recreational, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Hank Ballard & The Midnighters for their musical legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post, and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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Most of this post was originally published on pancocojams on October 3, 2012. That post included information/examples of "Pizza Pizza Daddy O". That information/examples is included-along with other videos- in this 2020 pancocojams post: https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2020/04/pizza-pizza-daddy-o-african-american.html.
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE "ANNIE HAD A BABY" RECORD
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Had_a_Baby:
""Annie Had a Baby" is a 1954 single by The Midnighters. The single was one of many answer songs to "Work With Me, Annie", a previous hit for The Midnighters. "Annie Had a Baby" was also a number one hit on the R&B chart. A credible inspiration for this song was when a Los Angeles DJ played "Work With Me, Annie" then joked about a follow-up record titled "Annie Had a Baby" which caused King Records to receive orders for the then non-existing single. So the song was composed, recorded and released to fill the orders."
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Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_With_Me,_Annie to find information about the song "Work With Me, Annie" which was recorded by The Midnighters. Also, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Ballard to find information about Rhythm & Blues artist Hank Ballard who composed that song and who led the group The Midnighters.
In addition, click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvzSlCH9AsM for a YouTube video of "Work With Me, Annie".
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Regarding the radio DJ coming up with the words "Annie Had A Baby", there is a Christmas song which I believe is of African American origin that is entitled "Mary Had A Baby". If that DJ knew about that song, it could have contributed to his witty suggestion that Hank Ballard and the Midnighters should record a song "Annie Had A Baby" after their hit record "Work With Me Annie".
Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsGvuRIxR4Efor a video of the religious song "Mary Had A Baby".
The irony is that a R&B song that was considered by many to be too suggestive to be played on the radio - a song which was recorded as an answer to another record that was routinely banned by radio stations because of its sexually suggestive lyrics - became the source of a socially acceptable children's playground rhyme. And that same rhyme, with adaptations here & there, has become so acceptable that some elementary public school music teachers include it as part of their classroom music curriculum.
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YOUTUBE EXAMPLES FOR "ANNIE HAD A BABY"
Example #1: Hank Ballard & Midnighters--Annie Had A Baby
Uploaded by nipsipone on Oct 2, 2011
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Here are some comments from this YouTube video's discussion thread:
1. jose jaurigue, 2013
"this song was banned from a lot of stations"
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2. MusicLover P, 2018
"That's Hank Ballard but not the original Midnighters"
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3. bftime1, 2019
"Ballard was elected to the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame without the Midnighters. Why?"
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Example #2: 1954 Midnighters (Hank Ballard) - Annie Had A Baby (#1 R&B hit)
the45prof, Jul 1, 2019
Baby (#1 hit)
Billboard R&B Chart Peaks: 1 (sales) & 3 (juke box)
The original single was issued on Federal 12195 - Annie Had A Baby (Glover-Mann) by The Midnighters
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LYRICS: ANNIE HAD A BABY
(Hank Ballard)
Annie had a baby, can't work no more
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Annie had a baby, can't work no more
Every time she start to working
She has to stop to walk the baby 'cross the floor
She had to walk with the baby
Instead of me
Talk to the baby
Instead of me
Sing to the baby
Instead of me
Cling to the baby
Instead of me
Now I know I know Annie understood
That's what's happens when the game gets good
[chorus]
Source: http://www.elyrics.net/read/h/hank-ballard-&-the-midnighters-lyrics/annie-had-a-baby-lyrics.html
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