Edited by Azizi Powell
This psncocojams post is Part II focuses on "Sally Brown" Ska and Blues songs. Part II of this series showcases videos of & lyrics for songs about "Sally Brown" from the Ska, and Blues genres.
Part I focuses on "Sally Brown" sea shanties. Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/04/sally-brown-sally-sue-brown-sea-shanty.html for Part I. "Sally Brown" shanties are also given as "Shallow Brown" ("Shiloh" and "Challo").
Thanks to the known and unknown composers of "Sally Brown" songs. Thanks also to the singers, musicians, and the video producers, and video uploaders.
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PART II - SALLY BROWN & SALLY SUE BROWN
OVERVIEW OF SKA MUSIC
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ska:
"Ska... is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the upbeat. In the early 1960s, ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica and was popular with British mods. Later it became popular with many skinheads."
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LYRICS [Ska]
SALLY BROWN
(Laurel Aitken)
She boogie, she boogie down the alley
Make me tell you about Sally Brown,
Sally Brown (x2)
Sally Brown is a girl in town
She don't mess around
Make me tell you about Sally Brown,
Sally Brown (x2)
Sally Brown is a girl in town (x2)
She don't mess around
Sally Brown is a slick chick
If you mess around with Sally
She hits you with ah coocoomaka stick
Ah coocoomaka stick
Ah coocoomaka stick (x4)
Hits you with ah coocoomaka stick
Ah coocoomaka stick
Coocoomaka stick (x4)
Hits you with ah coocoomaka stick
Make me tell you about Sally Brown,
Sally Brown (x2)
Make me tell you about Sally brown
sally brown is a girl in town
you don't mess around
Sally Brown is slick chick
If you mess around with Sally
She hits you with ah coocoomaka stick
Coocoomaka stick (x4)
Hits you with ah coocoomaka stick
Ah coocoomaka stick
Coocoomaka stick (x4)
Hits you with ah coocoomaka stick
Sally Brown, wickedest chick in town
Sally Brown (x2)
Sally, Sally, Sally
She boogie down the alley (x2)
What a Sally Brown (x2)
Make me tell you about Sally Brown,
Sally Brown (x2)
Sally Brown is ah girl in town
She don't mess around
Sally Brown is a slick chick
If you mess around with Sally,
She hits you with ah coocoomaka stick
Oh, and she hits you with ah boogie stick
Coocoomaka stick (x4)
Hits you with ah coocoomaka stick
Coocoomaka stick (x4)
Hits you with ah coocoomaka stick
Sally Brown
What ah gal in town
Sally Brown
Make me tell you about Sally Brown,
Sally Brown (x2)
Sally Brown is ah girl in town
She don't mess around
She don't mess around,
This chick is not ah boogie-yaga chick
Coocoomaka stick (x4)
Hits you with ah coocoomaka stick
Coocoomaka stick (x4)
Hits you with ah coocoomaka stick
She boogie, she boogie down the alley
What ah Sally Brown (x2)
Make me tell you about Sally Brown,
Sally Brown (x2)
Sally Brown is ah girl in town
Coocoomaka stick (x4)
Hits you with a coocoomaka stick
- Source: http://www.lyricsmania.com/sally_brown_lyrics_laurel_aitken.html with my revisions largely based on viewer comments from http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=SZk0HgG-TUU.
Corrections or additions are appreciated.
Editorial comments:
"She boogie down the alley" = "She dances down the alley (or street).
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"Make me tell you" = "Let me tell you"
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mess with = bother, make her angry
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Here's the meaning of coocoomaka stick from http://www.youtube.com/all_comments?v=SZk0HgG-TUU:
"it is a club with prickles on it. did you watch the passion of the christ? use your imagination as to what it is. makka is the Jamaican (patois) word for prickle."
-ninjaguy3, 2010
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chick = female
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boogie stick = stick used to make music (to dance (boogie to), such as a dulcimer?, or a walking stick?
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"This chick is not ah boogie-yaga chick" = She's not a girl to be played with (treated unfairly, treated ligthly, provoked, messed with.)
-snip-
With the exception of any racial references, the characterization of "Sally Brown" in the Ska song "Sally Brown" by Laurel Aitken is true to the traditional characterization of that woman in the 19th century Jamaican shanties with that title. [See Part I of this series for text examples.]
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"SALLY BROWN" [Ska Video]
Laurel Aitken - Sally Brown
Uploaded by OneSoundUk on Nov 10, 2010
"The godfather of ska performing despite illness in 2005 - taken from the dvd 'Laurel Aitken live at Club Ska 2005' - a fitting tribute to a proper legend"
-snip-
Instead of "she's a slick chick", in this version of that song, that line is "she's a sexy chick".
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Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_Aitken for information about Laurel Aitken.
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BLUES SONG "SALLY SUE BROWN"
The Blues song "Sally Sue Brown" is another contemporary descendant of the 19th century shanty character "Sally Brown". "Sally Sue Brown" is composed by African American June [Junior] Alexander (Arthur Alexander) and recorded by him in 1960.
An Overview of Blues music
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blues:
"Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads. The blues form, ubiquitous in jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll is characterized by specific chord progressions, of which the twelve-bar blues chord progression is the most common."
Click that link for more information about Blues music.
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INFORMATION ABOUT ARTHUR ALEXANDER
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Alexander:
"Arthur Alexander (May 10, 1940 – June 9, 1993) was an American country soul singer...
Alexander was born in Sheffield, Alabama. Working with Spar Music in Florence, Alabama, Alexander recorded his first single, "Sally Sue Brown", under the name of June Alexander (short for Junior), which was released in 1960 on Jud Phillips' Judd Records...
Alexander is the only songwriter whose songs have been covered by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan (who recorded "Sally Sue Brown" on his 1988 LP Down in the Groove.) "Go Home Girl" was also recorded by Ry Cooder on his 1979 album, Bop Till You Drop".
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"SALLY SUE BROWN" LYRICS
([June] Arthur Alexander)
Look who's back in town
Ain't nobody but Sally Sue Brown
All you boys better run for cover
If you don't a-wanna be a hearted broken lover.
See her in that very tight skirt
Got what it takes
Just to make you hurt
Don't you see by those big bright eyes
Prefer to treat her nasty and low down lies.
Makes no difference where she's been
I'm go in south and doin' them things again
Bake in a hot tub, down the line
I'd rather see you ruin this a-heart of mine.
I'll go see them come down my way
Like a fool you're gonna hear me say:
"I'll lay at your bed Sally Sue Brown
Please let me love you, baby
Don't put me down".
Makes no difference where she's been
I'm go in south and doin' them things again
Bake in a hot tub, down the line
I'd rather see you ruin this a-heart of mine.
I'll go see them come down my way
Like a fool you're gonna hear me say:
"I'll lay at your bed Sally Sue Brown
Please let me love you, baby
Don't put me down.
From http://www.lyricstime.com/bob-dylan-sally-sue-brown-lyrics.html; as performed by Bod Dylan.
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"SALLY SUE BROWN" VIDEO
(June) Arthur Alexander / Sally Sue Brown
Sophisticated Savage, Uploaded on Feb 25, 2010
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RELATED LINK
http://cocojams.com/content/sea-shanties-chanteys-neglected-area-black-history
Sea Chanteys- A Neglected Area Of Black History
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TRIVIA INFORMATION
"Sally Brown" is the name of the comic character Charlie Brown's sister. Who knows...She might be an actual descendant of the 19th century shanty character or the 20th century Blues & Ska character "Sally Brown". :o)
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My thanks to the composers of these songs. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to the performers, and video uploaders of this song.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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