Curley Taylor dowtown Opelousas La. by the courthouse to kickoff the Zydeco festival 2009
****
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision - August 29, 2025
This is Part I of a three part pancocojams series about Zydeco music and dance.
This post showcases three 2009 videos of Zydeco partner dancers Sandra and Jake Davis. The Davis are a married Black American couple who are known for their skillful and artistic Zydeco dancing in Opelousas, Louisiana and elsewhere. Selected comments from the discussion threads of those videos are also included in this pancocojams post.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-youtube-sound-file-for-zydeco-song.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That post showcases a sound file and two YouTube videos of line dancing to the Zydeco song "Kush Kush". Selected comments from the discussion threads of those videos are also included in this pancocojams post.
Click Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/08/three-videos-of-zydeco-partner-line.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post presents some information about Zydeco music and dance This post also includes three videos of Zydeco dancing at Ville Platte, Louisiana trail rides in 2010 and 2011.Selected comments from the discussion threads of those videos are also included in this pancocojams post.
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The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, entertainment purposes, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Zydeco dancers Jake & Sandra Davis and all others who are shown ("zydecoing") dancing in these videos. Thanks to the musicians and singers who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS & COMMENTS
These videos and these selected comments from those videos' discussion thread are numbered for referencing purposes only.
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM SHOWCASE VIDEO #1 - Curley Taylor Opelousas La. 08-07-09
[This video is found at the top of this pancocojams post.]
1. @DevaJones03, 2009
"No matter where these two go they make sure to hit the floor!!!"
**
2. @Djam519, 2010
"the lady dancing is my former pre-school teacher she can surely get down"
**
3. @rgabriel2001, 2011
"Her name is Sandra Davis but don't know her husband's name.
They held the title of Zydeco King and Queen. (the couple in pink)"
**
4. @memejarrett, 2011
"they are jamming!!!"
**
@TheHNIC06, 2012
"That's a huge belt buckle" **
5. @cathy5072, 2012
"Oh my look at the little kid, Awesome! Thanks for the clip!"
**
6. @humbertococa9170, 2014
"been trying to find out the name of this song, can anybody help me out? thanks."
**
Reply
7. @katamer9319, 2014
" "Johnny can't dance " "
**
@Fannymae79, 2018
8. "My home ❤️"
**
9. @swampmagiclouisiana1490, 2020
"Love, love this!!!💜💛💜💛"
**
10. @LoveLife-ou5xh, 2020
"The lady and the Man in the pink look like they having a great time🙏👊👍🙂"
**
11. @gregnuttall3637, 2020
"Love the Pink Boots, And matching shirts. Outstanding"
**
12. @harielesquivel1257, 2020
"They look like they have a great relationship.go head on!" **
13. @junecricri3782, 2020
"Wow i am mexican and i play the accordion too i like the style the band is playing and the couple dressed in cowboy outfits dance really good . I miss those days were people going out and about enjoying music ."
**
Reply
14. @musicbox6144, 2023
"Still happening , never left ."
**
15. @Slimey78951, 2020
"Curley is so good. They always keep me on the dance floor."
**
16. @MsHappy-xz2px,2020
"LAWD, I MISS THIS!!!
WHERE YOU AT, CURLY?"
**
17. @gretchenjackson789, 2020
"Love those pink cowgirl boots!!!"
**
18. @bookaholicblue2169, 2020
"Aye!!💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾"
**
19. @kimbailey422, 2020
"Go head yall"
**
20. @manuelpadilla7629, 2020
"Us Mexicans get down that way too👊💪"
**
21. @lolitalolita7561, 2020
"That's right!"
**
22. @crazyfaith297, 2020
"I really miss the OLD OPELOUSAS"
**
23. @judyrookard7965, 2020
"Pink couple took it all😁😁"
**
24. @teokoitutaoro7850, 2022 "i want to see more of those 2 in pink dancing they are awesome to watch"
**
25. @jodiegillum5574, 2022
"Man oh man!!!!! I'd love to dance like that !!!! Ya hoo!!!!"
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - Zydeco dance at Crawfish Festival 2009 (Part 1)
Cajunwings, Jun 23, 2009
-snip-
Here are some comments from the discussion thread for this video.
1. @kishanabear, 2009
"awesome dance couple!"
**
2. @memejarrett, 2011
"they are jamming!!!"
**
3. @icare19, 2011
"WOW Are they ever great dancers. Would someone knoiw the name of this tune and
who does it. I would like to buy a CD"
**
4. @johnnatale2368, 2011
"The song is "Motor Dude Special," one of the greatest zydeco songs ever. Written by the late Boozoo Chavis about the passing of one of his horses, Motor Dude. Not sure which band is playing behind them; could be Leon Chavis. There are very good versions by Beau Jacques and the Zydeco High Rollers and Jeffrey Broussard and the Creole Cowboys. They are available individually on I-Tunes."
**
5. @shonqweenb1, 2011
"<<<REWIND<<< had 2 look again sister u jammin yall both dancin yall ass off but girl you doin it... YALL BOTH LOOK HAPPY 2GETHER....(thanks 4 the smile)"
**
6. @ellesetta, 2011
"Great music!Super great dancing!"
**
Reply
7. @roz3657, 2011
"sisterburk, I truly indeed agree, he's one fine gentleman, however his wife should have woren a dress to this dance.Doing this type of dancing, dressed like her husband makes her look too manly."
**
Reply
9. @Scatophobia, 2012
"You apparently have never been to Breaux Bridge, LA.That is how you dress to these festivities.She is sexy in her jeans too.Speaking of feminism, stop trying to tell women how they should dress."
**
10. @paustinheaton, 2015
"Awesome couple, Sandra and Jake Davis, teach Zydeco dance at Opelousas, La"
**
12. @paulcanavan6629, 2016
"A joy to watch."
**
13. @Rogue-bh4ds, 2018
"lol I was reading comments and seen some talking about the way she dressed, well that's how Cajun Ladies dress to get down to this Music down here."
**
14. @letakeokuk, 2020
"Ahh get it God’s chillin!🎼🎼💖🥂🥂💖💖🕺🏾🕺🏾🕺🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾"
Cajunwings, Jun 23, 2009
-snip-
Here are some comments from the discussion thread for this video.
1. @mommajomma1, 2009
"Awesome! I've never been able to get this good yet! I need a partner that that brother ! If I had a dance partner that could move like him, I would be ALL INTO IT LIKE SHE IS, OKAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" **
2. @mommajomma1, 2009
"And I am talking about that tall, black cowboy! I read on another post this couple is married! They have great harmony....They must practice a lot! must be nice........."
**
3. @Cajunwing,2009
"Simply because they did not participate to the contest. They arrived when it was over !"
-snip-
This is a response to a question or comment that no longer appears in this discussion thread. I believe that Cajunwing is saying that this couple didn't win the contest because they didn't participate in it.
Edited by Azizi Powell This pancocojams post showcases Zydeco musician Clifton Chenier and showcases his now class rendition of the song ""Zant Pas Sale" ("Snap Beans Not Salty"). The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.. All copyrights remain with their owners. Thanks to Clifton Chenier and his band for his musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post. Also, thanks to the publisher of these videos on YouTube. -snip- Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/06/seven-songs-performed-by-clifton.html for a 2014 pancocojams post entitled Seven Songs Performed By Clifton Chenier & His Bands.That post includes information about Zydeco music as well as information about Clifton Chenier. **** SHOWCASE VIDEO: Clifton Chenier "'Zydeco sant pas sale'' 1969
Geert Mook, July 2017 **** LYRICS- ZYDECO SANT PAS SALE (Clifton Chenier) Eh, maman, Eh, maman, Les haricots sont pas salés, Les haricots sont pas salés. www.cajunlyrics.com T'au volé mon traîneau, T'au volé mon traîneau, Garde hip et taïaut, Les haricots sont pas salés. www.cajunlyrics.com T'as volé mon gilet, T'as volé mon chapeau, Garde hip et taïaut, Les haricots sont pas salés. Source: https://www.cajunlyrics.com/?lyrics=841 -snip- Google Translate French to English Hey, mom, Hey, mom, The beans are not salted, The beans are not salted. You stole my sleigh, You stole my sleigh, Guard hip and taïaut, The beans are not salted. You stole my vest, You stole my hat, Guard hip and taïaut, The beans are not salted.
This pancocojams post provides information about the history of Zydeco music and showcases seven YouTube examples of Zydeco.
Given in the order of the YouTube examples below, the featured artists in this post are Clifton Chenier, Queen Ida and The Bon Temps Zydeco Band, Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi Rollers, Buckwheat Zydeco, Boozoo Chavis, and CJ Chenier.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the originators of Zydeco music, and thanks to the performers who are featured in these embedded videos. Thanks also to all those who quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
A no longer available version of this post was published in 2012.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT ZYDECO MUSIC
EXCERPT #1
From http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/cajunzydeco.html "Cajun and Zydeco Music Traditions" By Barry J. Ancelet
"Cajun music and zydeco are closely related parallel music forms. Cajun music is the music of the white Cajuns of south Louisiana, while zydeco is the music of the black Creoles of the same region. Both share common origins and influences, and there is much overlap in the repertoire and style of each. At the same time, each culture proudly and carefully preserves the identity of its own musical expression.
[...]
Zydeco, zarico, zodico, zologo, and even zukey jump represent a few of the spellings used by folklorists, ethnomusicologists, record producers, and filmmakers in their attempts to transcribe the word performers used to describe Louisiana's black French Creole music. The spelling zydeco was the first to appear in print, used by ethnomusicologist MacCormack in the early 1960s. Today it is the most widespread label and most record companies favor it.
Because its language is French or Creole, zydeco tradition has largely remained a mystery to outsiders. Folk spellings and folk etymologist often develop to explain or rationalize words and expressions whose origins or exact meanings have become unclear. Native Louisiana Creoles explain that the word zydeco comes from les haricots after the expression "Les haricots sont pas sale" ("The beans aren't salty"), heard in many of the tradition's songs. However recent studies based on early Louisiana recordings made by Alan and John Lomaz suggests that the term, as well as the tradition, may have African origins. The languages of West African tribes affected by the slave trade provide some clues as to the origins of zydeco. In at least a dozen languages from this culture-area of Africa, the phonemes "za," "re," and "go" are frequently associated with dancing and/or playing music.
In South Louisiana, the meaning of zydeco has expanded (or survived) to refer to dance as a social event and dance styles as well as the music associated with them: Creoles go to a zydeco to dance the zydeco to zydeco music played by zydeco musicians. Used in an expanded way, as a verb, zydeco seems to have other meanings: "Let's zydeco them," or "Let's go zydeco." Community musicians are described as zydeco kings, queens, and princes. Community dance events, which provide the primary opportunity for courtship, are announced as zydecos. The word zydeco also refers to hard times and, by association, to the music that helped to endure them. In black American tradition, this music is called the blues, whether it be a "low-down" blues lament which relieves by purging, or a jumping, juking blues which relieves by distracting. Zydeco's bluesy side is sometimes based on melodies and rhythms of a delta blues tradition. Other times, an interesting confluence of European and Afro-Caribbean rhythms and sources produces haunting songs which function equally well as blues laments and as waltzes."...
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EXCERPT #2
From http://web.lsue.edu/acadgate/music/history.htm "Archive Files of Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco Musicians Posted between 1999 and 2008" [This link is no longer operable.]
"Both Cajun music and the Creole music that evolved into Zydeco are the products of a combination of influences found only in Southwest Louisiana. According to Alan Lomax in his notes to a CD collection of field recordings in Louisiana that he and his father, John Lomax, completed in the 1930s, "the Cajun and Creole traditions of Southwest Louisiana are unique in the blending of European, African, and Amerindian qualities."
...The music of Creole culture drew on the same French traditions as Cajun music but added to that the influence of African music in the New World–the rhythms of the Caribbean or the soulful melodies of the blues or a combination of these sources and more. The Lomax recordings include examples of jurés, sung dances in a style typical of West Africa and the West Indies in which "melodies are built around a refrain that has a danceable rhythmic shape and that enables the group of singers to make music for collective dancing." "Blues de la prison," another song recorded by the Lomaxes, draws on the style of singing that evolved from West Africa to become American blues.
...Like the Cajuns, the Creoles had house dances, clearing out all the furniture and bringing in musicians who would play until early in the morning. Often, there might be only one musician, like the legendary Amédé Ardoin, who exerted a major influence on the development of both Creole and Cajun music. Ardoin and a number of other Creole musicians would also play at white dances. Eventually, Ardoin became acquainted with the Cajun fiddler Dennis McGee. Together, they began to play at dances throughout the region. According to Dennis McGee (as quoted in Ann Savoy's book), "We played in Kaplan, at Bayou Noir, Lake Charles, everywhere. Everybody went crazy when Amédé played. Oh, I loved that little guy's music…. He had a song he'd cry out in–it would make me shake when he'd take to singing it." Most Cajun vocalists also used a high-pitched singing style to match the musical key of the songs and to carry across the dance floor, but few singers could approach the emotional power of Amédé Ardoin.
...The Lafayette-based organization C.R.E.O.L.E, Inc. defines Creoles “as individuals of African descent whose cultural roots have been influenced by other cultures such as French, Spanish, and/or Indian. These individuals have traveled through the centuries carrying their oral history, art forms, culinary skills, religious beliefs and kaleidoscope culture.” The Louisiana Creole Heritage Center defines Creoles as “people of mixed French, African, Spanish, and Native American ancestry, most of who reside in or have familial ties to Louisiana." Using either definition, Zydeco is “Creole music,” created and performed by Creoles. However, in the way the term is widely used today specifically in reference to music, “Creole” usually describes music performed by Creoles in the Creole language, in the old style that includes the fiddle as part of the instrumentation, a music known in an earlier era as “la-la music.” In interviews, Canray Fontenot and Bois Sec Ardoin both referred to their music as “Creole music." Clifton Chenier, the King of Zydeco, sang many of his songs in Creole, including some classic Zydeco songs performed with his uncle Morris Chenier on fiddle, and many Zydeco bands include music from the older Creole tradition as part of their repertoire, so, in practice, the terminology used to describe Creole music in Southwest Louisiana can be applied in a variety of ways. In the case of the group the Creole Zydeco Farmers, "Creole" might refer to music, language, culture, and ethnic background all at the same time. The key point is that both the older style la-la music and today's Zydeco are products of the Creole people of Southwest Louisiana and their rich culture.
...Everyone agrees that the name Zydeco is derived from the phrase "les haricots sont pas salés": the snapbeans are not salty. Tisserand and Ben Sandmel both discuss the history of the word Zydeco and its variants like zordico. Barry Ancelet has an essay on the term in Creoles of Color of the Gulf South. For most listeners of Zydeco, however, the musical meaning is captured in Clifton Chenier's signature song, "Zydeco Sont Pas Salé," recorded in 1965 at the Gold Star studio in Houston."...
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SHOWCASE YOUTUBE EXAMPLES
With the exception of Example #1, these examples are given in chronological order based on their publishing date.
Example #1: Zydeco Sont Pas Sale [1965 sound file]
Clifton Chenier - Topic, Published on Nov 6, 2014
Provided to YouTube by Warner Music Group
Zydeco Sont Pas Sale · Clifton Chenier
The Best Of Clifton Chenier
℗ 2003 Arhoolie Productions Inc.
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Example #2: Queen Ida and The Bon Temps Zydeco Band - Rosa Majeur
sexmex5, Published on Apr 6, 2008
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Example #3: Beau Jocque
zydecodave1, Published on Sep 24, 2010
The great Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi Rollers doing the "Beau Jocque Boogie" from the Robert Mugge film "True Believers." Maybe someday we'll all be lucky enough to see the movie that this clip came from, "The Kingdom of Zydeco."
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Example #4: Buckwheat Zydeco - Hey Ma Petit Fille
John Hulme, Published on Oct 3, 2010
Buckwheat Zydeco - Hey Ma Petit Fille I'm Going Now - from the Montreux Jazz Festival 1989
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Example #5: Paper in my Shoe - Boozoo Chavis (Live)
Eric Cajundelyon, Published on Aug 23, 2011
1988 Live version of "Paper in my shoe" or "J'ai un papier dans mon soulier" in Louisiana French Cajun/Creole language with the long time Boozoo Bass player, Classie Ballou Jr... ...Wilson Anthony "Boozoo" Chavis from Lake Charles, LA .(1930-2001) was a zydeco musician - music created by French speaking Creoles of South-West Louisiana. He was active from 1954 until his death during which time he largely sang and played the accordion. Chavis was also a prolific writer of zydeco songs. Many of his songs have become standards of the zydeco repertoire, in spite of, or perhaps because of, their generally idiosyncratic and quirky construction and subject matter. "If it's wrong, do it wrong, with me," he would tell his band. "If I'm wrong, you wrong, too!" Boozoo was crowned "The King of Zydeco" in New Orleans in the 1990s. His son Charles was a member of his band at the time.
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Example #6: Clifton Chenier - Rare Video Clip
Michael Hébert Music, Published on Mar 31, 2016
****
Example #7: CJ Chenier "Bon Ton Roulet" On Tour Preview - May 26, 2016 Episode
whyyphila, Published on May 24, 2016
Clayton Joseph Chenier, the son of the great "King of Zydeco", Clifton Chenier of Texas, first performed with his famous father and the legendary Red Hot Louisiana band in 1987. Chenier now extending his father's legacy as band leader, commands the accordion performing a variety of zydeco, Cajun and creole music. In this episode, we explore the unique Louisiana culture, and its rich musical history.
This post provides information about Zydeco & Cajun music and showcases Canray Fontenot and his song "Bonsoir Moreau".
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Canray Fontenot for his musical legacy. Thanks also the publishers of these examples on YouTube and all those who are quoted in this post.
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INFORMATION ABOUT CANRAY FONTENOT
From http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/creoleroots.html
"In two hundred years, Clifton Chenier once noted, Canray will still be the best. But don‘t take my word for it. Listen for yourself. Louisiana Hot Sauce, Creole Style (Arhoolie 381) is the Creole fiddle king at work. La Musique Creole (Arhoolie 445) features Bois Sec Ardoin on accordion and Canray Fontenot on fiddle. Listen especially to the 1966 recording of "Bon Soir Moreau" and "Tit Monde." I should also note that all of the Ardoin family recordings with Fontenot are often covered by both Cajun and zydeco bands."
**
From http://www.arhoolie.com/cajun-and-zydeco/canray-fontenot-louisiana-hot-sauce-creole-style.html?sl=EN
“From the bottom left-hand corner of New France, `Louisiana Hot Sauce' displays the superb instrumental and vocal style of Canray Fontenot, the most famous living exponent of black Creole fiddling. Fontenot's father Adam - known as Nonc Adam - was an accordion player of some note and encouraged his son, once he'd learned the basics, to sit in with him. Tunes like the marvelously titled `Slow Drag A Nonc Adam' obviously date back to these early years.
We' re in reissue territory here, with material from two previous Arhoolie LPs but also a healthy 11 tracks previously unissued. The transition from the opening band numbers, also featuring accordionist `Boisec' Ardoin, to the sparse, stripped-down solos and duets with Michael Doucet give a wonderful insight into his playing of two-steps, waltzes and blues.
For a man who once said `I just play `cause I can play' his music is never anything but totally engaging. Whether it's raunchy breaks and fiddle echoed vocals on the bluesy `Joe Pitre A Deux Femmes' or the unaccompanied Cajun-style fiddling of the Two-Step De Grand Mallet with its extra beats and irregular bar lengths - but solid, foot-slap rhythm - you can always sense the player behind the fiddle, his pain, humour and compassion. Entirely recommended. The cover art is tasty, too.”
-Pete Cooper — Musical Traditions
**
[same link as above]
"CANRAY FONTENOT (1922-1995) Louisiana lost a great artist and a charismatic ambassador when Creole fiddler Canray Fontenot died July 29 after a lengthy battle with lung cancer and diabetes. Born in L'Anse aux Vaches on Oct. 23, 1922, Canray was a living bridge between turn-of-the-century musical styles and today's younger musicians. His father, `Nonc' Adam Fontenot, was a legendary accordion player and contemporary of Amédée Ardoin. Orphaned at a young age, Canray did manual labor all his life, yet traveled the world and won such prestigious awards as the National Heritage Award from the NEA.
Canray's unique style was bluesy, yet melodic. His wild slides and gravelly vocals were always accompanied by his mile-wide grin. Canray originals such as "Joe Pitre a deux femmes," "Les Barres de la prison" and "Bonsoir Moreau" have become standards in the Cajun and Zydeco repertoires…
He and his wife, Artile, raised six children, four of whom went to college and one of whom is a lawyer. Canray played and traveled to the end, teaching and performing with long-time partner “Bois-Sec” Ardoin at Port Townsend, Washington, shortly before he died...
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of Canray's talent was how he could blend ancient French songs with his own creole rhythms to create his own recognizable style in new songs. For example, his "Bonsoir Moreau" was unusual to Louisiana French music in that it was played in a minor key. Canray played it effortlessly in third position with so much emotion, and the bluesy context of the song really set it apart....
Canray Fontenot, sitting in his favorite rocking chair with fiddle in hand, singing and tapping out the rhythms on his hardwood floor with his bare feet, smiling and passing on forgotten songs whose poetry he lived through. His life was not easy, but he expelled his troubles through his music, a gift which he shared with his neighbors and the world. We mourn not just the man and his talent, but a soulful eyewitness to our musical history.
His voice has left us, but his soulful songs remain to remind us of what his grandfather used to tell him: "If you remember my song, you'll remember me."
- Michael Doucet
****
LYRICS- BONSOIR MOREAU
(Canray Fontenot)
O, bonsoir Moreau,
O, bonsoir Moreau
O, je connais c'est l'heure je
m'en vas
Bonsoir Moreau...
On a eu ici
un bon temps,
Un bon temps toute la nuit
O, je connais c'est l'heure je
m'en vas
Bonsoir Moreau...
O, la lune après se coucher,
Et le soleil après se lever
Et Caillette est pas tirée
Bonsoir Moreau...
Two great men for Creole,Cajun and Zydeco music.
-snip-
Comments from that video's discussion thread:
mairabella, 2007
"thanks so much for posting this video. Canray Fontenot was a pure soul and should be remembered and admired"
**
pomea. 2007
"Greatly improved audio! Wow. I wonder what in the world these Newport folks thought about that? There's no way they had heard this Creole and Cajun music before so unadulterated."
**
pomea, 2007
"Just adding that on this trip to Newport in 1966, the men in the background playing triangle are probably Revon Reed and Isom Fontenot. Hard to make out."
**
dbd1353, 2008
"Folks Like Canray and Bois Sec way, way back in the day really weren't supposed to play blues so they put a blues song to Waltz time and came up with this..It's great stuff. Theres actually a dance that goes with it as well, called the Baisse-Bas..A very cool dance, not really a waltz although you could.."
**
gazzi22, 2008
"My great grandfather you to sing this same song!"
-snip-
you=[probably] a typo for “used”
****
Example #2: Canray Fontenot: Bonsoir Moreau (1983)
Alan Lomax Archive Uploaded on Dec 13, 2011
Canray Fontenot performs "Bonsoir Moreau" at his home near Eunice, Louisiana. Shot by Alan Lomax and crew in August 1983. For more information about the American Patchwork filmwork, Alan Lomax, and his collections, visit http://culturalequity.org. [137X]
-snip-
Selected comments:
Mojooverlord, 2013
"Can anyone translate the words? The song inspires awe in me."
**
jumperontheline, 2010
"What a beautiful man : ) I love the way he keeps time with his foot ... sounds like Africa ...
Such a wonderful culture ... J'adore ..."
**
LKathyRunkle, 2010
"This is so neat. Love the bare-footed musician and the beautiful backdrop. And is he singing in French?"
**
quipsteron8, 2010
"@LKathyRunkle das cajun, mama. .... yes, its french."
This post provides information about Zydeco music and showcases one example of the Creole song "Fais Do Do Bebe" and one example of the Cajun song "Fais Do Do, Colas Mon P'tit Frère".
Information about the meanings of the term "fais do do" as the lyrics for the song "Fais Do Do Colas Mon P'tit Frère" also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Andrew Carrière and thanks to the producers of the animated example. Thanks also the publishers of these examples on YouTube and all those who are quoted in this post.
Note: This is one of several pancocojams posts that focus on the Louisiana Creole & Cajun use of the French word (English translation "baby"). My guess is that the word "bébé" and its use as a Creole/Cajun nickname at least partially influenced the creation of the contemporary African American Vernacular English word "bae" (pronounced "bay") which means "baby"/"babe". Read more of my comments and others comments about the word "bae" in http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-english-word-bae-really-means.html.
Other pancocojams posts that feature songs that include the word "bébé" can be found by clicking that tag below.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT LOUISIANA CREOLE MUSIC
From http://home.comcast.net/~cajunzydeco/zydemagic/whatiszydecomusic.htm "WHAT IS ZYDECO MUSIC" by Gary Hayman, International Zydeco Dance Instructor
..."Briefly, people surmise that the [Zydeco] dance originated in the country (prairie) areas of South Louisiana (Acadiana -- a group of 22 Parishes) by the Creole population of the time. I would put the date of the dance in the 1930s when the Zydeco music came into its own -- before that it perhaps went through stages such as church Juré (hand clapping, body striking and foot stomping -- non instrumental [not allowed in churches at that time]), la la music, zarico, to Zydeco -- along with the music.
Creole music was very similar to Cajun music but after WWII, Creole music began to take on different influences of other styles of music. While the fiddle (from Cajun style music) is almost always absent, Zydeco is usually played with accordion, electric guitar and bass, drums, and a sometimes even some brass (with larger bands). Perhaps the most distinctive instrument of Zydeco (besides the accordion) is a corrugated metal rubboard (called a 'frottior'). The first nationally recognized Zydeco songs were in the 1950's by Clifton Chenier ("King of Zydeco") and Boozoo Chavis...
The quick definition:
Zydeco is dance music played by Creole French speaking people of African descent who historically lived on the prairies of Southwest Louisiana. At its core it is the sound of an accordion paired with the scrapping of a rubboard. The accordion may be a single row diatonic model (of German origin but also now produced in Italy, Louisiana and other places), a triple row diatonic model, or a standard keyboard accordion.
Is Zydeco music the same as Cajun music?
Cajun and Creole people have lived and worked side by side for generations. They have shared and traded many aspects of their cultures including music. Some Zydeco songs are played by Cajun bands and some Cajun songs are played by Zydeco groups, but they are two different types of music. One major difference is that you'll find accordions, fiddles and steel guitars (rare now) in Cajun groups, but not in Zydeco bands -- where you will find accordions and rubboards."...
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WHAT DOES "FAIS DO DO BEBE" MEAN?
"Fais Do Do Bebe" is French for "Go To Sleep, Baby".
However, the term "Fais Do Do" has come to refer to Cajun/Creole dance parties.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fais_do-do
"Fais do-do is a name for a Cajun dance party, originating before World War II. According to Mark Humphrey the parties were named for "the gentle command ('go to sleep') young mothers offered bawling infants."[1] He quotes early Cajun musician Edwin Duhon of the Hackberry Ramblers, "She'd go to the cry room, give the baby a nipple and say, 'Fais do-do.' She'd want the baby to go to sleep fast, 'cause she's worried about her husband dancing with somebody else out there."
'Do-do' itself is a shortening of the French verb dormir (to sleep), used primarily in speaking to small children. The phrase is comparable to the American English "beddy-bye"."...
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From http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/lfmfaisdodo.html
"The Folk Etymology of the Fais Do-Do: A Note" by Joshua Clegg Caffery
"By most accounts, the term fais do-do (with do pronounced dough) , in contemporary Louisiana parlance, refers to a public dance of some sort, often one held on a Sunday afternoon, usually involving an accordion and fiddle-led band and lyrics sung in vernacular Louisiana French. Indeed, the fais do-do is one of the first things visitors to French Louisiana learn about, along with a quaint story about how the expression evolved out of the practice of aged relatives lulling babies to sleep in the parc aux petits, a room reserved for sleepy infants in the back of Louisiana dance halls (like a cry room in Catholic church, but meant to isolate the baby from the noise, rather than to isolate the grownups from the babies' noise). I have heard this explanation given countless times, and I admit to even using it myself in the past, for lack of a better one. But where does this explanation come from, and is it correct? It certainly makes for a good story, and it makes sense (in a way), but there other possibilities. In this note, I argue that the familiar sleeping baby definition is most likely a folk etymology, and I offer an alternative hypothesis for consideration....
There is another explanation, however, that has been overlooked. In various folk dancing traditions throughout America and Europe, the contra dance call/step dos-à-dos, from the French meaning "back to back," gave rise to a diversity of vernacular terms. For instance, in Western square dancing, dos-à-dos transmuted into "dosado," and remains a popular dance step and call to this day. In fact, www.dosado.com is the central online hub for contemporary Western square dancing. Similarly, in English, "dos à dos" became "do si do," a familiar call retained in a number of Anglo-American folk songs and dance traditions. In all cases, the call means virtually the same thing: approach your partner and circle around each other, back to back. Contra dance, particularly in the form of quadrille, was as popular in Southern Louisiana as it was in Western, New England, and Appalachian dance traditions, and it antedated the more contemporary Cajun/Creole accordion-driven, two-step and waltz dances more familiar to modern observers (in Louisiana Creole, the word was kadril). Early "Cajun" musicians, such as Dennis McGee, not to mention many early Creole jazz musicians, cut their teeth playing for quadrilles before the more simplified couple dances took over (Daigle 1972; Fiehrer 1991; Szwed and Morton Marks 1988). My alternate theory is that "fais do-do" was a vernacular Louisiana French expression, derived from a call, based on "dos à dos." It would be strange if no vernacular Louisiana version of "dos àdos" existed, to begin with, even though vernacular descendants from the French exist in Western and Appalachian traditions. In other words, "dos à dos" is such a basic and common call in the broader world of vernacular and creolized contra dance that it generated a host of descendants—why not a Louisiana cognate? Furthermore, when seeking to derive an etymology for "fais do-do" as a Louisiana dance event, it simply makes much better sense. If "fais do-do" derived from a dance step/call, as I suggest, to "faire do-do" would have simply meant to "go dancing," and probably even conjured the image of the back to back dance that the name derives from.
There remains much to be said about this topic, and certainly both etymologies could have overlapped."...
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LYRICS: FAIS DO DO [Colas etc]
(unknown composer)
[French lyrics]
Fais dodo, Colas mon p'tit frère
Fais dodo, t'auras du lolo
Maman est en haut
Qui fait des gâteaux
Papa est en bas
Qui fait du chocolat
Fait dodo Colas mon p'tit frère
Fait dodo, t'auras du lolo.
[English lyrics]
Go to sleep, Colas my little brother
Go to sleep, you will have your milk
Mommy is upstairs
Making some cakes
Daddy is downstairs
Making hot cocoa
Go to sleep, Colas my little brother
Go to sleep, you will have your milk.
French lyrics for a longer version of this song can found in the Showcase Example given below.
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: fais do do bebe - Andrew Carriere
Accordion Learner, Uploaded on Jan 24, 2009
Andrew Carriere in the back room at Ashkenaz, Berkeley, CA
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Information about the Carrières brothers and additional information about Creole fiddle and accordion music can be found in this pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/blues-bebe-video-sound-file-comments.html
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Is "Fais Do Do Bebe" a Zydeco adaptation of the Cajun song "Fais Do Do, Colas Mon P'tit Frère"?
This post provides information about Louisiana's Creole fiddle music and showcases the Creole/Cajun composition "Blues à Bébé". Information about that song is included in this post as is information about Bébé Carrière who popularized this tune and who is honored by the lyrics to this song which were composed by Michael Doucet of the Cajun band Beausoleil. This post also includes Cajun lyrics for this song and their English translation that are found in a YouTube discussion thread.
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Bébé Carrière and to BeauSoleil for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are featured in this sound file and this video, the publishers of these examples, and all those who are quoted in this post.
Note: This is one of several pancocojams posts that focus on the Louisiana Creole & Cajun use of the French word (English translation "baby"). My guess is that the word "bébé" and its use as a Creole/Cajun nickname at least partially influenced the creation of the contemporary African American Vernacular English word "bae" (pronounced "bay") which means "baby"/"babe". Read more of my comments and others comments about the word "bae" in http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-english-word-bae-really-means.html.
Other pancocojams posts that feature songs that include the word "bébé" can be found by clicking that tag below.
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INFORMATION ABOUT LOUISIANA CREOLE FIDDLE MUSIC
From http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/creoleroots.html "The Musical and Cultural Roots of Louisiana Creole and Zydeco Fiddle Tradition" By D ‘Jalma Garnier
..."Unfortunately for our modern understanding, whenever Creole fiddle is brought up, it is too often within the context of the contemporary musics we know so well, Cajun and zydeco. This association obscures Creole fiddle‘s unique musical and cultural history. The Creole fiddle, and its contemporary moniker zydeco fiddle, arrived in South Louisiana in the seventeenth century, coming ashore with French-speaking Africans from Saint-Domingue, now Haiti. As both slaves and free people of color, African Americans contributed melodically and formally to American music. Some traditions, like jazz and blues and zydeco, have thrived in changing times and others seem to have come and gone, like ragtime. Creole fiddle would seem to be one of the eclipsed musics, but no one should mistake its current lack of prominence for its demise. The advent and commercialization in the fifties and sixties of zydeco focused on the big sound produced by the accordion. The fiddle has not, however, been left behind by African American musicians like the banjo, which has been passed on to bluegrass and old-time musicians. Instead, it is simply another instrument within zydeco and an essential instrument in Creole music ensembles. While zydeco has gotten the lion‘s share of attention, like its twin Cajun music, because it has so often been recorded, Creole music as a distinct genre continues to be played in homes and clubs in Louisiana. Creole fiddle has survived the recording industry, arguably better than other folk cultural forms in the face of mass culture...
Africans also brought with them a distinct musical aesthetic, which places a high value on timbre and the willingness to "bend" notes, a kind of sliding up or down a pitch achieved differently on various instruments. This aesthetic can be found in early hollers that are the roots of gospel music and the blues, and in the many finger glissandos of Creole fiddling.
This mixing of African musical approaches and European repertoires eventually led to the birth of one of America‘s grandest contributions to the world of art, jazz. Yet, like much of the rhythms and phrasing that we take for granted in early jazz, Creole fiddle takes a lot of its cues from the African banjo music of the Americas—it is not African strictly speaking, it is American. Louisiana Creole fiddlers Canray Fontenot and Calvin Carrière were very familiar with four-string tenor (jazz) and five string banjo music. Much of the syncopated rhythm and short staccato phrases in American fiddling is basic to banjo technique and came from African dance melodies. Most violin music is played with a smooth legato bowing. The "slurring" of many notes in one bowstroke is often the norm. It is uncommon to play one note per bowstroke up and down all the way through like in most American fiddle tunes. The choppiness of American black fiddle music like Creole, black string band, and rag is difficult to learn. Though Bébé Carrière plays tunes that are melodically simple, his bow technique can take a lot of unlearning for classically trained violinists: it matches perfectly with the short attack of the banjo."...
-snip-
D‘Jalma Garnier is a musician who researches Louisiana Creole music. This article originally appeared in Louisiana Folk Roots‘ publication, Routes to Roots, Volume 2 in 2007.
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INFORMATION ABOUT "BLUES A BEBE"
From http://www.gumbopages.com/music/beau-notes.html
BAYOU DELUXE: THE BEST OF BEAUSOLEIL Liner Notes by Chuck Taggart (Producer-host, "Gumbo"
KCRW-FM, Santa Monica, CA)
...“"Blues à Bébé" [is] a wonderful blues number from the playing of Creole fiddler "Bébé" Carrière of Lawtell, Louisiana. The melody of "Blues à Bébé" comes from the playing of Bébé and his brother, accordionist Eraste Carrière, to which Michael [Doucet] has added lyrics in tribute to this "grand musicien".
-snip-
Read more about "Blues à Bébé" in the following entry about Bébé Carrière.
...”Until about twenty years ago, Bébé and Eraste Carrière played house dances regularly, not just around Lawtell, but as far away as Lake Charles, sometimes together, often with other musicians, and even alone (Eraste played many dances by himself). They have performed for countless audiences, both black and white, at innumerable, forgotten parties and dances, the likes of which are only a memory in Louisiana.
In the days before the many taverns and dance halls of today, people had dances in their homes, as Joseph describes: "They'd take out all the furniture of the biggest room – sometime you'd have to clean two room 'cause the crowd was too big. It was like that."...
Bébé's Blues, the other of the Carrière's songs on this record, is a fiddle number which Bébé says he learned from a record long ago; he can't remember either the original title or the lyrics, which he recalls were in English. The song, both men say, was extremely popular when Bébé played it at the old dances. "I made many people dance off of that song," he reminisces. When I played that tune they cut up the floor. Many time I had to play it twice, you know, clapping their hands like that, I'd have to go back and play the same thing again."...
The musical trading between blacks (Creoles, as they call themselves) and whites (Cajuns or Coonasses) has gone on for so long in south Louisiana that it is often difficult to determine the original owner of a given tune or musical quality. While the Carrières have drawn heavily on white traditions, and for that matter have played for white audiences with white musicians, their music remains, primarily because of rhythmical and vocal subtleties, unmistakably black. That, however, has never been much of a concern of' Bébé or Eraste – they have simply been playing music for people to dance to. Eraste told me that in the old days they might play a single tune for over a half-hour without stopping, and there would be hardly any pause before they went into the next one."...
...”Until about twenty years ago, Bébé and Eraste Carrière played house dances regularly, not just around Lawtell, but as far away as Lake Charles, sometimes together, often with other musicians, and even alone (Eraste played many dances by himself). They have performed for countless audiences, both black and white, at innumerable, forgotten parties and dances, the likes of which are only a memory in Louisiana.
In the days before the many taverns and dance halls of today, people had dances in their homes, as Joseph describes: "They'd take out all the furniture of the biggest room – sometime you'd have to clean two room 'cause the crowd was too big. It was like that."...
Bébé's Blues, the other of the Carrière's songs on this record, is a fiddle number which Bébé says he learned from a record long ago; he can't remember either the original title or the lyrics, which he recalls were in English. The song, both men say, was extremely popular when Bébé played it at the old dances. "I made many people dance off of that song," he reminisces. When I played that tune they cut up the floor. Many time I had to play it twice, you know, clapping their hands like that, I'd have to go back and play the same thing again."...
The musical trading between blacks (Creoles, as they call themselves) and whites (Cajuns or Coonasses) has gone on for so long in south Louisiana that it is often difficult to determine the original owner of a given tune or musical quality. While the Carrières have drawn heavily on white traditions, and for that matter have played for white audiences with white musicians, their music remains, primarily because of rhythmical and vocal subtleties, unmistakably black. That, however, has never been much of a concern of' Bébé or Eraste – they have simply been playing music for people to dance to. Eraste told me that in the old days they might play a single tune for over a half-hour without stopping, and there would be hardly any pause before they went into the next one."...
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INFORMATION ABOUT BEAUSOLEIL
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BeauSoleil
"BeauSoleil (French, beautiful sun) is a US musical group specialising in Creole music. Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, the group members are brothers Michael Doucet (fiddle, vocals) and David Doucet (guitar, vocals), Billy Ware (percussion), Tommy Alesi (percussion), and Mitchell Reed (bass, fiddle)...
Founded in 1975, BeauSoleil (often billed as "BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet") released its first album in 1977 and became one of the most well-known bands performing traditional and original music rooted in the folk tunes of the Creole of Louisiana. BeauSoleil tours extensively in the U.S. and internationally. While its repertoire includes hundreds of traditional Cajun, Creole and zydeco songs, BeauSoleil has also pushed past constraints of purely traditional instrumentation, rhythm, and lyrics of Louisiana folk music, incorporating elements of rock and roll, jazz, blues, calypso, and other genres in original compositions and reworkings of traditional tunes. Lyrics on BeauSoleil recordings are sung in English or Louisiana Colonial French (and sometimes both in one song)."...
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FEATURED EXAMPLES
Example #1: Zydeco: Creole Music and Culture in Rural Louisiana
.
folkstreamer, Uploaded on Jun 3, 2009
1986 Nick Spitzer film on African American dance-hall music in French-speaking southwest Louisiana, with Dolon Carriere, Armand Ardoin, and Alphonse Bois Sec Ardoin.
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The sub-titles identifies the second song in this clip as “Blues a Bebe”.
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Example #2: beausoleil - blues a bebe
skald17Uploaded on May 14, 2011
my favourite beausoleil song.
Music : "Blues a Bebe" by Michael Doucet, Beausoleil
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LYRICS
[These Cajun and English lyrics were given as comments in the discussion thread for the sound file that is given above as Example #2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAHHnzMxqd0 ] I don't know if these lyrics and their translation are accurate.
rxguerin7, 2011
Oh! le blues à bébé, bébé, cadien
Ces grands musiciens qui restent à l’hôtel
Pour prendre son violon et puis l’et son archet
Seulement pour rien faire que fait à danser
Oh! le blues à bébé, bébé, cadien
C’est ça que tu attends dans le bar à l’hôtel
Oh! le blues à bébé, c’est pour toi et moi
seulement, qui connait la pauvre Marie-Lou
tom periou , 2011
the blues of Bebe' Bebe Carrier
a grand musician that lives in Lawtell
when he takes up his violin and strings his bow
the people can't do anything but dance
the blues of Bebe' Bebe Carrier
that's what you will hear in the bars of Lawtell
Oh, the blues of Bebe'
Are for you and I
the people who know the
meaning of " miserable" love.
repeat last line" It's for you and me my little love."
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Bebe Carrier= Louisiana Creole fiddler Bébé Carrière
This post showcases the American children's television Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song "Hot Dog (Hot Diggity Dog)".
Two video examples of that song and the song's lyrics are included in this post. Additional videos and comments are included in this post and the Addendum to this post that refer to the cultural influences on the lyrics to that song, the "Hot Dog" dance as performed in these videos, and also to one of the costumes worn in the second video of that song and dance.
This song is a departure from the usual music featured in this blog which showcases Black music in the United States and around the world. While I believe that African American culture influenced some parts of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse's "Hot Dog (Hot Diggity Dog)" song, by no means do I think that that African American culture is the only cultural influence on this song.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic reasons.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composers of this song. Thanks to all those quoted in this post and to the producers, singers, and musicians in each of these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube. Special thanks to my toddler granddaughter for introducing me to lots of creative children's songs and videos, including "Hot Dog (Hot Diggity Dog)".
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INFORMATION ABOUT MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Mouse_Clubhouse
"Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is an American animated interactive television series produced from 2006 to Present. The series, Disney Television Animation's first computer animated series, was aimed at preschoolers....
Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto star in the series, which focuses on interacting with the viewer to stimulate problem solving."
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The song "Hot Dog (Hot Diggity Dog)" is sung at the end of every episode of this series.
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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - 'Hot Dog Dance' - Disney Official
DisneyJuniorUK, Published on Sep 12, 2012
Hot Dog Hot Dog Hot Diggidy Dog! Can you learn all of the moves and sing a long to the Hot Dog dance? Mickey and friends will show you how to do the Hot Dog dance!
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Example #2: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - Halloween Hotdog Dance
DisneyJuniorUK, Published on Oct 30, 2013
Join Mickey Mouse and friends as they celebrate Halloween together!
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LYRICS - HOT DOG (HOT DIGGITY DOG) Version #1
(Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)
Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog
Now, we've got ears, it's time for cheers
Hot Dog, Hot Dog, the problem's solved...
Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog!
[character interruption]
Mickey: What a Hot Dog Day!
Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog
It's a brand new day, what'cha waitin' for?
Get up, stretch out, stomp on the floor...
Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog!
Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog
We're splittin' the scene, we're full of beans
So long for now, from Mickey Mouse...
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LYRICS - HOT DOG (HOT DIGGITY DOG) Version #2
(Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)
Hot dog! (Hot dog) Hot dog!
Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog
Now we got ears, it's time for cheers
Hot dog, hot dog, the problem's solved
Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog
Grab my boots and a sandwich
Let's start a parade
Get the coconut drum kit
For Daisy to play
Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog
We're taking off, we're dancing now
Hot dog, leapfrog, and holy cow
Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog
Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog
It's a brand new day
Whatcha waiting for?
Get up, stretch out, stomp on the floor
Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog
Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggety dog
We're splitting the scene
We're full of beans
So long for now from Mickey Mouse
(That's me!)
And the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Source: http://tmbw.net/wiki/Lyrics:Hot_Dog!
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Both websites indicate that "Hot Dog" (Hot Diggity Dog) is sung by "They Might Be Giants". The song was recorded in 2006. The name of the song's composer isn't given on that website or on any other website about this song that I visted.
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CULTURAL INFLUENCES - THE SONG'S LYRICS [Version #2]
Hot dog
"hot dog - "sausage on a split roll," c.1890, popularized by cartoonist T.A. Dorgan. It is said to echo a 19c. suspicion (occasionally justified) that sausages contained dog meat. Meaning "someone particularly skilled or excellent" (with overtones of showing off) is from 1896. Connection between the two senses, if any, is unclear. Hot dog! as an exclamation of approval was in use by 1906." http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hot+dog
**
From http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Hot_Dog_Dance
The song is title[d] "Hot Dog!" and is performed by They Might Be Giants. It echoes Mickey's first spoken words in the 1929 short The Karnival Kid."
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That cartoon video is found below under my comments about the dance that is performed in that Clubhouse cartoon.
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Hot diggity dog
This phrase is lifted from the 1956 American Pop song "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)". The song was "recorded by Perry Como and went to #1 on the Billboard pop music chart later that year. The song's melody is based on Emmanuel Chabrier's 1883 composition, España...
The phrase "hot diggity dog!" dates to at least 1928, when Al Jolson was recorded saying "Hot diggity dog! Hot kitty! Hot pussycat! Didn't I tell you you'd love it?" after a performance of the tune "There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder""... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Diggity_(Dog_Ziggity_Boom).
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A video of Perry Como singing "Hot Diggity" is included in the Addendum to this post. A video of Emmanuel Chabrier's "España" is also included in the Addendum.
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"it's time for cheers"
it's time for us to cheer; it's time for us to be happy (cheerful)
**
"Get the coconut drum kit"
A drum made out of coconut for Daisy [the female duck character in the Clubhouse] to play. A video of a coconut drum is included in the Addendum.
**
"Hot dog, leapfrog, and holy cow"
These words all refer to animals and probably have no other meaning in this song beyond that. However, both "hot dog" and "holy cow" are exclamations.
"Holy cow!" (and similar) is an exclamation of surprise used mostly in the United States, Canada, Australia and England. It is a minced oath or euphemism for "Holy Christ!"
Holy Cow! dates to at least 1905.[1]!...The phrase was used by baseball players at least as early as 1913[3] and probably much earlier.[4] The phrase appears to have been adopted as a means to avoid penalties for using obscene or indecent language and may have been based on a general awareness of the holiness of cows in some religious traditions.[5]"From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_cow_(expression)
**
"Stomp on the floor"
means to dance energetically
From http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stomp
"Stomp - a jazz composition, especially in early jazz, marked by a driving rhythm and a fast tempo.
a dance to this music, usually marked by heavy stamping of the feet.
Origin 1820-1830"
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"Stomps" is a referent for music/dance originated in African American culture.
**
"We're splitting the scene"
means "We're leaving this place
However, saying that a person is full of beans may also be a serious insult since being "full of beans" also can mean being "full of 'crap'".
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THE TUNE USED FOR MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE "HOT DOG" SONG?
The words "hot diggity" in the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song evoke the lyrics from the 1956 song "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)". However, the tune of Mickey Mouse song reminds me of an earlier song "Three Little Fishes". Here's a video of that song:
Andrews Sisters - Three Little Fishes
warholsoup100, Uploaded on May 28, 2011
-snip-
Information about The Andrews Sisters and the lyrics to the "Three Little Fishes" song are included in the publisher's statement for this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaJ-Ou5gTdw
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THE "HOT DOG" DANCE
According to http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Hot_Dog_Dance
"The Hot Dog Dance" is the dance Mickey and the gang do at the end of every episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Every character has a different dance move he or she does to the song...
Trivia
How everyone performs the dance:
◾Mickey: Swings his body back and fourth while swaying his arms and kicking his feet out.
◾Minnie: Similar to Mickey, but swings out her arms while kicking her heels.
◾Goofy: Flaps his arms like a bird while squatting up and down and kicking out his legs.
◾Pluto: Squats up and down while leaning from side to side.
◾Donald: Swings his arms back and fourth while hopping on his feet.
◾Daisy: Sways her arms side to side and leans to the opposite side.
◾In Season 1, the dance was referred to as the "Mouskadance"."
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It seems to me that each Mickey Mouse Clubhouse character is doing his or her own version of the same dance.
I believe that this "Hot Dog" dance is another name for the African American originated "Hootchie Kootchie Dance" ("Shimmy Dance") that Minney Mouse does in Mickey Mouse's first cartoon "The Karnival Kid". (from about 1:05 to 1:29 in that video. After which Mickey Mouse calls out "Hot dogs Hot dogs" that he is selling from a cart. In the back of that cart is a sign "Minnie Shimmy Dancer".
Mickey Mouse The Karnival Kid (1929)
chitchcock92, Published on Jul 21, 2012
Mickey Mouse at age 1, said his first words in this cartoon. Mickey (voiced by Walt Disney) said "Hot dogs! Hot dogs"
-snip-
Here's a video of the Shimmy from the 1920s:
The Roaring Twenties - Dancing The Shimmy
Aaron1912,Published on Mar 10, 2012
Before the Charleston there was the Shimmy. Shake your body all over.
-snip-
The Shimmy dance originated among African Americans.
Characteters in the American children's educational cartoon characters "SuperWhy" do a similar dance while singing the song "Hip Hip Hooray" at the end of each of their cartoons. As is the case with the "Hot Dog" dance, each Super Why character does this dance their own way. Here's a video of that song and dance:
YouTube - SUPER WHY! - -Hip Hip Hooray!- - PBS KIDS.HD
jasnoorvirk noor, Uploaded on Feb 23, 2012
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The Super Why! cartoon series debuted in 2007. It may be a coincidence that these two cartoon series end each episode in what appears to me to be similar ways. Click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Why! for information about Super Why! cartoons.
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WASHBOARD INSTRUMENT IN THE VIDEO OF MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE HALLOWEEN VERSION OF THIS SONG
[Example #2 above]
I found it interesting that Goofy [the tall dog character] is wearing a washboard (rubboard/frottoir) as part of his Halloween costume. Here's information about that musical instrument:
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washboard
"A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century, the washboard has become better known for its originally subsidiary use as a musical instrument...
Washboards with brass ridges are still made, and some who use washboards as musical instruments prefer the sound of the somewhat more expensive brass boards. One of the few musical instruments invented entirely in the United States is the Zydeco Frottoir (Zydeco Rubboard), a distillation of the washboard into essential elements (percussive surface with shoulder straps) designed by Clifton Chenier and built by Willie Landry in 1946."
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A video of a Zydeco band including a musician playing a frottoir is found in the Addendum below.
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ADDENDUM: VIDEOS
Example #1: Emmanuel Chabrier - España Rhapsody For Orchestra
glagolitic, Published on Sep 10, 2013
The BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leonard Slatkin
Recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday 19th July 2002
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"España" is the tune used for the 1956 song "Hot Diggity". Emmanuel Chabrier (January 18, 1841 – September 13, 1894) was a French Romantic composer and pianist...Gustav Mahler called España "the beginnings of modern music". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuel_Chabrier
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Example #2: Perry Como Live - Hot Diggity - 1956
furn738, Uploaded on Jun 2, 2011
The melody for Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom) is based on Emmanuel Chabrier's 1883 composition, "España."
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Example #3: COCONUT HAND DRUM
Sergi Garcia, Published on May 4, 2014
The drums of coconut are common throughout South-East Asia.
They are used to make rhythms.
Hand covering the opening can get different effects.
Includes stick.
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Example #4: Queen Ida and The Bon Temps Zydeco Band - Rosa Majeur
