Yes: Lyrics
Songs with this rating are admissible, with no problematic message or irredeemable lyrics.
The Reviewers' Note stipulates required change to lyrics.
Songs with this rating are admissible, with no problematic message or irredeemable lyrics.
The Reviewers' Note stipulates required change to lyrics.
Reevaluation: Jul 2, 2023: change from YES to YES: Lyrics & YES: Caution
This song is admissible ONLY with the omission of verse 2.
If verse 4 is sung, an appropriate MC-introduction is recommended.
The poem that would become the lyrics of this classic patriotic song was written in 1895 by feminist poet Katherine Lee Bates, who believed in community and social justice. As Lynn Sherr notes in her book America the Beautiful: The Stirring True Story Behind Our Nation's Favorite Song, “The main themes of America the Beautiful are ones Bates explored all her life: the wonder of nature, the vitality of our nation, its treasured past and infinite potential for the future.”
VERSE 2 speaks of pilgrims conquering “the wilderness” and must be omitted:
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
Pilgrims and other colonists trod a path across land inhabited by millions of Native Americans. They and subsequent generations trod a path of destruction to the lives and way of life of the indigenous people. And while Sherr notes that Bates was aware of the near annihilation of Native Americans, elsewhere calling “the shame of the Indian,” like the “shame of the slave,” one of the “blots” staining the country’s past, she does not mention Native Americans here. The lines that complete the verse, though, do indicate her awareness and hope for redemption: America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!
VERSE 4 (final verse) represents (as noted by Sherr) “the dreamy vision of harmony and beauty” that Bates saw in the White City of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, “the peaceful ideal that she hoped would appear on the other side of the century.”
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
Yet for many in today’s audiences, those “alabaster cities” are too reminiscent of a racist notion of all-White cities and the reference to “undimmed by human tears” is a slap in the face to the Black and indigenous Americans who indeed left a trail of tears. As Luke Hill notes in 2012, discussing Ray Charles lauded rendition of the song:
In Charles’ version, the third verse comes first, and the second and fourth verses are dropped completely. No “pilgrim feet” with “stern impassioned stress” beating “a thoroughfare for freedom...across the wilderness”---and over the dead bodies of anyone who got in their way. No “alabaster cities” gleaming “undimmed by human tears.” Black America has never had a life undimmed by human tears."
Thus, if this 4th verse is included it must be appropriately introduced to explain the aspirational intent of Bate’s verse while noting the reality that 130+ years after it was written, we know many tears have been shed in the struggle to reach that aspirational vision, as yet unrealized.
This song reflects aspects of Black culture and body types and by itself is not racist. The opening spoken lyrics are racist by design as a critique of the American feminine beauty ideal that is not representative of the average Black body (see What is the song about & Song history sections of this document). It therefore cannot be rated inadmissible by established SAT criteria. However, we do urge extreme caution in selecting this song, even as a parody.
The original lyrics (depending on your point of view) are adoring, fetishizing, or objectifying Black women's bodies...which is race-based if not racist (depending on the singer/audience). Therefore, predominantly White ensembles must consider that audiences will likely respond differently to their performance of the song (even as a parody) than to Sir Mix-A-Lot's original performance (which itself was met with criticism by some). Even parodied, it may be considered cultural appropriation and elicit negative audience response.
In performing this song or any recognizable parts of the song or parody:
Do not use the spoken intro from the video (which includes two white girls commenting on the butt of a Black woman, e.g., "she so...Black!" along with other disparaging comments)
Do not attempt to mimic a "rapper style"; do not emulate Sir Mix-a-Lot's posture, delivery, etc.
This will help avoid the perception of mockery and may help mitigate (though not eliminate) the sting of cultural appropriation.
This song is admissible only with the omission of "war paint" in the lyrics: Dress in my Sunday go t’ meetin’, put on war paint, and my sequins, with a fringe, Oh so long!
The admissibility rating of YES has been added because the arranger no longer sells arrangements that include "war paint." But the Yes: Lyrics rating remains so those with older versions of the arrangement will be aware of the lyric change requirement.
The phrase "war paint" plays into the stereotyping and caricaturing of Indigenous Peoples. And -- like all indigenous regalia -- Halifax's poet laureate, Rebecca Thomas, notes that it "has a purpose, it has a significance, it has a meaning." Using the phrase to signify makeup is trivializing.
The arranger suggests the following change: Dress in my Sunday go t’ meetin’, fancy makeup, and my sequins, with a fringe, Oh so long!
References:
Thirty Everyday Phrases that Perpetuate the Oppression of Indigenous Peoples
Concert-goers wearing imitation war paint offensive, poet laureate says
This arrangement is admissible only with the required lyric-change. This arrangement has changed the line "whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother" to "whether you're a sistah or whether you're a Mistah." Sistah is considered African American English (AAE) and refers to Black women (Harper Collins definition of “sista”). Anyone can be a sister, but not everyone is a "sista."
Therefore, non-Black performers must change “sistah” to “sister.” Please see AAE & Cultural Appropriation in Music & Society for details, videos, and references.
(song is also rated Yes: Caution)
This song is admissible only with the omission of “gypsy vermin” from the lyrics. The song is admissible because the lyrics themselves do not contain the problematic tropes/issues presented by the source musical and the book upon which it is based. However, because the song presents a message that cannot be understood without the context of the story/characters in the source material, ensembles must give careful thought and consideration in choosing and presenting this song and ensure that all members understand the issues presented by the Disney movie and novel. Appropriate MC introduction should be used, recognizing the harmful depictions of Romani in the novel and musical, but embracing the movie's message of accepting and valuing those whom society treats as outcasts.
The word “gypsy” with a capital “G” is undoubtedly offensive and an ethnic slur against Romani people. With a lower-case “g,” the word has many meanings, most inoffensive (e.g. a wanderer moving from place to place). Some Romani people find the word to be totally unproblematic, others are OK with the lower-case form, and others are not OK with any form of the word. It is therefore wise to avoid use of the word at all, especially since to this day, the Romani people face considerable overt oppression in Europe.
A National Organization for Women blog notes:
The media offers two stereotypes of Romani women: the beggar, who is dirty and exploiting social welfare, and a hypersexualized magical being who threatens the patriarchy. So, while the use of the word “gypsy” seems innocent, it is dangerous to Romani women.
REFERENCES: Is "Gypsy" a Slur? | The "G" Word Isn't for You: How "Gypsy" Erases Romani Women | Why It's Time to Stop Saying "Gypsy")
The song’s lyrics, message, and history are otherwise innocuous, so a lyric change works here.
The Bells of Notre Dame was written for Disney’s 1996 movie adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The novel is extremely problematic in its stereotypical portrayal of Romani people as musical nomads, beggars, thieves and cutthroats. Disney's version modernized and simplified aspects of the novel, changed the backstory, and adds a “happier” ending but does little to dispel the othering and negative stereotypes of Romani, who are in fact drawn as racial caricatures (as seen in #3 here). And while Disney improves upon Hugo’s book in that it presents violence against the Roma as being wrong and the racism exhibited in the Disney movie is largely on the part of the “bad guys,” several other problematic issues also remain:
The liberal use of the racial slur, gypsy—by both villains and protagonists
The objectification and hyper-sexualization of Esmeralda plays into the harmful stereotype of Romani women as dangerous and cunning, using their sexuality to get what they want. This is especially problematic given Roma women’s “history of being sexually assaulted, enslaved, fetishized, and marginalized by White men.” (How Gypsy Erases Romani Women)
While Frollo is clearly a villain and his lust for Esmeralda might be viewed as wrong and a failing on his part, it is undeniable that Esmeralda is unnecessarily sexualized in the way she is drawn and in her dance, appearing to be part lap, part pole dance, with Phoebus even tossing a coin at her (video).
The “good” character Phoebus also lusts after Esmeralda and “walks a fine line between sexual harassment and flirtation.”
Quasimodo—the other Roma main character—is also exoticized and othered in his “monstrous” appearance and super-human strength.
The Disney voice actor for the Romani character Clopin is quoted as saying: “I invented Clopin’s accent. Although the film takes place in Paris, the Gypsies are a separate society. They’re not from Paris, and they’re not quite Russian, French, or Czech. So I went with an accent that you can’t quite put your finger on.” Yet, the Romani are not related to any of the nationalities he lists and actually do have specific accents depending upon the dialects spoken.
As Roma and their history often face erasure, especially in regard to the genocide of Roma both during and prior to World War II and The Holocaust, it is important that Roma be positively, respectfully, and more often depicted in the media, and for racism against them to be thoroughly and accurately addressed.[1] Unfortunately, the Disney film does little to address the harmful and erroneous images of Romani and ends up perpetuating a view of the Roma that has haunted them for centuries. The Roma are the fastest-growing ethnic group in Eastern Europe and the most disadvantaged—continuing to suffer oppression today.[2] People pay attention to what happens in Notre Dame. While it means resilience, strength and beauty for the French and others across the world, it's also a place where prejudices and harmful images have emerged and continue to negatively impact the Roma. [3]
Reevaluation: Sep 16, 2023: change from YES to YES: Lyrics
This song is admissible only with the omission of any references to “voodoo.” The song plays on the cultural trope that love can be generated or controlled through spells, witchcraft, or enchantment. Original lyrics do not reference “voodoo,” but the Steve Lawrence version from the 2005 movie Bewitched trivializes “voodoo” as romantic bewitching, adding this line: You do that crazy voodoo.
Vodou is a religion originating in West Africa and practiced in the Caribbean (it is Haiti’s official religion) and in the southern United States (especially Louisiana), where its history is intertwined with slavery. White enslavers viewed the religion as primitive, bloodthirsty, and violent. Throughout the era of slavery and beyond, distortions of Vodou have been used to perpetuate damaging stereotypes of the Black community and deepen the act of ‘othering.’ This imagined version of Vodou was picked up and further distorted by Hollywood and tawdry thrillers. Please see additional details and references here.
In contrast, Hoodoo -- while culturally specific to the African American community -- is a system of folk magic used for personal empowerment. Hoodoo does indeed incorporate love spells into its traditions. However, as noted in CulturesofWestAfrica.com, “Hoodoo emerged in a context of oppression and exploitation, allowing African Americans to assert some control over their lives.” Therefore, ensembles may choose to substitute “hoodoo” for “voodoo” in song lyrics referencing love spells. However, hoodoo must not be used in conjunction with a disrespectful adjective such as “crazy” (as found in the Steve Lawrence version).
Please see the Reviewers’ Notes for Day In, Day Out for additional details and references to understand the differences between Vodou and Hoodoo.
Medley with this Song
Halloween Medley
11/25/24: REEVALUATION from YES: NOTE to YES: LYRICS
This song is admissible only with omission or change of the lyric: "Jack we'll soon have a Japanese derby / and beat it like a cymbal on a music rack."
The Japanese Derby is an annual prestigious horse race that was first run in 1932. But in this World War II era American song, "derby" very likely refers to its alternate meaning -- a bowler hat. As noted in an Oregon Public Broadcasting story: "American soldiers would often take 'souvenirs' of war from defeated enemies. Sometimes it was gear, like government-issued helmets…."
The lyrics specifically mention the Japanese, likely due to their 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor which drew the United States into the war and fueled widespread anti-Japanese sentiment. While not overtly racist, "Japanese derby" paired with "beat it like a cymbal" conjures a disturbing image. It may evoke the cymbal-like shape of traditional Japanese straw hats and imply violence against Japanese people or culture.
The reference to the Japanese and World War II context might also evoke recollection of the incarceration of innocent Japanese American civilians (also occurred in Canada) between 1942 and 1946, even though the lyrics do not directly reference this disturbing history. Wikipedia notes:
During World War II, the United States forcibly relocated and incarcerated about 120,000 people of Japanese descent [1/16th or more Japanese heritage] in ten concentration camps operated by the War Relocation Authority (WRA), mostly in the western interior of the country. Approximately two-thirds of the detainees were United States citizens. … The scale of the incarceration in proportion to the size of the Japanese American population far surpassed similar measures undertaken against German and Italian Americans who numbered in the millions and of whom some thousands were interned, most of these non-citizens.
Britannica.com adds that: “A federal investigation revealed that at the time of internment, only three percent of Japanese Americans were considered direct threats to U.S. security.”
LYRIC SUBSTITUTION EXAMPLES:
Racial reference is removed, but does not mitigate the disturbing wartime meaning of taking a souvenir from a dead combatant:
Jack, we'll soon have a souvenir derby / and beat it like a cymbal on a music rack."
These two options remove references to darker wartime themes:
Jack, we’ll soon have a welcome home party / and beat it like a cymbal on a music rack.
Jack will soon be jammin' on that drum set / and beat it while the cymbals cry, "our boy is back!”
For information on important considerations for lyric changes, especially in contest songs, see Topic II. D. in the Music Category section of the Judging Category Description Book.
Additional References:
Eighty Years After the U.S. Incarcerated 120,000 Japanese Americans, Trauma and Scars Still Remain
George Takei on WWII Internment and US Allegiance
Why the US photographed its own WWII concentration camps | 15-min video
6-min video about trophy helmets
GENERAL NOTE RE: Innocuous Songs from Problematic Movies/Musicals or Source Material/Author
This song is admissible only with LYRIC OMISSION or CHANGE.
The troublesome original lyrics are:
“You’re Black, white, beige, chola descent / You’re Lebanese, you’re Orient”
and
“No matter Black, white or beige / Chola or orient made / I’m on the right track baby / I was born to be brave.”
See Reviewer Notes at the bottom of this document for details.
In Orville Peck’s 2021 country version, he replaces the offensive lyrics:
“No matter Black, white or beige / Asian or Latinx made…”
(song is also rated Yes: Caution)
The original lyrics of this song contain Black vernacular. In determining admissibility, we have noted that the dialect contained in this song is quite different from the dialect contained in other songs that have been deemed inadmissible on these grounds. The purpose of the dialect in this song (and Show Boat, generally)—while having been criticized by some as being stereotypical—is not to demean or mock, as is the case with minstrel songs and c**n songs. HOWEVER:
It is required that performers use non-vernacular lyrics, as performed by the biracial character, Julie, and as likely contained in barbershop arrangements.
Before choosing this song, all performers should understand the criticisms of the song and the originating show (see Notes on Show Boat) and carefully deliberate as to whether or not the song is appropriate for their performing group.
Chicago, That Todd’ling Town is admissible because its popular lyrics and message are not racist or demeaning. However, the following original lyrics must be omitted:
More colored people up in State Street you can see
Than you’ll see in Louisiana, or Tennessee
While this was the polite terminology of the day, it is no longer acceptable. These lyrics were omitted from Frank Sinatra’s 1957 version which popularized the song, and is not likely to be contained in today’s arrangements.
Please also note that these lyrics arose from the remarkable increase in the Black population of Chicago at that time--a 148% increase between 1910-1920. This was due to the Great Migration (1916-1970) in which Black people were driven from their homes in the South by oppressive economic conditions, harsh segregationist Jim Crow laws, and the intimidation and violence inflicted by the now-underground Ku Klux Klan and sympathizers.The fact that Black people were concentrated in a particular part of town was due to the racism and redlining they encountered in their new homes.
Isabel Wilkerson’s 2010 book, The Warmth of Other Suns, is an excellent treatise on the topic in which she details the travails of three individuals--the violence they faced in fleeing the Jim Crow South and difficulties encountered in their new homes, North and West--as well as the impact the mass exodus of nearly 6,000,000 people had on the culture, economics, and face of America.
While this song is admissible, this arrangement adds an Aloha ‘Oe refrain. This refrain must be omitted in order for this arrangement to be admissible.
The song, Aloha ‘Oe is deeply significant to indigenous Hawaiians (see research link). Its inclusion in this arrangement is gratuitous and problematic in its implication that tropical islands are interchangeable (Christmas Island is an Australian external territory).
Admissible only with lyric change: please replace “dressed up like Eskimos” to “dressed up in winter clothes” or other appropriate lyric.
People in many parts of the Arctic consider Eskimo a derogatory term because it was widely used by racist, non-native colonizers. Many people also thought it meant eater of raw meat, which connoted barbarism and violence. Although the word's exact etymology is unclear, mid-century anthropologists suggested that the word came from the Latin word excommunicati, meaning the excommunicated ones, because the native people of the Canadian Arctic were not Christian. Additional details available here.
(song is also rated Yes: Caution)
The intent of this song is the harmless recreation of a tropical paradise in one’s backyard. However, it plays on tropes that trivialize the beliefs and practices of the native Hawaiian people. In this way, it is similar to hapa-haole (half-white) songs—a genre that emerged from American colonial expansion to Hawai’i. These songs have been criticized for solidifying and perpetuating U.S. mainland caricatures of Hawai‘i as a place of grass shacks, white sandy beaches, lovely hula maidens, and happy dancing natives. (reference)
We ask that ensembles considering Come to Hawaii for inclusion in their repertoire carefully review and discuss the details provided in this document for more about hapa-haole songs and the harms resulting from the commodification of a people and culture.
Should you decide to perform Come to Hawaii, these LYRICS must be omitted: The neighbor girls with hula skirts a-flyin'/ And the punch is genuine Hawaiian.
There is no genuine “Hawaiian punch” – it is a branded product that has nothing to do with Hawaii.
The Hula is a deeply significant practice for native Hawaiians. Please see “The Hula” section of this document.
This song is admissible only with lyrics omission. The musical from which the song originates Mary Poppins Returns (2018), has been criticized for echoing two racist elements from the original source material, though the call-backs are subtle and not nearly as problematic as the blackface elements in the original 1964 Mary Poppins musical. A Cover is Not a Book contains one of those call-backs: Hyacinth Macaw. That verse must be omitted.**
n a New York Times article Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, a professor of English and gender studies professor at Oregon’s Linfield College, notes that P.L. Travers' first Mary Poppins novel, published in 1934, contains problematic racialized characters, one of which is a "scantily clad 'negro lady,' dandling 'a tiny black pickaninny with nothing on at all.'" (A pickaninny is an offensive racial caricature of Black children.) This "negro lady" speaks in a minstrel dialect and offers everyone watermelon. The offensive characters caused controversy in the early eighties and Travers begrudgingly rewrote them, substituting exotic animals. A hyacinth macaw with genteel English diction replaced the "negro lady." A reference to this hyacinth macaw makes an appearance in a musical number in Mary Poppins Returns (A Cover is Not the Book) that recounts various stories from the original novels, one of which deals with a wealthy widow, inexplicably called "Hyacinth Macaw."
The other problematic Mary Poppins Returns character harkens back to an "early Mickey Mouse short, a 1933 parody of the antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin called Mickey’s Mellerdrammer, Mickey blacks his face with dynamite to play Topsy, a crazy-haired, raggedy-dressed, comically unruly black child from the book whose name had become synonymous with the pickaninny caricature. In “Mary Poppins Returns,” the name of the crazy-haired, raggedy-dressed, comically unruly character (played by Meryl Streep) is also Topsy. She’s a variation on a Mr. Turvy in the novel Mary Poppins Comes Back (1935), whose workshop flips upside-down."
**VERSE TO OMIT:
Lady Hyacinth Macaw
Brought all her treasures to a reef
Where she only wore a smile
Plus two feathers, and a leaf
So no one tried to rob her
'Cause she barely wore a stitch
For when you're in your birthday suit
There ain't much there to show you're rich
While this song is admissible, this arrangement includes problematic lyrics substituted for the original lyrics Specifically:
Day in, Day out
That same old voodoo follows me about
“Voodoo” is substituted for the original lyric, “hoodoo.”
This arrangement may be performed only if the “voodoo” lyric is omitted or changed, e.g., the original “hoodoo” lyric may be used.
Please see the Reviewers’ Note in the research doc to understand the differences between Vodou and Hoodoo and why using “voodoo” in this song’s lyrics is problematic.
(song is also rated Yes: Caution)
YES: LYRICS REQUIREMENT
It's important to consider context and to respect the boundaries of cultural expression, especially when it comes to language that has strong ties to identity. Ensembles should be mindful and aware of how using AAE features might be perceived in different settings. Non-Black performers must remove "chile" from the lyrics to be respectful of cultural and linguistic diversity.
'Cause I'll make you an offer, child / That you cannot refuse.
“Child” used in this manner is African American English (AAE) (usually pronounced chile, as in the videos in the Earliest / Notable Performances section) and should not be appropriated by non-Black singers. Please see AAE & Cultural Appropriation in Music & Society.
The song also contains double negatives intended to be AAE (“don’t nobody give me no bad news”). Yet double negatives are not exclusive to AAE (e.g, appear in Appalachian English). And given its use in the title and as a refrain throughout the song, the phrase is integral to the song’s linguistic style and so should not be changed. Another issue is that altering it might come across as “correcting grammar.” However, non-Black performers should take care not to use a blaccent (video) or caricature African Americans in other ways, such as with exaggerated moves, mannerisms, or costuming.
(song is also rated Yes: Caution)
This song is admissible ONLY without the spoken intro included in the original version of the song. In this intro Stevie Wonder is trying to impress a woman and claims to speak fluent Spanish. While he does repeat an actual Spanish phrase ("todo 'stá bien chévere"), he also speaks gibberish in the dialogue. In a 2017 NPR interview in which he reflects on this intro, Wonder notes that he was taken with all the varieties of music and languages that he heard on the radio growing up and admits that the gibberish "was me mocking sort of the sound of it." While Wonders' intentions were likely silly and thoughtless rather than malicious, the gibberish may nonetheless be perceived as culturally insensitive or insulting.
If "todo 'stá bien chévere" is included as a refrain in the song, it must be pronounced correctly. Whenever a song is performed in a language in which most singers are not fluent, extra care must be taken to ensure that singers and audiences understand the meaning and intent of the lyrics and to ensure all words are pronounced correctly. This is a matter of respect for the language and culture.
We do not add this cautionary note to songs with English lyrics because – as the dominant language in the Barbershop genre – care in pronunciation of English lyrics is already addressed in the Judging Category Description Book – Sec. II–C, bottom of Page 1: Technical Elements.
Medley with this Song
I Say a Little Prayer for You/Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing (medley rated Yes: Note)
This song is admissible only with a lyric change: please use substitute lyrics for “gypsy”:
Just one look at you my heart grew tipsy in me / You and you alone bring out the gypsy in me
The word “gypsy” with a capital “G” is undoubtedly offensive and an ethnic slur against Romani people. With a lower-case “g,” the word has many meanings, most inoffensive (e.g. a wanderer moving from place to place). Some Romani people find the word to be totally unproblematic, others are OK with the lower-case form, and others are not OK with any form of the word. It is therefore wise to avoid use of the word at all, especially since to this day, the Romani people face considerable overt oppression in Europe.
A National Organization for Women blog notes:
The media offers two stereotypes of Romani women: the beggar, who is dirty and exploiting social welfare, and a hypersexualized magical being who threatens the patriarchy. So, while the use of the word “gypsy” seems innocent, it is dangerous to Romani women.
REFERENCES:
Is "Gypsy" a Slur? | The "G" Word Isn't for You: How "Gypsy" Erases Romani Women | Why It's Time to Stop Saying "Gypsy")
The song’s lyrics, message, and history are otherwise innocuous, so a lyric change works here.
Reevaluation: Jul 16, 2023: change from YES to YES: Lyrics
This medley is admissible ONLY with the required lyrics change in the Hit that Jive Jack portion. To avoid appearing to mimic a Black accent, “shake yo’ hand” must be changed to “shake your hand.”
This song is admissible with the omission of the following verse, that is not in the original song. It was added for Peggy Lee’s version.
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Had a very mad affair
When her daddy tried to kill him
She said, "Daddy, oh, don't you dare"
He gives me fever
This verse perpetuates an inaccurate and romanticized account of Native American history for which there is no historical evidence. It also depicts an inappropriate relationship between an adult and a minor, as Pocahontas was between 11-13 years of age. However, there are recorded records that she did indeed save Captain Smith from being killed. What was the relationship between Pocahontas and John Smith?
This song is admissible ONLY with the omission of the Black dialect (e.g., jes, 'spectin', dere) in the lyrics. Please also consider the following.
While Dvorak may have been influenced by the Negro Spiritual in the largo for his New World Symphony, op. 95 (which provides the melody for Goin’ Home), there is an equal similarity to his native Bohemian or Czech folk music. It's clear though that Arms Fisher considered the largo to be inspired by Negro Spirituals and deliberately wrote his lyrics in a style and dialect to mimic just that. (see History section of this document)
Even if Fisher's intent was to pay homage to the Negro Spiritual tradition, it belies a lack of comprehension and respect of the fact that Negro Spirituals are far more than a musical style--they are born of the pain, suffering, and indignities of enslavement. (Negro Spirituals reference). Thus, what Fisher may have considered cultural appreciation is actually an example of cultural appropriation.
In fact, as Emily Stephenson notes regarding Fisher’s stereotype-filled introduction:
Fisher’s outsider and dangerously essentialized perspective of Black people is shown here in the introduction to his anthology entitled “Negro spirituals.” He writes that black people were:
“Given an ingenuous native capacity for rhythmic musical expression, the gift of improvisation, a primitive but intense emotionalism, a condition of life that ranged from the most naïve light-heartedness to tragic somberness, and an utter dependence for consolation upon faith in invisible realities, often tinged with lingering elements from a barbaric past, and you have that truly unique product – the Spiritual with its background of torch-lit groves, swaying bodies and half-closed eyes.”
So since the spiritual is, as Fisher asserts, “a truly unique product” then why did Fisher not have any qualms about writing music for this genre?
William Arms Fisher’s “Goin’ home”: somehow a “Negro spiritual”
This song is admissible only with LYRIC CHANGES.
The troublesome lyrics--especially in the context of the opening lines (Now whatever happened to the songs of then / Oh how I’d love ta’ sing them all again) are:
They’d croon a tune of “Dixie” an’ the tears would start
I’d love ta’ sail away on the ol’ “Henry Clay”
Dixie and Henry Clay are both related to slavery in the antebellum south.
Dixie: Note that concern about the term “Dixie” is not an indictment of the South. The issue is that the term, “Dixie”—not the South—has become inextricably associated with racist ideologies, since the days of minstrelsy to the present. “Dixie” evokes a very specific time in the south—a nostalgic romanticizing of the antebellum South with its devastatingly cruel and dehumanizing institution of slavery and the subjugation African Americans endured for over a century afterwards. Details and additional references
Henry Clay was an enslaver Kentucky politician and a prominent figure in public discourse about slavery in the 19th century. According to Britannica, Clay initially "enthusiastically promoted the abolition of slavery," but in the Missouri Compromise "Clay and his colleagues, by avoiding a confrontation over slavery, chose political expediency over human liberty. For Clay, it was a departure from his earlier altruism when confronting slavery in Kentucky, and it would be years before he cast off political convenience to resume [an] antislavery stance at the end of his life." In any case, he enslaved people throughout his life and fought the emancipation of one of those he enslaved who sought liberty. He did not free those he enslaved until his death, with a provision in his will, though some he bequeathed to his son.
NOTE: We decided that lyric changes would rectify the issue because this song--written by a barberhopper--is not known outside the barbershop community and is not widely sung. So even a barbershop audience is not likely to be familiar with the original lyrics, which are not integral to the song's message.
A possible lyric substitution might be: They'd croon a tune of sweethearts and the tears would start / sail a-way on the sea all the day / an' sing a good ol' barbershop
This arrangement is admissible ONLY with the required lyrics change. To avoid appearing to mimic a Black accent, “shake yo’ hand” must be changed to “shake your hand.”
Admissible only with the following lyric change:
“Dixie’s sunny shores” to “sunny southern shores” or other appropriate lyrics.
Note that concern about the term “Dixie” is not an indictment of the South. The issue is that the term, “Dixie”—not the South—has become inextricably associated with racist ideologies, since the days of minstrelsy to the present. “Dixie” evokes a very specific time in the south—a nostalgic romanticizing of the antebellum South with its devastatingly cruel and dehumanizing institution of slavery and the subjugation African Americans endured for over a century afterwards. Details and additional references may be found here.
While this song is admissible, a LYRIC CHANGE is required for any arrangement that includes ooga chakas, patterned after Blue Swede’s cover of the song, removing the ooga chakkas. The ooga chakka chant evokes a fake tribal vibe. See ADDITIONAL DETAILS section in this document, here.
This is a correction rather than reevaluation. The rating had inadvertently been noted incorrectly.
Reevaluation: Sep 18, 2021: corrected from YES: Note to YES: Lyrics
IMPORTANT: this medley contains the Siamese twins lyrics, which must be omitted to be admissible.
See explanation below for Let's Do It, rated Yes: Lyrics.
(song is also rated Yes: Caution)
SAT SUBCOMMITTEE NOTES
Reevaluation: May 14, 2021: change from NO to YES: Caution
I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin’ was initially deemed inadmissible due to the Black vernacular contained in the original lyrics. However, it was noted that the dialect contained in this song is quite different from the dialect contained in other songs that have been deemed inadmissible on these grounds. The purpose of the dialect in Porgy and Bess—while having been criticized by some as being stereotypical—is not to demean or mock in the same way as minstrel and c**n songs. We therefore agreed that this song assessment should be changed to ADMISSIBLE WITH THE FOLLOWING CAUTIONS:
It is required that performers use more modernized and updated lyrics (without vernacular) such as that contained in the Jamison arrangement.
Before choosing this song, all performers should understand the criticisms of the song and the opera it came from (see notes on Porgy and Bess) and carefully deliberate as to whether or not the song is appropriate for their performing group.
(song is also rated Yes: Note)
This song is admissible only with two lyrics omissions:
1. "What makes a Hottentot so hot?" The term "hottentot" originated in the 1600s when the Dutch settled in South Africa. It refers to indigenous people of South Africa and is considered an offensive term. It also refers to the first Black unit in the South African army. See Who are the hottentots? | Hottentot Venus. Hottentot in this song may possibly refer to a fish, but its racist meaning is inescapable.
2. "What makes a King out of a slave? Courage." This implies that those enslaved simply lack the courage to break their shackles.
(song is also rated Yes: Caution)
It Ain’t Necessarily So is deemed admissible despite the Black vernacular contained in the original lyrics. This is because the dialect contained in this song is quite different from the dialect contained in other songs that have been deemed inadmissible on these grounds. The purpose of the dialect in Porgy and Bess—while having been criticized by some as being stereotypical—is not to demean or mock in the same way as minstrel and c**n songs.
This song is therefore ADMISSIBLE WITH THE FOLLOWING CAUTIONS:
It is required that performers use more modernized and updated lyrics (without the original vernacular).
Use of “ain’t” is not a concern: We reached out to Jennifer K. N. Heinmiller Executive Editor of the Oxford Dictionary of African American English (to be released in 2025) regarding use of double-negatives and “ain’t.” She replied that “The Oxford English Dictionary and other scholarly publications have documented double negative construction from pre-1600 and pre-1700, respectively, in England. Both are heavily associated with southern varieties of American English and African American English (AAE), but neither is exclusively AAE.“
Before choosing this song, all performers should understand the criticisms of the song and the opera it came from (see notes on Porgy and Bess) and carefully deliberate as to whether or not the song is appropriate for their performing group.
(See arrangers' note for additional relevant information)
While this song is admissible with modernized and updated lyrics (see Reviewers’ Notes in research doc), this arrangement does include vernacular lyrics. This arrangement is admissible only with the required LYRIC CHANGE:
"chillun" must be changed to "children" (“They tell all you chillun the devil’s a villain”) and possibly "man what's 900 years old" might be changed to "man who's 900 years" ("But who calls that livin' when no gal will give in to no man what's nine hundred years?")
Reevaluation: Jul 21, 2023: change from YES to YES: Lyrics & YES: Note
This song remains admissible but only with the omission of “Dixieland” and “Dixielanders” from the lyrics.*
Ensembles should also understand that contrary to what the lyrics in this song would suggest, Black jazz musicians – including those mentioned in this song: Joe "King" Oliver, Edward "Kid" Ory, Louis Armstrong, and many more—were motivated by more than "a better payin' job." They were forced to escape New Orleans due to an uptick in racism, prejudice, and violence against the Creole and African American population there. (reference1; reference2)
The departure of these Black musicians was, in fact, part of the Great Migration (1910-1970) when Black people fled the American South en masse “to escape racial violence, pursue economic and educational opportunities, and obtain freedom from the oppression of Jim Crow." Throughout the twentieth century, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America. An excellent book on the topic is The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, which details how oftentimes Black people had to escape the south in secret and in the dead of night to avoid being arrested, as the South sought to prevent the loss of their cheap labor.
Isabel Wilkerson excerpt from Migration and the places we call home beginning at 16 minutes:
This was the first time in American history that American citizens had to flee the land of their birth, just to be recognized as the citizens they've always been. ... This great migration was not a move, it was actually a seeking of political asylum within the borders of one's own country. They were defecting a caste system known as Jim Crow. ... They became political refugees in their own country.
Given this history, ensembles might discuss and consider changing "better payin' job" to "better way of life," though this is not a required change.
*Note that concern about the term “Dixie” is not an indictment of the South. The issue is that the term, “Dixie”—not the South—has become inextricably associated with racist ideologies, since the days of minstrelsy to the present. “Dixie” evokes a very specific time in the south—a nostalgic romanticizing of the antebellum South with its devastatingly cruel and dehumanizing institution of slavery and the subjugation African Americans endured for over a century afterwards. Details and additional references
This song is admissible only with LYRIC CHANGE.
The original lyrics contain the following verse, which must be omitted (as is done in modern versions of the song):
Now everyone was singing a Hawai’ian strain
Everyone seemed to have it on their brain
When Yaka Hicky Hoola Do was all the craze
Why that’s the one that had ‘em dazed
This verse references the 1916 song Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula (Hawaiian Love Song), composed by E. Ray Goetz, Joe Young, and Pete Wendling. It originated in the musical Robinson Crusoe Jr., in which Al Jolson sings it in blackface (image). In addition, Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula is a hapa-haole (half-white) song--a genre that emerged from American colonial expansion to Hawai’i. This music has been criticized for solidifying and perpetuating U.S. mainland caricatures of Hawai‘i as a place of grass shacks,white sandy beaches, lovely hula maidens, and happy dancing natives. Some songs in this genre--as does this song--caricature of the Hawai’ian language in a mockery of pidgin dialects commonly associated with non-native English speakers. (reference)
Please see additional information regarding blackface and hapa-haole songs at the end of the Admissibility section of this document, here.
(song is also rated YES: Caution)
This song is admissible, however, some of the original lyrics must not be included, i.e. the circled lyrics in this screenshot (as is omitted in most, if not all, barbershop arrangements).
Further, performers should take care to consider whether this song is appropriate for their group and if the group can authentically convey the excitement and vibe of the rent party atmosphere in 1930’s Harlem. We do not expect an ensemble to recreate a 1930’s Harlem “rent party” (nor should a predominantly White ensemble attempt this). Rather, our intent is for performers choosing this song to understand the history of the song and the feeling being conveyed by the lyrics/message. This would translate to a strong sense of community, freedom, joy, and abandonment of cares:
Rent parties were “celebrations with an undercurrent of desperation in the face of racism and discrimination.” It was the midst of the Great Migration during which Black Southerners escaped the terror of lynchings and Jim Crow in the South, only to be met with being “underpaid for their work and exploited for their rent, often charged 30 percent more per room than white working-class New Yorkers.” So “while much of the historic canon about rent parties focuses on their raucous joy, it was a stalking inequity that prompted them. … [R]ent parties were held by people who were in very precarious circumstances. They were acts of desperation.” At the same time, the pulse of rent parties appears as percussion beneath much of the art of the time,” including the birth of dances such as the Lindy Hop, and music and literature by the likes of Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Zora Neale Hurston, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, to name a few. See The Rent Was Too High So They Threw a Party.
This song is celebratory of Black culture in the Harlem Renaissance era, the “jazz age,” a time when African Americans built up a strong culture and community in Harlem. The jazz clubs of the Harlem Renaissance were a place where people could go to have fun, forget their cares, and truly celebrate with music and dance. Black musicians were creating a new style of music, and the Harlem Renaissance was a time where those musicians and the community who enjoyed the music could grow and thrive. (https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/harlem-renaissance)
This contrasts starkly with the “Back to Dixie” Lost Cause song tropes which describe fictitious stories of “happy Black people in the south” who loved to sing and dance. The Joint is Jumpin’ is a true reflection and celebration of a vibrant African American community and growing culture of exciting new music and dance forms. “Back to Dixie” Lost Cause song tropes constitute a fictional justification created by White people to depict enslaved people as “not having it so bad," which is egregiously false and speaks to nostalgia for and glorification of the antebellum south.
Some object to the lyric, “Grab anybody’s daughter.” However, given the context of the day, this is not misogynistic. Rather, it is a way to say “you can feel free to dance with anyone.” This contrasts with the White societal expectation of the time in which women held “dance cards” and the expectation was that a woman could only dance with the men who filled out the card. This line of the lyric is reflective of a culture that is freer, more liberated, than the White societal expectation of the times. If specific performers prefer to change the lyric, they may use their judgment in doing so.
“Every Mose is on his toes” - In the context of this song, “Mose” is a jargon term used to refer to any Black man who may be at the party described in the song. It’s just a means by which to quickly describe the characters in the song as mainly Black men—similar to saying “every Tom, Dick and Harry,” or “John Doe.”
This song is admissible only with LYRIC CHANGE.
The troublesome lyric is:
“Those exotic gals can be quite striking”
Exoticism often fetishizes and is a form of ethnic objectification. While the lyric does not specifically reference women of color, the effect is nonetheless problematic and may be solved by a simple change in lyrics. See suggestions on p. 4.*
For further information and references, please see ADDITIONAL DETAILS section in this document, here.
*Donya Metzger has released a new version of this arrangement with suggestions for lyric changes. Please see details in the lyrics section at the bottom of this document.
This is a correction rather than reevaluation. The rating had inadvertently been noted incorrectly.
Reevaluation: Sep 18, 2021: corrected from YES: Note to YES: Lyrics
Performers should be aware that the original lyrics for this song contain a couple of verses with racist language: references to chinks, japs, and Siamese twins.
IN ORDER TO BE ADMISSIBLE the chinks, japs, and Siamese twins* lyrics MUST be omitted.
The chinks/japs lyrics were replaced early on by Cole Porter himself and haven’t been recorded except for three early recordings (1928, 1941, 1944). Siamese twins is found in later recordings.
Further, the message of the song is not racist and removing the objectionable lyrics does not sanitize the song or change its meaning in any way. For this reason, lyric change/omission is an effective and acceptable remedy.
In fact, the original lyrics are very extensive and Noel Coward and other artists over the years have written additional verses. Therefore, arrangers and performers should take care to choose inoffensive lyrics, appropriate for all audiences.
However, know that for some who are familiar with the offensive lyrics, this song may leave a bad taste.
As always, submitted arrangements for this song will each be evaluated separately and will be rated accordingly if the lyrics contained are offensive.
*SIAMESE TWINS: while most are aware that chinks and japs are racially derogatory terms, many may not understand that Siamese Twins is also highly problematic. “However benignly it may be used, the term ‘Siamese twins’ is as inappropriate and offensive as the use of "Mongol" to describe an individual with Down's syndrome.” The racially problematic component arises from its derivation from the 19th-century freak show where paying customers queued up to gawk at Eng and Chang, conjoined twins from Siam (now known as Thailand). As teenagers, they were sold to Scottish businessman, Robert Hunter, and treated as property. They later struck out on their own. Reference 1, Reference 2
Medley with this Song
Hooray for Love / Let's Do It medley
This song is admissible only with a lyric change: please substitute “lady” or other non-offensive lyrics to replace the word, “gypsy.”
The word “gypsy” with a capital “G” is undoubtedly offensive and an ethnic slur against Romani people. With a lower-case “g,” the word has many meanings, most inoffensive (e.g. a wanderer moving from place to place). Some Romani people find the word to be totally unproblematic, others are OK with the lower-case form, and others are not OK with any form of the word. It is therefore wise to avoid use of the word at all, especially since to this day, the Romani people face considerable overt oppression in Europe.
A National Organization for Women blog notes:
The media offers two stereotypes of Romani women: the beggar, who is dirty and exploiting social welfare, and a hypersexualized magical being who threatens the patriarchy. So, while the use of the word “gypsy” seems innocent, it is dangerous to Romani women.
REFERENCES:
Is "Gypsy" a Slur?
The "G" Word Isn't for You: How "Gypsy" Erases Romani Women
Why It's Time to Stop Saying "Gypsy")
The word is used once in this song to describe the woman who made the titular potion:
I took my troubles down to Madame Ruth
You know that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth
The song’s lyrics, message, and history are otherwise innocuous, so a lyric change works here.
This song is admissible without the original lyric “Harlem coquettes.”
(song is also rated Yes: Caution)
While this song is admissible (see caution), this arrangement includes problematic lyrics. It appears the arranger may have based the lyrics upon an earlier version of the lyrics than the one used in the original recording, by Harry Belafonte, and the one used in other admissible arrangements of this song.
Specifically, this arrangement includes problematic vernacular such that performers will be affecting an exaggerated “island” accent.
The lyrics must be changed as follows, where all instances of the problematic lyrics are changed to the indicated non-vernacular English: (see research doc)
This arrangement may be performed ONLY with the lyrics changes.
This song is admissible only with the omission of "voodoo" from its lyrics. The song mentions swinging to a big bad voodoo band and wearing a big bad voodoo hat. This lyric is easily replaced since it really doesn't have any connection to a swing band (it is contained in the original lyrics because the song was written for the band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy). Using "voodoo" in this way is disrespectful and trivializing of this African diasporic religion.
Vodou is a religion originating in West Africa and practiced in the Caribbean (it is Haiti’s official religion) and in the southern United States (especially Louisiana), where its history is intertwined with slavery. White enslavers viewed the religion as primitive, bloodthirsty, and violent. Throughout the era of slavery and beyond, distortions of Vodou have been used to perpetuate damaging stereotypes of the Black community and deepen the act of ‘othering.’ This imagined version of Vodou was picked up and further distorted by Hollywood and tawdry thrillers. Please see additional details and references here.
Nobody Knows What a Red Head Mama Can Do is admissible ONLY with the “Louisville Lou” lyric omitted. “Louisville Lou'' refers to the titular character in the song, Louisville Lou which has been rated inadmissible due to the clear presence of the “Jezebel” trope -- a negative and derogatory portrayal of a Black woman as a hyper-sexualized character. In this song it is not clear that the “Red-head mama” is a Black woman and so the song is admissible with lyric change. Because it is not clear that this song is about a Black woman, the Jezebel trope does not apply to Red Head Mama.
Also note that this song falls into the category of songs that have likely been performed in Blackface. While we can’t find definitive evidence of blackface performances, all the early performers were either “c**n shouters” or regularly performed in blackface: Margaret Young (who also recorded Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now), Irving Kaufman (who not only performed in blackface, but also had a radio character named “Lazy Dan, the Minstrel Man”), Cliff Edwards, and Ernest Hare there are pictures of him in blackface, though not in relation to this song). C**n shouting, the last descendent of the nineteenth-century minstrel show, represented popular theater’s transition from blackface minstrelsy to American vaudeville. Please see additional details on c**n shouters and c**n songs here.
Blackface minstrelsy portrayed racist, demeaning caricatures of Black people, shown as naive buffoons or uncontrollable children who danced their way through and expressed a fondness for the system of slavery (video montage of blackface caricature).
Please review the Blackface Minstrelsy document for details on this noxious genre, its influence on the perception of Black people, and its presence today.
Given the pervasiveness and popularity of blackface for over 100 years, many songs of that period had their beginnings in blackface performances. In evaluating these songs, we consider:
Are the lyrics and message of the song in any way demeaning? NO
Did the song gain popularity through subsequent non-blackface performances? Unsure
There do not appear to be many recordings after 1925. However, because we don’t know definitively that the song was performed in blackface, this answer is acceptable.
Therefore, this song is rated ADMISSIBLE with LYRIC CHANGE.
(song is also rated Yes: Note)
This song is admissible only without the next to last closing line: I’ll walk a million miles / for life’s full of smiles.
While the words and melody are slightly altered, this line in Nothing Can Stop Me Now clearly brings to mind the closing line of Al Jolson’s My Mammy (I’d walk a million miles/ for one of her smiles) and makes little sense otherwise. Compare these recordings: Nothing Can Stop Me Now and My Mammy [warning: blackface performance].
And in fact, Stephen Banfield in The British Musical notes that songwriter/performer Anthony Newley was often referred to as a "latter-day British Al Jolson." That he would pay homage to Jolson in this way is not surprising given his professed admiration, as quoted in the Garth Bardsley’s biography, Anthony Newley: Stop the World:
I was only about 10 years old when I saw The Jolson Story, but I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a performer. Jolson was the most amazing person I had ever seen. He could do everything. He could sing, he could dance, he could act, and he could make people laugh and cry. I wanted to be just like him.
Medley with this Song
Wonderful Day Like Today, A / Nothing Can Stop Me Now (medley rated Yes: Note)
This song is admissible ONLY with the omission of the term "Frenchy." While in this song "Frenchy" is used as an endearment, today this term is mostly used in a derogatory fashion and is commonly hurled as an insult on Canadian playgrounds where schools often have two programs, one taught in English and the other in French. A different term of endearment ("lover" or "my Jean"). might be substituted.
Ensembles must also be certain to pronounce the French name "Jean" correctly (though it is mispronounced in early recordings of the song.) Click here for pronunciation of Jean in French.
While this song is admissible, this arrangement includes problematic lyrics added as an intro and in the interlude by the arranger. Specifically:
When I hear Dixieland jazz and razzamatazz
Then I long to hear old piano roll blues
and
How I love that Dixieland jazz! (I love that Dixieland jazz)
This arrangement may be performed only if the references to Dixieland are omitted. E.g., substitute “all that jazz”
Dixie/Dixieland: Note that concern about the term “Dixie” is not an indictment of the South. The issue is that the term, “Dixie”—not the South—has become inextricably associated with racist ideologies, since the days of minstrelsy to the present. “Dixie” evokes a very specific time in the south—a nostalgic romanticizing of the antebellum South with its devastatingly cruel and dehumanizing institution of slavery and the subjugation African Americans endured for over a century afterwards. Details and additional references may be found here.
Reevaluation: Jul 8, 2022: change from YES to YES: Lyrics
This song is admissible only with a lyric change: please use substitute lyrics for “gypsy”:
On the road again, like a band of gypsies we go down the highway.
A possible substitute might be:
On the road again, we’re a band of singers movin’ down the highway
The word “gypsy” with a capital “G” is undoubtedly offensive and an ethnic slur against Romani people. With a lower-case “g,” the word has many meanings, most inoffensive (e.g. a wanderer moving from place to place). Some Romani people find the word to be totally unproblematic, others are OK with the lower-case form, and others are not OK with any form of the word. It is therefore wise to avoid use of the word at all, especially since to this day, the Romani people face considerable overt oppression in Europe.
A National Organization for Women blog notes:
The media offers two stereotypes of Romani women: the beggar, who is dirty and exploiting social welfare, and a hypersexualized magical being who threatens the patriarchy. So, while the use of the word “gypsy” seems innocent, it is dangerous to Romani women.
REFERENCES:
Is "Gypsy" a Slur? | The "G" Word Isn't for You: How "Gypsy" Erases Romani Women |Why It's Time to Stop Saying "Gypsy")
The song’s lyrics, message, and history are otherwise innocuous, so a lyric change works here.
This song is admissible only with lyric change: “hun” must be removed from verse 2 (Johnny, show the hun you're a son-of-a-gun) because “hun” was a derogatory term for Germans.
Ensembles should also be aware of a possible link between Over There and the 1886 blackface minstrel song titled Johnny Get Your Gun. The opening line of the song - "Johnnie get your gun, get your gun, get your gun" - is said to be patterned after this earlier blackface minstrel song. However, there was also a 1916 song titled Johnny Get Your Gun that appeared in a Broadway show of the same name, so we can’t be certain of the source of Cohan’s inspiration for the "get your gun" refrain of his 1917 song. It is notable though that “get your gun” is repeated three times in Over There, just as it is in the 1886 minstrel song, which seems to infer an intentional modeling of Over There after the minstrel song. It is notable too that George Cohan was part of his family's vaudeville troupe and performed repeatedly in blackface and also wrote at least one c**n song. Dr. Brynn Shiovitz wrote her dissertation on audible minstrelsy and one of the three featured writers she analyzed was George Cohan.
Pity Party is admissible ONLY with these required lyric changes (for non-Black performers) to avoid appropriating African American English (AAE):
“I be bitchin'” - Change to “I'll be bitchin'
Please see the AAE & Cultural Appropriation document for additional details, videos, and references.
This song is admissible only with omission of "video ho" from the lyrics. This derogatory term typically refers to women of color (Black and Latina) as noted in Scholarly Community Encyclopedia:
The "Video Ho" is a fairly new concept, and can be considered more of a trope than a stereotype. "Video ho" is a label attached to mainly women of color, who are featured in hip hop and rap music videos and have a role dependent upon where they are a: dancer, stripper, sex worker, sexual desire of an artist, etc. Sharply-Whiting states that after decades of misrepresenting and hyper-sexualizing girls featured in videos, the video ho is a music industry construct, and lead to the formation of an "ideal" representation of what a women is supposed to look like if they are a "video ho" or "video vixen".[14]
The ideal look for a video ho / video vixen is a woman who is exotic, of fairer skin, is preferably and visibly ethnically mixed, with long curly or straight hair.[14] This is why many Latina woman are used as video hoes because they still have a full figure body of black women but with a European face. Even in hip-hop there is a beauty standard that values women who can pull off whiteness and puts down women of color for their skin tone. Websites like MTV.com and LAweekly.com list the hottest women who are video vixens and describe their role as being the "exotic dancers" as the "side dish" to the men performing.[15] Articles such as these focus more on the woman's bodies then their dancing and musical talents.
(song is also rated Yes: Caution)
Ensembles selecting this song:
must not use the original 1929 lyrics
must ensure that all members understand the song’s history by carefully reviewing and discussing this Reviewers' Note, as well as the What is the Song About, Song History, and Earliest Performance sections of this research document.
As noted by cultural historian Brad Weismann, the original 1929 lyrics mock Black people and reflect the stereotypes of c**n songs, which “cast African Americans as stereotyped and denigrated sources of amusement and were popular in white American culture from the 1880s through the 1930s. The song’s lyrics imagine impoverished, pretentious African Americans literally 'aping' their supposed betters."
Puttin' on the Ritz is nevertheless admissible (with caution) because Berlin’s re-written 1946 lyrics for the movie Blue Skies constitute a substantial rewrite, removing the racist references and message. This version is far more widely known, having initiated a revival with dozens of new covers. The song enjoyed renewed popularity in 1974 when it was featured in Young Frankenstein. Thus, the new version has a much higher profile. Most will associate the song with its iconic performance by Fred Astaire in Blue Skies, its comic feature in Young Frankenstein, or Taco’s 1982 hit version.
Regrettably, the Taco music video, while using the revised lyrics, hearkens to the original meaning through its use of blackface. However, the video was eventually banned and only the censored video (with blackface characters excised) now appears on YouTube as the “official video.” To find the original video, one has to know about it and purposely search for it.
Raise Your Glass is admissible ONLY with these required changes to the lyrics, to avoid appropriating African American English:
“Call me up if you a gangsta” - Change to “Call me up if you’re a gangster” (or "prankster" would be more family-friendly)
“We gonna lose our minds tonight” - Change to “We’re gonna lose our minds tonight”
Please see AAE & Cultural Appropriation in Music & Society.
This song is admissible only with LYRIC CHANGE.
The troublesome lyric is:
No use of talkin' no use of talkin'
You'll start in dog-walkin' no matter where.
There's jazz-copation blues modulation,
Just like a Haitian you'll rip and tear.
Most everybody likes the blues
Examples of replacement lyrics are:
Feel the elation, it’s in the air
Or
What a sensation, it’s everywhere
While darky – a racial epithet used to dehumanize Black people – is in the original lyrics (Darkies hummin' a good old tune and Hear the darkies hummin'), the message of the song is innocuous and by 1949 the racist term was edited out and there've been many subsequent recordings with Bing Crosby's 1959 version as the one most likely to be remembered. There does not appear to be any history of blackface performances.
Therefore, this song is admissible without "darkies" in the lyrics.
Early performances of this song added "Dixieland" to the lyrics. This song is admissible only WITHOUT "DIXIELAND" and “MASON-DIXON” references. Both these terms carry baggage of the antebellum South. See The Trouble with Dixieland. Mason Dixon began as a demarcation line of four states, then as the demarcation between Northern and Southern states, later became known, informally, as the boundary between the Southern slave states and Northern free states. Because the troublesome lyrics are passing mentions and not integral to the meaning of the song, lyric omission works here.
Dixie: Note that concern about the term “Dixie” is not an indictment of the South. The issue is that the term, “Dixie”—not the South—has become inextricably associated with racist ideologies, since the days of minstrelsy to the present. “Dixie” evokes a very specific time in the south—a nostalgic romanticizing of the antebellum South with its devastatingly cruel and dehumanizing institution of slavery and the subjugation African Americans endured for over a century afterwards. Details and additional references may be found here.
Ensembles should also be aware, that for some--given the time period and style in which the song is written--the description of the "Sentimental Gentleman" may conjure images of the antebellum or Jim Crow South and slaveowners.
See lyrics question in Additional Questions section of this document for possible lyric substitutions to accommodate the required lyric changes
Medley with this Song
Two Tickets to Georgia/Sentimental Gentleman from Georgia
IN ADDITION TO the required lyrics changes pertaining to this song and listed in its research document, this arrangement adds an intro containing the phrase “sweetest man what am.” The “what am” must be omitted. It is an imitation of the phrase contained in Alexander’s Ragtime Band, which is inadmissible for a number of reasons, including the Black vernacular (such as “what am”) in its lyrics.
This song is admissible, however, a later version of the lyrics contains a problematic phrase. This phrase is contained in some, but not all arrangements:
Seventy six trombones led the big parade,
when the order to march rang out loud and clear.
Starting off with a big bang bong on a Chinese gong,
by a big bang bonger at the rear.
The phrase “big bang bong on a Chinese gong by a big bang bonger at the rear” is problematic in that it alludes to stereotypical taunts deriding the sound of the Chinese language. Therefore, arrangements of this song must omit this phrase in order to be admissible. Since this phrase is not included in the show or movie versions of the song, it is easily omitted.
For additional details--including a note from the SAT Subcommittee Chair on the process used to reach this rating decision--please see the lyrics question below and the lyric change suggestion and notes in this document, here
Rating Correction: Nov 24, 2023: change from YES:Note to YES: LYRICS
This is not a reevaluation in that the SUBCOMMITTEE NOTE has not changed. We have corrected the rating because the song was rated YES: NOTE in error. The note does require action with respect to the lyrics of the song, so it should have been rated Yes: Lyrics. That said, individual arrangements are rated Yes: Note (rather than YES) if they do not contain the identified lyrics. This is because ensembles singing this song should understand the reasoning behind the Subcommittee’s decision to rate this song admissible, even if the lyrics in the arrangement meet SAT requirements.
SAT SUBCOMMITTEE NOTE:
This song was escalated to the Song Assessment Tool Subcommittee for discussion. Arrangements must not contain the offensive lyrics that are left out of modern lyrics, such as redskins and the firewater verse. Please see the rationale for our decision to rate this song admissible here.
Because Lady Marmalade is inadmissible, this arrangement is admissible ONLY with the Lady Marmalade portions -- Hey sister, go sister… -- removed, anywhere it appears, e.g. in section B.
This song is admissible only with a lyric change: the word “gypsy” must be omitted: Sad as a gypsy serenading the moon.
The word “gypsy” with a capital “G” is undoubtedly offensive and an ethnic slur against Romani people. With a lower-case “g,” the word has many meanings, most inoffensive (e.g. a wanderer moving from place to place). Some Romani people find the word to be totally unproblematic, others are OK with the lower-case form, and others are not OK with any form of the word. It is therefore wise to avoid use of the word at all, especially since to this day, the Romani people face considerable overt oppression in Europe.
A National Organization for Women blog notes:
The media offers two stereotypes of Romani women: the beggar, who is dirty and exploiting social welfare, and a hypersexualized magical being who threatens the patriarchy. So, while the use of the word “gypsy” seems innocent, it is dangerous to Romani women.
REFERENCES:
Is "Gypsy" a Slur? | The "G" Word Isn't for You: How "Gypsy" Erases Romani Women | Why It's Time to Stop Saying "Gypsy")
The song’s lyrics, message, and history are otherwise innocuous, so a lyric change works here.
While this song is admissible, it contains the offensive term, “yellow man,” in the lyrics: Yellow man in Timbuktu. These lyrics must be changed or omitted.
For their 2019 reunion, The Spice Girls revised the lyrics to: Happy people in Timbuktu.
The Spice Girls Are Reportedly Changing Some Of Their Lyrics For Their Reunion Tour | Genius
While this song is admissible, this arrangement includes the term "jazzbo," which has various meanings. Urban Dictionary lists many definitions of “jazzbo” with these two among them: “a derogatory term for an older black male who is snappily dressed, especially a transient type,” and “derogatory nickname for an African American individual. The word originates in the south states of the US and by Jazz originally being conceived by African-Americans.” (Oxford English Dictionary)
“Jazzbo Jim” was also a common figure in demeaning Black Americana.
Therefore, the inclusion of “jazzbo” is problematic.
This arrangement is admissible if performed without “jazzbo” in the lyrics.
This song was escalated to the Song Assessment Tool Subcommittee for discussion.
(song is also rated Yes: Caution)
Although the lyrics of Summertime use Black vernacular, in this instance the use of the word "Mammy" is not meant to portray a southern enslaved female, but a mother. In regards to the Black vernacular and determining admissibility, we have noted that the dialect contained in this song is quite different from that contained in other songs that have been deemed inadmissible on these grounds. The purpose of the dialect in this song (and Porgy and Bess, generally)—while having been criticized by some as being stereotypical—is not to demean or mock, as is the case with minstrel songs and c**n songs. The song is therefore admissible, with the following cautions:
It is required that performers use more modernized updated lyrics (WITHOUT the vernacular; e.g. yo’ instead of your) and WITHOUT use of the word “mammy.”
IMPORTANT: Before choosing this song, all performers should understand the criticisms of the song and the opera it came from (see notes on Porgy and Bess at the bottom of this document) and come to their own decision as to whether or not the song is appropriate for their performing group.
ALSO NOTE: Some musicologists consider Summertime to be an adaptation (some might say appropriation) of the Negro Spiritual Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child (unmistakable in Mehalia Jackson’s recording of the two songs together).
And indeed, Gershwin used a chord sequence typical of spiritual songs. (reference). Thus, this isn't just a beautiful lullaby. The lyric line: "One of these mornings you're going to rise up singing. Then you'll spread your wings, and you'll take to the sky," evokes the enslaved, singing about going to Heaven to escape the harsh confines of their lives. Spirituals were not uplifting ditties - they were an escape mechanism for an oppressed people.
(Song Rated Yes: Note / Yes: Lyrics depending upon arrangement)
This song is admissible ONLY with the omission of the Black dialect in the lyrics. And indeed, later recordings of the song (1950’s onward) were not sung with the original lyrics intact. See “Lyrics Issue” note at the end of this document.
Ensembles should also consider that this song was written by a White composer specifically to create a “Negro Spiritual.” Even if MacGimsey's intent was to pay homage to the Negro Spiritual tradition, it belies a lack of comprehension and respect of the fact that Negro Spirituals are far more than a musical style--they are born of the pain, suffering, and indignities of enslavement. (Negro Spirituals reference) Thus, what MacGimsey may have considered cultural appreciation is actually an example of cultural appropriation. See When Does Appreciation Become Appropriation (video).
Sweet Little Jesus Boy (Bromert)
This arrangement does not include the vernacular in the original lyrics, to which the Yes: Lyrics rating applies. The “note” aspect of the Reviewer’s Note still applies.
The original lyrics of this song have three elements that may be considered questionable:
“Jazzbo” can mean a jazz enthusiast (as in this song) or it can be a derogatory term for a black male (Oxford English Dictionary) Jazzbo Jim was also a common figure in demeaning Black Americana.
The reference to “ev’ry cotton planter’s son” is problematic in the context of being reminiscent of the antebellum south
“moanin’ and groanin” is sometimes a hallmark of Black caricature, but in this song it refers to the sound of trombones
However, the message of the song is innocuous in its expression of the popularity of jazz and night out dancing to jazz tunes.
Therefore, this song is admissible with these LYRIC CHANGES:*
Omit the “jazzbo” lyric or change it to “jazz yeah” or something similar (“jazz oh” is too similar to “jazzbo” to be an effective lyric change)
Omit the “ev’ry cotton planter’s son” lyric or change to “ev’ry mom & papa’s son” or similar
*Note that not all arrangements contain these lyrics.
Medleys with this Song
Dr. Jazz Medley
I Love Jazz medley
This arrangement adds “Dixieland” in several places. In addition to the lyrics change requirements noted in the Research Document, “Dixieland” must be removed from the lyrics in this arrangement.
Note that concern about the term “Dixie” is not an indictment of the South. The issue is that the term, “Dixie”—not the South—has become inextricably associated with racist ideologies, since the days of minstrelsy to the present. “Dixie” evokes a very specific time in the south—a nostalgic romanticizing of the antebellum South with its devastatingly cruel and dehumanizing institution of slavery and the subjugation African Americans endured for over a century afterwards. Details and additional references
SAT SUBCOMMITTEE NOTES
Reevalution: Mar 21, 2021: change from YES to YES: Lyrics
The original lyrics of Thank You, World contains the words "I may not stand strong like Stonewall Jackson stood." This reference to a Confederate US Civil war leader is problematic in that many will view it as Jackson’s strong stand to uphold slavery (especially in juxtaposition to the repeated refrain in the song “Thank you world for lettin' me contribute to the cause,” which--in reference to Stonewall Jackson--brings to mind the mythos of the “lost cause,” a rationalization of Confederate motives for the Civil War, romanticizing the antebellum South. additional reference
While lyric changes often cannot “save” a song with a strong history of racist performances or where the overall message or lyric content is derogatory or racist, we have deemed that not to be the case with this song. Changing the lyric (we encourage honoring a civil rights leader) effectively renders the song admissible. Therefore, this song is rated admissible ONLY with the Stonewall Jackson reference removed.
We recommend replacing Stonewall Jackson with a leader that is meaningful to the group performing the song. For example, American groups might consider Rosa Parks; Canadian groups might consider Viola Desmond; or a more generic substitution might be considered, such as “I may not stand strong as our great leaders stood.”
This song is admissible only with the omission of any lyrics referencing Al Jolson. While the original lyrics of the song are not questionable, in the 1947 romantic comedy film It Happened in Brooklyn, the song is introduced by Jimmy Durante asking what made Bing Crosby and Al Jolson such successful singers. At least one arrangement (Jay Giallombardo) incorporates this reference into the lyrics.
Jolson was one of the most popular and highest-paid stars of his time. And while he was actually known for his empathy for and support of Black songwriters and performers, he was also "the king of blackface" -- a racist and demeaning "artform" presenting obscenely stereotypical depictions of Black people. For this reason, lyrics praising Jolson's performance style are highly problematic.
(song also rated Yes: Caution)
The song is part of a well-known opera/musical in which the setting was an all-Black community (Gullah Community). Most of the songs were written and
performed in the dialect of that community.
For this assessment: Review the ALL the research and cautions provided in the assessment of “It Ain’t Necessarily So”. As reasoned in the Review Note for “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” this song is ADMISSIBLE WITH THE FOLLOWING CAUTIONS AND LYRIC CHANGE
It is required that performers use more modernized and updated lyrics (without the original vernacular).
A change in the arrangement lyrics is required: The updated lyrics for this arrangement do not contain much of the original vernacular but the submitter did not state all the changes as there were more than “sista.”
The updated lyrics also still include the phrase “through Harlem we’ll go struttin.” Given the setting of the opera/musical and the knowledge that the opera was written for an all-Black cast, this phrase with the Harlem reference and the vernacular, “struttin” must be changed also if the intention is to remove from the setting of a Gullah community and the hardships faced there. The song was not merely about “someone” wanted to leave. It was a particular setting, involving people of a particular ethnicity/race/culture, the Gullah community (The meaning of GULLAH is a member of a group of Black people inhabiting the sea islands and coastal districts of South Carolina, Georgia, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gullah.
Before choosing this song, all performers should understand the criticisms of the song and the opera it came from (see notes on Porgy and Bess) and carefully deliberate as to whether or not the song is appropriate for their performing group.
(song also rated Yes: Caution)
The theme of this song is a challenging one for a Sweet Adelines performance. It is from the musical, Ragtime, which touches on the very serious and emotional topics of racism, classism, anti-Semitism and sexism. The song itself and the events leading up to its performance in the musical constitute an unflinching portrayal of racism and violence towards Black people. The song’s lyrics are an imploration for justice and equity, taking place in the aftermath of the brutal slaying of a young Black woman, beaten to death by police. Given the repeated occurrences of police brutality against Black people today and throughout American history, this is a very sensitive topic.
The original staging and lyrics of this song have people of different oppressed groups singing out from their point of view. Thus, the lyric "there are negroes out there," In the context of the musical and time in which it takes place, is not problematic. But if the original song were performed, it would need to be done in a sensitive way, explaining the context and “negroes” should be replaced with “Black people.” But this line should also not be sung by non-Black performers.
Ensembles considering this song should ensure all members understand the background of the song and its relevance to today* and seriously consider if it is appropriate for performance by the ensemble. If the song is performed, carefully-considered MC work should accompany it.
*Review plot synopsis, specifically surrounding Sarah and Colehouse and view the Broadway cast performance of the song. Through thoughtful study and discussion, ensure ensemble is well-informed regarding current events of police brutality in Black communities and how it relates to this song and the musical.
Pertinent References for Context
The New Jim Crow: About | Trailer | Summary
Till We Reach That Day (Miller)
This arrangement removes lyrics interjected by the ensemble cast in the performance of this song for the musical, Ragtime. Therefore, this song does not carry the YES: LYRICS rating. However, the YES: CAUTION rating remains. Please carefully review the research document and its Reviewers’ Note, as well as the following:
This arrangement avoids the problem arising from a Sweet Adelines ensemble singing lines from the point of view of marginalized ethnicities. However, in stripping away the interjected lyrics sung by the ensemble cast, it sanitizes the message of the brutal realities faced by Black people and the other represented groups. It is therefore critical that ensembles choosing this arrangement precede performances with MC work providing the context of the musical and the song within the musical, as noted in the Reviewer’s Note in the research document for this song.
(song also rated Yes: Caution)
When non-Black singers perform rap/hip hop music, care must be taken to not use a “blaccent” or to caricature in other ways, such as exaggerated moves, mannerisms, or costuming in an attempt to mimic a stereotypical rap/hip hop character.
To avoid appropriating Black/Brown vernacular, these lyrics changes are required:
Homeboy should be omitted or altered, e.g. dancer might be substituted in the above referenced lyrics. Where it appears later in the song (I told you homeboy), baby might be substituted.
Fly girl should be omitted or substituted with, for example, And get a partner and catch this beat
Please see AAE & Cultural Appropriation in Music & Society.
Medley with this Song
Evolution of Pearls II medley
Please review the research/reviewers’ note for Ukulele Lady [Yes: Caution] and note the following, that applies specifically to this arrangement.
The Aloha ‘Oe intro must be omitted for this arrangement to be admissible.
The song, Aloha ‘Oe is deeply significant to indigenous Hawaiians (see research link). Its inclusion in this arrangement is gratuitous and disrespectful.
This song is admissible only with the omission of “voodoo” in the lyrics:
Magic and technology / Voodoo dolls and chants ... (“creepy dolls” might be substituted)
“Voodoo dolls” are part of the imagined and distorted mythology of Vodou. Vodou is a religion originating in West Africa and practiced in the Caribbean (it is Haiti’s official religion) and in the southern United States (especially Louisiana), where its history is intertwined with slavery. White enslavers viewed the religion as primitive, bloodthirsty, and violent. Throughout the era of slavery and beyond, distortions of Vodou have been used to perpetuate damaging stereotypes of the Black community and deepen the act of "othering." This imagined version of Vodou was picked up and further distorted by Hollywood and tawdry thrillers.
Please see additional details and references here.
This song is admissible with the modernized lyrics only and NOT with the original lyrics “frolic and play the Eskimo way.” Lyrics change is required for arrangements containing the Eskimo lyrics, to omit them.
People in many parts of the Arctic consider Eskimo a derogatory term because it was widely used by racist, non-native colonizers. Many people also thought it meant eater of raw meat, which connoted barbarism and violence. Although the word's exact etymology is unclear, mid-century anthropologists suggested that the word came from the Latin word excommunicati, meaning the excommunicated ones, because the native people of the Canadian Arctic were not Christian. Additional details available here.
This is a correction rather than reevaluation. The rating had inadvertently been noted incorrectly because certainly Sweet Adelines arrangements would not contain the original lyrics, but the rating applies to the song and its original lyrics. Individual arrangements will carry Yes: Note to ensure ensembles review the below note and understand why the song is admissible despite the racist term in its original lyrics.
Rating Correction: Jan 26, 2024: corrected from YES: Note to YES: Lyrics
REVIEWERS’ NOTE
This song is from an unsuccessful 1929 musical, Great Day. While darky – a racial epithet used to dehumanize Black people – is in the original lyrics (a darky’s born, but he’s no good no how, without a song), the message of the song is not demeaning and after running for barely a month, Great Day has faded into obscurity, with the exception of 3 standards: More Than You Know, Great Day, and Without a Song.
The offensive lyric was changed early on and the modified lyrics recorded many times by many artists in the ensuing decades. There does not appear to be any history of blackface performances. Video racial context of Without a Song
While there is a YouTube video that uses vintage images of Black people in fields, the song lyrics do not convey the highly offensive “happy darky” trope, but instead speak of music’s capacity to help ease burdens.
At the end of the second verse, there is a line (sung to the tune of Dixie) that is problematic:
I'm a real live Yankee Doodle
Made my name and fame and boodle
Just like Mister Doodle did, by riding on a pony
I love to listen to the Dixie strain
There are multiple verses of this song and they are rarely sung in modern times. The chorus is considered a standard Patriotic song, used throughout the year and especially around the 4th of July. The chorus has no problematic lyrics.
If the first verse is performed, the line must be omitted or a different line/tune substituted.
Dixie: Note that concern about the term “Dixie” is not an indictment of the South. The issue is that the term, “Dixie”—not the South—has become inextricably associated with racist ideologies, since the days of minstrelsy to the present. “Dixie” evokes a very specific time in the south—a nostalgic romanticizing of the antebellum South with its devastatingly cruel and dehumanizing institution of slavery and the subjugation African Americans endured for over a century afterwards. Details and additional references may be found here.
The lyrics of this song imply a mocking or caricature (as is the cover art) of a "foreign" (Greek) accent. However, the song is admissible with the following requirements:
Performers must not affect a “foreign” accent.
The intro line identifying the owner as Greek must be omitted.
REEVALUATION: 02/21/2025 to add YES: NOTE rating.
Admissible only with the omission of "Eskimo" from the lyrics: cold as an Eskimo. "Cold as an icicle" or other appropriate lyric must be substituted, or the line omitted.
People in many parts of the Arctic consider Eskimo a derogatory term because it was widely used by racist, non-native colonizers. Many people also thought it meant eater of raw meat, which connoted barbarism and violence. Although the word's exact etymology is unclear, mid-century anthropologists suggested that the word came from the Latin word excommunicati, meaning the excommunicated ones, because the native people of the Canadian Arctic were not Christian. Additional details available here.
This song is admissible, but only without the following lines (in the first verse that is not usually sung):
The line “Way down South, in the land of cotton” is from Dixie (I Wish I Was in Dixie), a song that portrays an idealized nostalgic vision of the “Old South.” (reference)
The line “Hurrah, Hurrah, We’ll join the jubilee!” is from Marching Through Georgia, a song about Sherman’s March to the Sea. That song includes the word “darkeys." (reference)