The Music Man (song)

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"The Music Man" (Roud 17774) is a popular cumulative folksong among children, rugby players, and Hash House Harriers.

History[]

Peter Kennedy published a song called "" in "" (1975). It has some similarities with this song. Even earlier, "The Wonderful Musician", written by , was published in 1871. The chorus begins: "A big drum, a kettle drum, the fiddle, flute, and piccolo, piano, harp, harmonium and many more beside". The song is also known in Germany as "" and adapted in the US to "."

For each verse the participants act out different instruments with specific actions. Some of the actions for the adult version can be rude or crude. They may also attempt to imitate the sound of each instrument. It is sometimes performed in cabaret with the audience challenging the artistes to ever more extravagant - and difficult - renditions of, for example, the flugelhorn.

Stephen Hayward, the original Music Man, performs this song doing a tremendous 17 hour version for which he won the world record for longest song in 1997, including instruments in this rendition including the Timpani, The Fluba, The Theramin and The Cross Grainger Kangaroo Pouch Tone Tool, without repeating a single instrument in this extravagant 1432 instrument long version of the song.^{[citation needed]}

Commercial recordings[]

The song was recorded by Black Lace, a British pop group from Ossett in West Yorkshire, in 1990 and reached #52 in the UK singles charts.

Song structure and lyrics[]

Each verse begins with the following chorus lines, divided between the lead singer ("The Music Man") and the audience. There are variations which follow roughly the same tune:

The Music Man: "I am the music man, And I come from down your way^[1] and I can play!"

Audience: "What can you play?"

Each verse features a specific instrument with accompanying actions. After each verse, singers sing the previous verses in reverse order before singing the main chorus lines again.

Children's Mega Sing Along Party - I Am The Music Man[]

• Heigh-Ho
• Hawaii Five-O Theme

See also[]

• Vi äro musikanter

References[]

External links[]

• The German Musicianer