Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2019 June 23

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June 23

Where is the Hilo Johnny comes down to?

Just been digitising some ancient school choir recordings from my youth, and came across the shanty "Johnny Come Down to Hilo". Apart from being just a little concerned about the modern acceptability of the "big buck nigger" in the song, I also wondered where Hilo is? I'm assuming it's not the one in Hawaii. Where is it please? HiLo48 (talk) 03:59, 23 June 2019 (UTC)

According to this site, it's "probably the port of Ilo, in southern Peru, well-known to sailors working ships in the nitrate trade." And in fact, Ilo, Peru mentions that it was sometimes spelled Hilo "in older sources". Clarityfiend (talk) 06:12, 23 June 2019 (UTC)

Thank you. That's great. And a terrific source. Very informative. HiLo48 (talk) 06:23, 23 June 2019 (UTC)

I just noticed a different source cited in the same article states "The modern consensus ... is that the Hilo referred to is the Peruvian port of Ylo (or Ilo)". Clarityfiend (talk) 06:57, 23 June 2019 (UTC)

Is there a song called "Johnny Come Down Under to HiLo48"? ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:27, 23 June 2019 (UTC)

I guess someone had to make that play. HiLo48 (talk) 07:54, 24 June 2019 (UTC)

musical style

[1] Guy playing the piano and singing at the beginning (don't worry about the fight scene following), from Arnold Schwarzenegger Red Heat (1988 film). What is this musical style called? Is that particular song well known and what is its title? Are there other well known songs / performers? Thanks. 173.228.123.207 (talk) 22:22, 23 June 2019 (UTC)

I can't really help, but the tune is incredibly familiar. DuncanHill (talk) 22:35, 23 June 2019 (UTC)

The song's title is "Я налетчик Беня-хулиган" ("I Am Raider Benya Hooligan") or just "Беня хулиган" ("Benya Hooligan"). I don't know who wrote it or whether there is a known songwriter. According to this link with lyrics and sheet music, the song is featured in a collection of popular "yard songs" (serf songs? don't know how to translate "дворовые песни") published in 2008, and in a compilation of prisoner songs from 1995. ---Sluzzelin talk 22:43, 23 June 2019 (UTC)

Something from The Threepenny Opera perhaps? DuncanHill (talk) 22:47, 23 June 2019 (UTC)

I couldn't come up with this exact melody anywhere else, but it does remind one of a lot, including Bänkelsang which of course influenced The Threepenny Opera. By the way, I saw the question had been asked at the film's talk page over ten years ago. Dmitry Dzhus, whom I assume to be a native speaker, gives a slightly different translation, and says it comes "from Odessa criminal circles". (He's also right about the singer having an accent: György Gáti is Hungarian). ---Sluzzelin talk 23:06, 23 June 2019 (UTC)

Thanks!!!! I'm not so much after the specific song (although the info about it is much appreciated), but mostly would like to find out more about the genre in general, and listen to further examples. I hadn't looked at the talk page but the comments there are interesting too. 173.228.123.207 (talk) 23:34, 23 June 2019 (UTC)

Also not too concerned about the lyrics, which I can't understand anyway. But I like the music. 173.228.123.207 (talk) 00:32, 24 June 2019 (UTC)

You could try googling the "yard songs" (which I still don't know how to translate, maybe I should post this at the language desk) in Russian: "дворовые песни". I did that and found, among other, over an hour from an album titled The Best Yard/Court/??? Songs. Or you can google "Песни узников", Russian for "prisoners' songs", and get more examples from YouTube etc. ---Sluzzelin talk 19:49, 24 June 2019 (UTC)

Alright, I asked here. You might be interested in following that thread too, if indeed it will become one, 173.228.123.207. ---Sluzzelin talk 21:52, 24 June 2019 (UTC)

Thanks, I listened to part of that album and it's nice, though mostly more of a pop sound. I'll keep listening to it though. Benya Hooligan had a 1930s US jazz sound in a way. I don't know the technical lingo but the rhythm is "out of phase by 90 degrees" in relation to the melody compared with what we hear most of the time now. The first song on the album was also like that. I web searched "Benya Hooligan" and found a forum thread[2] where Gáti György himself posts that it was him playing the piano! But the thread is not very informative. It does give a youtube link[3] to a very different and more "produced" version of the song that I didn't find as interesting as the Red Heat version. This is interesting and might be related to the Benya in the song. 173.228.123.207 (talk) 02:32, 25 June 2019 (UTC)

173.228.123.207, in case you're still following this thread (but not the other one), Aecho6Ee just added something interesting there. See also the article on Blatnaya pesnya, and "Блатная песня" or "Блатняк" might be the new search terms. ---Sluzzelin talk 19:57, 27 June 2019 (UTC)