If I Had a Hammer
Encyclopedia
"If I Had a Hammer" is a song written by Pete Seeger
and Lee Hays. It was written in 1949 in support of the progressive movement
, and was first recorded by The Weavers
, a folk music
quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert
and Fred Hellerman
, and then by Peter, Paul and Mary
.
and Lee Hays on June 3, 1949 at St. Nicholas Arena on W. 66th Street in New York at a testimonial dinner for the leaders of the Communist Party of the United States, who were then on trial in federal court, charged with violating the Smith Act
by advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government. It was not particularly successful when it was first released, likely due in part to the political climate of the time
. It fared notably better when it was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary more than a decade later. Their cover
of the song, released in August 1962, became a Top 10
hit.
on his 1963 album Trini Lopez at PJ's (Reprise R/RS 6093), which reached No. 3 in the USA, as well as one by Leonard Nimoy
, which appeared on his 1968 release The Way I Feel
. Australian folk group The Seekers
also performed the song, and recorded it in 1963.
A more recent example is the reggae
-style cover released by BBC
personality Handy Andy
, which was not particularly well received.
French popstar Claude François
released his cover "Si j'avais un marteau" ("If I had a Hammer") in November 1963.
The French vocal group Les Surfs
released another cover "Si j'avais un marteau" in a version faithful to that of Trini Lopez
Italian popstar Rita Pavone
sang "Datemi un martello" ("Give me a hammer") in 1963, using the theme but without any political overtones.
Bulgarian singer Lili Ivanova
did a cover in Bulgarian of Pavone's version. Another Bulgarian singer, Emil Dimitrov recorded a cover of the Trini Lopez version.
Chilean Folk Artist
Víctor Jara
also sang a 1969 cover titled "El Martillo" ("The hammer") on his album Pongo En Tus Manos Abiertas
.
Jamaican Toaster U-Roy
recorded a very violent version of the song called "Hammering" in 1972
Nicaragua
n singer, song writer and composer Hernaldo Zúñiga
, also made a cover version in Spanish for the Mexican group "Fandango" titled "Dame Aquel Martillo", this one was released in 1991.
Israel
i singer Geula Gil also made a cover version in Hebrew.
Another version can be found on Kidsongs
video and DVD, "Yankee Doodle Boy (AKA Sing Out America)".
Another version of the song was recorded by AC/DC's lead singer Brian Johnson.
Sam Cooke
recorded the song in concert.
The Von Trapp Children
also recorded their version for their vol. 2 CD.
Waldemar Matuška
Kladivo (czech
Hammer)
of the American Civil Rights movement.
It also was a common selection for "folk masses
" in Roman Catholic Churches.
Wikileaks has chosen it as their "Wikileaks song".
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
and Lee Hays. It was written in 1949 in support of the progressive movement
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
, and was first recorded by The Weavers
The Weavers
The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. They sang traditional folk songs from around the world, as well as blues, gospel music, children's songs, labor songs, and American ballads, and selling millions of records at the height of their...
, a folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert
Ronnie Gilbert
Ronnie Gilbert is an American folk-singer. She is one of the original members of the Weavers with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Fred Hellerman.-Career:...
and Fred Hellerman
Fred Hellerman
Fred Hellerman, born in Brooklyn, New York and educated at Brooklyn College, is an American folk singer, guitarist, producer and song writer, primarily known as one of the members of The Weavers, together with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Ronnie Gilbert...
, and then by Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
.
Early versions
The song was first performed publicly by Pete SeegerPete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
and Lee Hays on June 3, 1949 at St. Nicholas Arena on W. 66th Street in New York at a testimonial dinner for the leaders of the Communist Party of the United States, who were then on trial in federal court, charged with violating the Smith Act
Smith Act
The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act of 1940 is a United States federal statute that set criminal penalties for advocating the overthrow of the U.S...
by advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government. It was not particularly successful when it was first released, likely due in part to the political climate of the time
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
. It fared notably better when it was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary more than a decade later. Their cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the song, released in August 1962, became a Top 10
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
hit.
Other versions
The song has since been recorded by dozens of major artists, including a version by Trini LopezTrini Lopez
Trini Lopez is an American singer, guitarist and actor.-Career:Lopez was born in Dallas, Texas, on Ashland Street in the Little Mexico neighborhood. He began his entertainment career in Dallas playing at the Vegas Club, a nightclub owned by Jack Ruby...
on his 1963 album Trini Lopez at PJ's (Reprise R/RS 6093), which reached No. 3 in the USA, as well as one by Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
, which appeared on his 1968 release The Way I Feel
The Way I Feel (Leonard Nimoy album)
The Way I Feel is the third studio album by Leonard Nimoy. It was released in late 1968 by Dot Records, the same year Two Sides was released.-Background:...
. Australian folk group The Seekers
The Seekers
The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop music group which were originally formed in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States...
also performed the song, and recorded it in 1963.
A more recent example is the reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
-style cover released by BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
personality Handy Andy
Andy Kane
Andy Kane , nicknamed Handy Andy, is a British television personality best known for his work on the BBC's DIY programme Changing Rooms.-Background:...
, which was not particularly well received.
French popstar Claude François
Claude François
Claude François was a French pop singer, songwriter and dancer. He wrote "Comme d'habitude," the original version of "My Way."-Early life:...
released his cover "Si j'avais un marteau" ("If I had a Hammer") in November 1963.
The French vocal group Les Surfs
Les Surfs
- Members :*Monique , born May 8, 1945, died November 15, 1993*Nicole born July 21, 1946, died May 5, 2000*Coco born June 19, 1939*Pat born April 13, 1941*Rocky born May 7, 1942*Dave born December 4, 1943...
released another cover "Si j'avais un marteau" in a version faithful to that of Trini Lopez
Italian popstar Rita Pavone
Rita Pavone
Rita Pavone is an Italian ballad and rock singer who enjoyed success through the 1960s. Pavone is also an actress.-Singing career:...
sang "Datemi un martello" ("Give me a hammer") in 1963, using the theme but without any political overtones.
Bulgarian singer Lili Ivanova
Lili Ivanova
Lili Ivanova is a popular Bulgarian singer.-Discography:Lili Ivanova has released 65 albums Lili Ivanova (born April 24, 1939 in Kubrat) is a popular Bulgarian singer.-Discography:Lili Ivanova has released 65 albums Lili Ivanova (born April 24, 1939 in Kubrat) is a popular Bulgarian...
did a cover in Bulgarian of Pavone's version. Another Bulgarian singer, Emil Dimitrov recorded a cover of the Trini Lopez version.
Chilean Folk Artist
Nueva canción
Nueva canción is a movement and genre within Latin American and Iberian music of folk music, folk-inspired music and socially committed music...
Víctor Jara
Víctor Jara
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez was a Chilean teacher, theatre director, poet, singer-songwriter, political activist and member of the Communist Party of Chile...
also sang a 1969 cover titled "El Martillo" ("The hammer") on his album Pongo En Tus Manos Abiertas
Pongo En Tus Manos Abiertas (album)
Pongo en tus manos abiertas is an album recorded by Víctor Jara with the musicians from Quilapayún in June, 1969...
.
Jamaican Toaster U-Roy
U-Roy
U-Roy , OD, is a Jamaican musician, also known as The Originator. He is best known as a pioneer of toasting.-Biography:...
recorded a very violent version of the song called "Hammering" in 1972
Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n singer, song writer and composer Hernaldo Zúñiga
Hernaldo Zúñiga
Hernaldo Zúñiga is a Nicaraguan singer and music composer. He was born in Managua but lived his childhood and adolescence in Masaya.-Career:...
, also made a cover version in Spanish for the Mexican group "Fandango" titled "Dame Aquel Martillo", this one was released in 1991.
Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i singer Geula Gil also made a cover version in Hebrew.
Another version can be found on Kidsongs
Kidsongs
Kidsongs is an American award-winning children's media franchise which includes Kidsongs Music Video Stories on DVD and video, The Kidsongs TV Show, CDs of favorite children’s songs, song books, sheet music, toys and an ecommerce website...
video and DVD, "Yankee Doodle Boy (AKA Sing Out America)".
Another version of the song was recorded by AC/DC's lead singer Brian Johnson.
Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
recorded the song in concert.
The Von Trapp Children
Von Trapp children
The Von Trapp Children are a musical group made up of Justin, Amanda, Melanie, and Sofia von Trapp, descendants of the Trapp Family Singers. They are the grandchildren of Werner von Trapp and great-grandchildren of Georg Ritter von Trapp and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead, and the...
also recorded their version for their vol. 2 CD.
Waldemar Matuška
Waldemar Matuška
Waldemar Matuška was a Czech singer who became popular in his homeland during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1986, he emigrated to the United States.-Early career:...
Kladivo (czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
Hammer)
Legacy
The song "If I Had a Hammer" was a Civil Rights anthemCivil Rights anthem
Civil Rights anthems is a relational concept to protest song, but one that is specifically linked to the African-American Civil Rights Movement. The songs were often sung during protests or marches related to the movement...
of the American Civil Rights movement.
It also was a common selection for "folk masses
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
" in Roman Catholic Churches.
Wikileaks has chosen it as their "Wikileaks song".
In popular culture
- Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Aaron, whose nicknames included "Hammerin' Hank" and "The Hammer", titled his autobiography, I Had a Hammer.
- "If I Had a Hammer" is a fourth season episode of DexterDexter (TV series)Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
in which the eponymous character is investigating a serial killer's use of a hammer. - "If I Had a Tail-Hammer" is a second season episode of DigimonDigimon Adventureis a Japanese animated television series created in 1999 by Toei Animation based on the Digimon virtual pet made by Bandai. It is the first series of the Digimon anime "metaseries"...
. - Peter, Paul & Mary's version of the song is used in the film Confessions of a Dangerous MindConfessions of a Dangerous MindConfessions of a Dangerous Mind is a 2002 biographical spy film depicting the life of popular game show host and producer Chuck Barris, who claimed to have also been an assassin for the Central Intelligence Agency...
during a sequence in which "Gong ShowThe Gong ShowThe Gong Show is an amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976 through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976–1980 and 1988–1989. The show was produced by Chuck Barris, who also served...
" host Chuck BarrisChuck BarrisCharles Hirsch "Chuck" Barris is an American game show producer, film director and presenter best known for hosting The Gong Show and creating The Dating Game. Barris, a survivor of lung cancer, is also an author and claims to have worked for the CIA.-Early career:Barris was born in Oakland, New...
(Sam RockwellSam RockwellSam Rockwell is an American actor known for his leading roles in Lawn Dogs, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke and Moon, as well as for his supporting roles in The Green Mile, Iron Man 2, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Frost/Nixon, Galaxy Quest, Matchstick Men, The Assassination of...
) has an on-air nervous breakdown due to his years as a CIA assassin, and visualizes the entire audience as dead bodies. - In May 2005, colleagues of then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLayTom DeLayThomas Dale "Tom" DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in...
sang "If I Had a Hammer" at a dinner held in support of him during the investigation that eventually led to his indictment on charges of money launderingMoney launderingMoney laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
and conspiracyConspiracy (civil)A civil conspiracy or collusion is an agreement between two or more parties to deprive a third party of legal rights or deceive a third party to obtain an illegal objective....
to violate election lawElection lawElection law is a discipline falling at the juncture of constitutional law and political science. It researches "the politics of law and the law of politics"...
. The song was chosen in reference to his nickname "The Hammer." On The Daily ShowThe Daily ShowThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
, Jon StewartJon StewartJon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
joked about the dissonance between the song's progressive history and DeLay's conservative politics, saying, "If Tom DeLay actually had a hammer, he would bludgeon Pete Seeger to death." - "If Al Had a Hammer" is a sixth season episode of Married... with ChildrenMarried... with ChildrenMarried... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
. Also, in a fifth season episode, "You Better Shop Around, Part I", Marcy tells AlAl BundyAl Bundy is a fictional character from the U.S. television series Married... with Children. He was played by Ed O'Neill.-Character history:...
: We sang our favorite folk songs like, "If I Had A Hammer, I'd Drive It Through Al Bundy's Skull". - "Steve's Hammer (For Pete)" by Steve EarleSteve EarleStephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
references Seeger's song through its title and its content - Israeli hip-hop band "Hadag NahashHadag NahashHadag Nahash is an Israeli hip hop/funk band, founded in 1996 in Jerusalem. The band is known for its leftist political statements in many of its songs.- Name and symbols :...
" based its top-chart single "אף אחד" ("Nobody") on the song.