Scarborough Fair
Encyclopedia
"Scarborough Fair" is a traditional ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The song tells the tale of a young man, who tells the listener to ask his former lover to perform for him a series of impossible tasks, such as making him a shirt without a seam and then washing it in a dry well, adding that if she completes these tasks he will take her back. Often the song is sung as a duet, with the woman then giving her lover a series of equally impossible tasks, promising to give him his seamless shirt once he has finished.
As the versions of the ballad known under the title "Scarborough Fair" are usually limited to the exchange of these impossible tasks, many suggestions concerning the plot have been proposed, including the hypothesis that it is a song about the Plague. The lyrics of "Scarborough Fair" appear to have something in common with an obscure Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, The Elfin Knight
The Elfin Knight
"The Elfin Knight" is a traditional Scottish folk ballad of which there are many versions, all dealing with supernatural occurrences, and the commission to perform impossible tasks.-Synopsis:...
(Child Ballad #2), which has been traced at least as far back as 1670 and may well be earlier. In this ballad, an elf
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
threatens to abduct a young woman to be his lover unless she can perform an impossible task ("For thou must shape a sark to me / Without any cut or heme, quoth he"); she responds with a list of tasks that he must first perform ("I have an aiker of good ley-land / Which lyeth low by yon sea-strand").
The melody is very typical of the middle English period.
As the song spread, it was adapted, modified, and rewritten to the point that dozens of versions existed by the end of the 18th century, although only a few are typically sung nowadays. The references to the traditional English fair, "Scarborough Fair
Scarborough Fair (fair)
During the late Middle Ages the seaside town of Scarborough was an important venue for tradesmen from all over England. It was host to a huge 45-day trading event, starting August 15, which was exceptionally long for a fair in those times. Merchants came to it from all areas of England, Norway,...
" and the refrain "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" date to 19th century versions, and the refrain may have been borrowed from the ballad Riddles Wisely Expounded
Riddles Wisely Expounded
"Riddles Wisely Expounded" is a traditional English song, dating at least to 1450. It is Child Ballad 1 and Roud 161, and exists in several variants...
, (Child Ballad #1), which has a similar plot. A number of older versions refer to locations other than Scarborough Fair, including Wittingham Fair, Cape Ann, "twixt Berwik and Lyne", etc. Many versions do not mention a place-name, and are often generically titled ("The Lovers' Tasks", "My Father Gave Me an Acre of Land", etc.).
Lyrics
A version published in 1889 is typical of modern versions except for the place-name:- Are you going to Whittingham Fair?
- Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme;
- Remember me to one who lives there,
- For once she was a true love of mine.
- Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
- Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
- Without any seam or needlework,
- Then she shall be a true lover of mine.
- Tell her to wash it in yonder well,
- Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
- Where never spring water or rain ever fell,
- And she shall be a true lover of mine.
- Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn,
- Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
- Which never bore blossom since Adam was born,
- Then she shall be a true lover of mine.
- Now he has asked me questions three,
- Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
- I hope he'll answer as many for me
- Before he shall be a true lover of mine.
- Tell him to buy me an acre of land,
- Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
- Betwixt the salt water and the sea sand,
- Then he shall be a true lover of mine.
- Tell him to plough it with a ram's horn,
- Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
- And sow it all over with one pepper corn,
- And he shall be a true lover of mine.
- Tell him to shear it with a sickle of leather,
- Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
- And bind it up with a peacock feather.
- And he shall be a true lover of mine.
- Tell him to thrash it on yonder wall,
- Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme,
- And never let one corn of it fall,
- Then he shall be a true lover of mine.
- When he has done and finished his work.
- Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme:
- Oh, tell him to come and he'll have his shirt,
- And he shall be a true lover of mine.
Meaning of the refrain
Much thought has gone into attempts to explain the refrainRefrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
"parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
, sage, rosemary
Rosemary
Rosemary, , is a woody, perennial herb with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, which includes many other herbs, and is one of two species in the genus Rosmarinus...
and thyme
Thyme
Thyme is a culinary and medicinal herb of the genus Thymus.-History:Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing it was a source of courage...
", although, as this is found only in relatively recent versions, there may not be much to explain. One common theory is that they are the ingredients for stuffing used in many baked poultry dishes.
Alternate refrains
The oldest versions of "The Elfin KnightThe Elfin Knight
"The Elfin Knight" is a traditional Scottish folk ballad of which there are many versions, all dealing with supernatural occurrences, and the commission to perform impossible tasks.-Synopsis:...
" (circa 1650) contain the refrain "my plaid away, my plaid away, the wind shall not blow my plaid away" (or variations thereof), which may reflect the original emphasis on the lady's chastity. Slightly younger versions often contain one of a group of related refrains:
- Sober and grave grows merry in time
- Every rose grows merry with time
- There's never a rose grows fairer with time
These are usually paired with "Once (s)he was a true love of mine" or some variant. "Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme" may simply be an alternate rhyming refrain to the original.
Herbs in folk songs
Folksong scholar Märta Ramsten states that folksong refrains containing enumerations of herbs — spices and medical herbs — occur in many languages, including Swedish, Danish, German, and English (and also in the "regional language" of Lombardy, Italy: "ravanei, remulass, barbabietul e spinass" i.e. "radish, horseradish, beet and spinach").Plague reference
It has been suggested that the lyrics refer to the black plague, with parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme being four herbs used to ward off the smell of the dead or dying. It was popular belief in Medieval times that the smell of the plague(s) (miasma) was responsible for infection and that herbs could be used to cleanse air. Sage, rosemary, and thyme are also common ingredients used in Four Thieves VinegarFour Thieves Vinegar
Four Thieves Vinegar is a concoction of vinegar infused with herbs, spices or garlic that was believed to protect users from the plague...
, said to protect a group of thieves from the plague.
1940s and 1950s
The melody was used throughout director Fritz LangFritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
's 1941 film Man Hunt
Man Hunt (1941 film)
Man Hunt is a 1941 American thriller film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Walter Pidgeon and Joan Bennett. It is based on the 1939 novel Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household and is set just prior to the Second World War. A Jewish liberal, Lang had fled Germany into exile in the mid 1930s - this was...
starring Walter Pidgeon
Walter Pidgeon
Walter Davis Pidgeon was a Canadian actor, who starred in many motion pictures, including Mrs...
, Joan Bennett
Joan Bennett
Joan Geraldine Bennett was an American stage, film and television actress. Besides acting on the stage, Bennett appeared in more than 70 motion pictures from the era of silent movies well into the sound era...
and George Sanders
George Sanders
George Sanders was a British actor.George Sanders may also refer to:*George Sanders , Victoria Cross recipient in World War I...
.
The earliest commercial recording of the ballad was by actor/singers Gordon Heath
Gordon Heath
Gordon Heath was an African-American actor and musician who appeared in feature film Animal Farm, and the British made for TV movie Othello, directed by Tony Richardson. Together with his lover Lee Payant, he ran a Left Bank café called L'Abbaye later in his life...
and Lee Payant
Lee Payant
Lee Payant , was an actor and film director perhaps best known for voicing the title role of the 1960s TV serial The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe in English....
, Americans who ran a cafe and nightclub, L'Abbaye, on the Rive Gauche
Rive Gauche
La Rive Gauche is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two: looking downstream, the southern bank is to the left, and the northern bank is to the right....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. They recorded the song on the Elektra
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
album Encores From The Abbaye in 1955. Their version used the melody from Frank Kidson
Frank Kidson
Frank Kidson was an English folksong collector and music scholar.He was born in Leeds, where he lived for most of his life. He worked briefly with his brother in an antique business, then turned to landscape painting, for which he travelled widely, which gave him the opportunity to get to know...
's Collection Of Traditional Tunes, published in 1891, which reported it as being "as sung in Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
streets twenty or thirty years ago" - that is, in about the 1860s.
The song was also included on A. L. Lloyd
A. L. Lloyd
Albert Lancaster Lloyd , usually known as A. L. Lloyd or Bert Lloyd, was an English folk singer and collector of folk songs, and as such was a key figure in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s....
's 1955 album The English And Scottish Popular Ballads, using Kidson's melody, but the version using the melody later developed by Simon & Garfunkel in "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" was first recorded on a 1956 album, English Folk Songs, by Audrey Coppard. It was included by Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl was an English folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. He was married to theatre director Joan Littlewood, and later to American folksinger Peggy Seeger. He collaborated with Littlewood in the theatre and with Seeger in folk music...
and Peggy Seeger
Peggy Seeger
Margaret "Peggy" Seeger is an American folksinger. She is also well known in Britain, where she lived for more than 30 years with her husband, singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl.- The first American period :...
on The Singing Island, and then by Shirley Collins
Shirley Collins
Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE is a British folksinger who was a significant contributor to the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s...
in 1959 on the album False True Lovers. It is likely that both Coppard and Collins learned it from MacColl, who claimed to have collected it "in part" from a Scottish miner. However, according to Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
, MacColl's source was probably Cecil Sharp
Cecil Sharp
Cecil James Sharp was the founding father of the folklore revival in England in the early 20th century, and many of England's traditional dances and music owe their continuing existence to his work in recording and publishing them.-Early life:Sharp was born in Camberwell, London, the eldest son of...
's One Hundred English Folk Songs, published in 1916.
Simon & Garfunkel
Paul SimonPaul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
learned the song in London in 1965 from Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days...
, who had picked up the tune from the songbook by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger. Art Garfunkel
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
then set it in counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
with "Canticle", a reworking of Simon's 1963 song "The Side of a Hill" with new, anti-war
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
lyrics. It was the lead track of the 1966 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme is the third album by Simon & Garfunkel, released in the United States on October 10, 1966. Its name comes from the second line of the album's first track, "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", an English folk song from the 16th century, paired with a counter-melody and...
, and was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
after being featured on the soundtrack
The Graduate (soundtrack)
The Graduate is an album of songs from the soundtrack of Mike Nichols' movie The Graduate, featuring many songs from the folk-rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Released on January 21, 1968, the album was produced by Teo Macero....
to The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
in 1968. The copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
credited only Simon and Garfunkel as the authors, causing ill-feeling on the part of Carthy, who felt the "traditional" source should have been credited
Credit (creative arts)
In general, the term credit in the artistic or intellectual sense refers to an acknowledgement of those who contributed to a work, whether through ideas or in a more direct sense.-Credit in the arts:...
. This rift remained until Simon invited Carthy to duet the song with him at a London concert in 2000. Simon performed this song with The Muppets
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
when he guest starred on The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
.
Prior to Simon's learning the song, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
had borrowed the melody and several lines from Carthy's arrangement in creating his song, "Girl from the North Country
Girl from the North Country
"Girl from the North Country" is a song written by Bob Dylan. It was first released in 1963 as the second track on Dylan's second studio album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Dylan re-recorded the song as a duet with Johnny Cash in 1969. That recording became the first track on Nashville Skyline,...
", which appeared on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released in May 1963 by Columbia Records. Whereas his debut album Bob Dylan had contained only two original songs, Freewheelin initiated the process of writing contemporary words to traditional melodies....
(1963), Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's ninth studio album, released by Columbia Records in April 1969.The album marked a dramatic departure for Dylan, previously known for his groundbreaking, poetic folk music and rock and roll...
(1969) (together with Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
), Real Live
Real Live
Real Live is a live album documenting Bob Dylan's 1984 tour of Europe, released at the end of that same year by Columbia Records. Most of the concert was recorded at Wembley Stadium on 7 July, but "License to Kill" and "Tombstone Blues" come from St James' Park, Newcastle on 5 July, and "I and I"...
(1984) and The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration
The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration is a live double-album release in recognition of Bob Dylan's 30 years as a recording artist. Recorded on October 16, 1992 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, it captures most of the concert, which featured many artists performing classic Dylan songs,...
(1993).
Chart performance
| Chart (1968) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 49 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 5 |
| UK Singles Chart | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 11 |
Other artists
Other artists who have performed the song include but are not limited to: the Chopsticks from Hong Kong in the early 1970s, Glen Campbell, Cordelia's DadCordelia's Dad
Cordelia's Dad is a band from Northampton, Massachusetts that combines folk and punk rock influences and was instrumental in the creation of the genre later to be dubbed "No Depression". The band formed in 1987 and was active until 1998, when the members relocated to different parts of the country...
, Focus
Focus (band)
Focus is a Dutch rock band which was founded by classically trained organist/flautist Thijs van Leer in 1969, and is most famous for the instrumental pieces "Hocus Pocus" and "Sylvia"...
, Delfonics, Vicky Leandros
Vicky Leandros
Vicky Leandros is a Greek singer with a long international career. She is the daughter of singer, musician and composer Leandros Papathanasiou...
(who also recorded a French, German and Greek version), The Parvarim (who recorded it in Hebrew), My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in 1990. To date, My Dying Bride have released eleven full-length studio albums, three EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release. The band released their tenth studio album, For Lies I Sire,...
, Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw is an English pop singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest...
, Brian the Folksinger (on his self-produced album Folksinger), Hannah Fury
Hannah Fury
Hannah Fury is an American singer-songwriter with a following based on her independently-produced melancholic recordings inspired by Gregory Maguire's revisionist Oz novel Wicked.-Career details:...
, Gregorian
Gregorian (band)
Gregorian is a German band headed by Frank Peterson that performs Gregorian chant-inspired versions of modern pop and rock songs. The band features both vocal harmony and instrumental accompaniment.- Band history :...
, Sérgio Mendes
Sergio Mendes
Sérgio Santos Mendes is a Brazilian musician. He has released over thirty-five albums, and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk....
& Brasil '66, Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
, Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola is an acclaimed American jazz fusion and Latin guitarist, composer, and record producer of Italian origin. With a musical career that has spanned more than three decades, he has become respected as one of the most influential guitarists in jazz to date...
, Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri
Nana Mouskouri , born Ioánna Moúschouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold about 300 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and...
, Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche
thumb|250px|right|Queensrÿche's classic line-up performing at the [[Sauna Open Air Metal Festival]] 2011 in [[Tampere]], [[Finland]]. Left to right: bass Eddie Jackson, lead vocals Geoff Tate, drums Scott Rockenfield and guitars Michael Wilton....
, Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days...
, Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
, Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
, Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker is an Anglo-Kenyan singer-songwriter and musician with worldwide record sales of over 55 million. His music can be described as easy listening. He is best known for his baritone singing voice and trademark whistling ability...
, Frank Underwood
Frank Underwood
Frank Underwood is a folk and blues musician, also known for work in the early music field, who presently lives and works in Oxfordshire.He was the leader of the 1970s band Windsong, which featured Annie Lennox prior to her involvement with The Tourists and fame with the Eurythmics...
, Midori
Midori Goto
is a Japanese American violinist. She made her debut at the age of 11 in a last-minute change of programming during a concert highlighting young performers by the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. When she was 21, she formed the philanthropic group Midori and Friends to help bring music to...
, Medwyn Goodall
Medwyn Goodall
Medwyn Goodall is a composer and musician mostly associated with the New Age genre. He was born in Yorkshire, England. He lives with his wife Wendy in Cornwall, England...
, The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows and a six episode radio series, it has since spawned a total of twenty television episodes for BBC Three and two live tours of the UK, as well as two live shows in the...
, Johnny Dean, Pentangle
Pentangle (band)
Pentangle are a British folk rock band with some folk jazz influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s and a later version has been active since the early 1980s...
on their album One More Road
One More Road
One More Road is an album by Pentangle. It was released in the UK on the Permanent label, PERM CD 11 in 1993. In Germany it was released in 1993 on SPV Records, SPV M29235...
, Urban Trad
Urban Trad
Urban Trad is a Belgian folk music group, consisting of both Flemish and French speaking people and a close connection with Galicia.-Members:*Yves Barbieux: flutes and Galician bagpipe*Veronica Codesal: vocals*Soetkin Collier: vocals...
, the Mediaeval Baebes, Triniti
Trinití
Trinití was a Dublin-based female vocal trio.-History:According to record label PR, Eve O'Donnell, Laura Cunningham and Sharon Moran met in Dublin. They were all blonde and were all in their early twenties. The three girls sang barefoot practising the "Alexander Technique" while singing...
, Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
(with and without Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female musical ensemble conceived and assembled by Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance...
), One More Grain
One More Grain
One More Grain was a four piece band based in London.Fronted by Daniel Patrick Quinn, often compared to the Fall frontman, Mark E. Smith. Quinn hails from the small northern city of Lancaster, where he attended the Royal Grammar School...
, Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...
, K.I.A.
Kirby Ian Andersen
K.I.A. is a cross-genre pop electronica producer from Toronto, Canada. Like much of the Toronto and Montreal music scenes, Kirby Ian Andersen, the writer and producer of the songs, involves many people in his recordings—six or seven different vocalists on each release...
,Terry St Clair on his Hard Times and other Riddles album.Luar na Lubre
Luar na Lubre
-Etymology:Luar is Galician for moonlight; lubre is a magical forest in which the Celtic druids cast their spells.-Biography:During its career, this musical group has spread Galician music and culture. The band became famous worldwide after Mike Oldfield took interest in their music...
, Steve Von Till
Steve Von Till
Steve von Till is best known as singer and guitarist for the atmospheric metal band Neurosis, replacing Chad Salter in 1989. He is also in Tribes of Neurot and Culper Ring, and records solo work under both his given name and the moniker Harvestman...
(under his Harvestman moniker), Mägo de Oz
Mägo de Oz
Mägo de Oz is a Spanish folk/heavy metal band from Begoña, Madrid formed in mid-1988 by drummer Txus di Fellatio. In 1992, the band were finalists in the Villa de Madrid contest. Then, they went onto achieve great success in Spain, and in 1995, were declared Revolution Rock Band...
(whose Spanish version carries the title "Duerme... (canción de cuna)"), Aya Matsuura
Aya Matsuura
is a Japanese pop singer from Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.-2000–2009: Hello! Project:Aya auditioned in 2000 for the fourth Morning Musume & Heike Michiyo Protegee Audition and was selected along with Sheki-Dol to become a part of what was later known as Hello! Project. It is a common...
, Chihiro Yonekura
Chihiro Yonekura
is a Japanese singer from Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture.-History:While Yonekura was attending university, she sent off several demonstration tapes to recording companies. She was scouted out, and received the opportunity to do the opening song "Arashi no Nakade Kagayaite" for the anime Mobile Suit...
, the King's Singers
King's Singers
The King's Singers is a British a cappella vocal ensemble who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s...
(on their Original Debut Album), the Italian singer and composer Angelo Branduardi
Angelo Branduardi
Angelo Branduardi , is an Italian folk singer and composer who scored relevant success in Italy and European countries such as France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.- Biography :...
and, most recently, a young Japanese artist named Yuki Otake (whose version starts each stanza with the English lyrics, most of which are listed above, and then finishes with a Japanese translation). Moody Blues
The Moody Blues
The Moody Blues are an English rock band. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their 1967 album Days of Future Passed....
singer Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward is an English musician, best known as singer, songwriter and guitarist in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England...
kept true to the lyrics of the song, in his 1989 album Classic Blue
Classic Blue
Classic Blue is the fourth solo studio album by The Moody Blues front-man Justin Hayward. Classic Blue was released in 1989 by Trax Records , and features Mike Batt, who also produced the album, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra...
. He recorded this with Mike Batt
Mike Batt
Michael Philip "Mike" Batt is a British songwriter, musician, producer and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry...
and the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
. Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
's version of "Scarborough Fair" appears on her 2000 album La Luna
La Luna (album)
La Luna is a concept album recorded by English soprano Sarah Brightman in 2000. It was released under license by Nemo Studios to Angel Records. The album combines pieces written by classical and modern composers....
. Her version was also released as a promo only single from the album. She uses Simon and Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" arrangement, although the "Canticle" portions are instrumental in her version. Though she omits most of the lyrics that are given above, the lyrics that do still remain in her shorter version of the song are reproduced accurately above within the longer version. The Stone Roses did a 55 second cover of it, but they changed the lyrics.
Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
performed, with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, "Girl from the North Country
Girl from the North Country
"Girl from the North Country" is a song written by Bob Dylan. It was first released in 1963 as the second track on Dylan's second studio album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Dylan re-recorded the song as a duet with Johnny Cash in 1969. That recording became the first track on Nashville Skyline,...
" on the album Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline
Nashville Skyline is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's ninth studio album, released by Columbia Records in April 1969.The album marked a dramatic departure for Dylan, previously known for his groundbreaking, poetic folk music and rock and roll...
.
Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel
Bryn Terfel Jones CBE is a Welsh bass-baritone opera and concert singer. Terfel was initially associated with the roles of Mozart, particularly Figaro and Leporello, but has subsequently shifted his attention to heavier roles, especially those by Wagner....
released an album in 2008 entitled "Scarborough Fair - Songs from the British Isles", which featured the song performed as a duet with Kate Royal
Kate Royal
Kate Royal is an English lyric soprano. She is the daughter of Steve Royal, a singer and songwriter for television, and of Carolyn Royal, a former model and dancer....
.
Roy Castle
Roy Castle
Roy Castle OBE was an English dancer, singer, comedian, actor, television presenter and musician. He attended Honley High School, where there is now a building in his name...
, better known as presenter of the popular children's BBC TV show, "Record Breakers", released a version of the song in 1967 on Columbia (DB 8155). Arranged by Victor Graham, it includes electric harpsichord (played by Gordon Beck), French horn, and jazzy flute (by Ray Swinfield) - all propelled by driving electric bass (possibly by Eric Ford).
Lesley Garrett
Lesley Garrett
Lesley Garrett CBE is an English musician, broadcaster and media personality.- Early life :Garrett was born in the town of Thorne near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, into a musical family. She attended Thorne Grammar School, where she performed in school plays and musicals. As she grew up she...
performed a traditional version of the song, with male background vocals on her 2002 album The Singer
The Singer
The Singer may refer to:*The Singer , a 1973 album by Liza Minnelli*The Singer , a 1992 album by Diamanda Galás*The Singer , a 2002 album by Lesley Garrett...
.
In 2005, the Austrian early music ensemble Quadriga Consort
Quadriga Consort
Quadriga Consort aka Quadriga Early Music Band is an early music ensemble from Austria. Founded in 2001 by harpsichordist Nikolaus Newerkla, the ensemble plays rearranged early British and Irish traditional music....
released a Renaissance consort song style version.
Celtic Woman member Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
performed this song in Celtic Woman: A New Journey in 2007. Also in 2007, the bass Joel Frederiksen, with the Ensemble Phoenix Munich, recorded this song and its variant Whittingham Faire on their album The Elfin Knight.
In 2008, Simon Rylander produced a multi-track album that featured an eight-part barbershop music
Barbershop music
Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era , is a style of a cappella, or unaccompanied vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture...
-style arrangement of this song. His many barbershop [tags] are featured on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
under the name FineyLeee.
The Philadelphia folk band Broadside Electric
Broadside Electric
Broadside Electric are an American electric folk band from Philadelphia. Formed in 1990, they are still active in 2011...
recorded a version, "The Six Questions", on their 1992 album Black-edged Visiting Card
Black-edged Visiting Card
Black-edged Visiting Card is the title of the first album by Broadside Electric. It was released on December 1, 1992 in the United States.-Track listing:#New York Girls / Yoshke / Sailor's Hornpipe – 5:57...
, derived from original research into the song's source material. This version features both male and female vocals singing the impossible tasks as a conversation between the star-crossed lovers, and a closing fugue based on the refrain "Sing ivy leaf, sweet william and thyme".
Roy Harper recorded a version called "North Country" on his album, Valentine, which he credited as Traditional-arr by Harper.
Two interpretations of Scarborough Fair: "Scarborough Street Fair" and "Michael's Scarborough Fair" (an instrumental), appear on the soundtrack to the adult animated film Heavy Traffic
Heavy Traffic
Heavy Traffic is a 1973 American animated film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi. The film, which begins, ends, and occasionally combines with live-action, explores the often surreal fantasies of a young New York cartoonist named Michael Corleone, using pinball imagery as a metaphor for...
, along with the Sérgio Mendes
Sergio Mendes
Sérgio Santos Mendes is a Brazilian musician. He has released over thirty-five albums, and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk....
& Brasil '66 version.
It also seems to have heavily inspired the The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...
song "Elizabeth My Dear", whose melody is very similar.
In British comedy series "The Mighty Boosh" the character Vince Noir is reminded of a time when he and a friend, Leroy, sang this song while in make-up similar to the Band KISS. The song was not a success and this is attributed to the fact that no one will ever be ready for the 'glam rock/folk' combination.
The song was used as an ending song of episode 8 of the Japanese anime, Gunslinger Girl ~ Il Teatrino
Gunslinger Girl
Gunslinger Girl is an ongoing manga by Yu Aida. It first premiered in the November 2002 issue of the monthly shōnen magazine Dengeki Daioh. The chapters are also being published in tankōbon volumes by ASCII Media Works. 13 volumes have been released in Japan as of April 2011...
, sung by Aoi Tada
Aoi Tada
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and former voice actress and musical actress. She formerly belonged to Gekidan Himawari. Her nickname is "Mamoru Tada".Her most noted voice role is that of Cowboy Bebops Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV...
.
The song was also recorded by the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
band Brainbox. Sea Level
Sea Level (band)
Sea Level is the name of a fusion group that mixed jazz, blues and rock. It existed between 1976 and 1981. Initially, it was an offshoot of The Allman Brothers Band, but as tensions grew between the loss of two of its founding members, and personal greivances between Gregg Allman and other...
, the Allman Brothers Band offshoot formed by Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell
Chuck Leavell is an American pianist and keyboardist, who was a member of The Allman Brothers Band throughout the height of their popularity, a founding member of the jazz-rock combo Sea Level, a frequently-employed session musician, and later, the keyboardist for Eric Clapton and The Rolling...
, Jai Johanny Johanson
Jai Johanny Johanson
Jai Johanny Johanson , frequently known by the stage name Jaimoe, is an American drummer and percussionist. He is best known as one of the founding members of The Allman Brothers Band.-Early years:...
, Lamar Williams
Lamar Williams
Lamar Williams was an American musician, most known as the bassist for The Allman Brothers Band and Sea Level....
and Jimmy Nalls recorded an instrumental version on their 1977 debut album. It was also recorded by British singer Amy Nuttall
Amy Nuttall
Amy Nuttall is an English actress and singer most notable for playing the role of Chloe Atkinson in the long-running ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 2000 until 2005.-Early life:...
from her debut album Best Days. Carly Simon included the tune on her 2007 album Into White. German techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
group Scooter
Scooter (band)
Scooter are a German hard dance band founded in Hamburg, who have sold over 25 million records and earned over 80 gold and platinum awards. Scooter are considered the most successful single-record German act with 23 top ten hits. The band is currently composed of members H.P. Baxxter, Rick J....
also covered the song, as Scarborough Affair in 2007, on their album The Ultimate Aural Orgasm
The Ultimate Aural Orgasm
The Ultimate Aural Orgasm is the twelfth studio album by Scooter. Two singles were released from it: "Behind The Cow" and "Lass Uns Tanzen". This is the first album released with new member Michael Simon...
. They also released a new version of the song called Scarborough Reloaded on the Ti Sento single in 2009.
The Chopsticks (Sandra and Amina), a Hong Kong duo from the late 1960s and early 1970s, released the song on their album, All Of A Sudden. Their rendition incorporates Arabic musical elements and rhythm.
Robin and Barry Dransfield recorded a version of the song, to another tune, on their album The Rout of the Blues (1970).
Hannah Fury
Hannah Fury
Hannah Fury is an American singer-songwriter with a following based on her independently-produced melancholic recordings inspired by Gregory Maguire's revisionist Oz novel Wicked.-Career details:...
has recorded her own version, a 'soul-shredded' version called Scars. It features lyrics that are twisted in some way.
Electronica artists The KGBs have done a version called "Infinity", featured on the Hardstyle Techno
Hardstyle
Hardstyle is an electronic dance genre mixing influences from hardtechno, hard house, hard trance, hardcore and rave music. It is between 148 and 157 bpm in speed and is written in 4/4 time....
compilation Italian Hardstyle 9 by DJ TechnoBoy. It features a typical Hardstyle beat with a crossfade
Fade (audio engineering)
In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theater lighting, in much the same way ....
of the first two verses looped over and over.
Recently, the Dutch Pagan NeoCeltic Folkband Omnia
Omnia (band)
Omnia is a self-described "neoceltic pagan folk" band based in The Netherlands and whose members over the years have had Irish, Dutch, Cornish, Belgian and Persian backgrounds...
published a somewhat darker version of the song on their newest album — Alive! (2007), titled "The Elven Lover".
In 2008, sticking to traditional lyrics and a medieval style, the band Anglo Saxon released it on their 'Lest we Forget 7/7' single. It also features on their album 'Endangered Species'.
The Norwegian/German band Leaves' Eyes
Leaves' Eyes
Leaves' Eyes is a German-Norwegian symphonic metal band from Stavanger, Norway and Ludwigsburg, Germany. They were formed in 2003 by Liv Kristine, the former lead singer of Theatre of Tragedy and the entire line-up of Atrocity...
included a cover of the song on their 2009 album Njord
Njord (album)
-Personnel:*Liv Kristine Espenæs Krull – Lead/Backing Vocals*Alexander Krull – Death Grunts; Keyboards; Programming*Thorsten Bauer – Lead/Rhythm/Acoustic Guitars; Bass Guitars*Mathias Röderer – Lead/Rhythm/Acoustic Guitars...
as well as an acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
version on the EP/single My Destiny
My Destiny (EP)
My Destiny is a Maxi single/EP by symphonic metal band Leaves' Eyes, which was released on July 24, 2009. "My Destiny" and "Northbound" are taken from the album Njord. The rest of the tracks are exclusive to this release....
.
The English doom metal
Doom metal
Doom metal is an extreme form of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other metal genres...
band My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in 1990. To date, My Dying Bride have released eleven full-length studio albums, three EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release. The band released their tenth studio album, For Lies I Sire,...
placed the song on their 2009 EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Bring Me Victory
Bring Me Victory
Bring Me Victory is an EP by the doom metal band My Dying Bride. "Bring Me Victory" is a song from My Dying Bride's previous album, For Lies I Sire; a video was made for the song and released on this EP. "Scarborough Fair", an English traditional song, has two additional verses incorporated into it...
, with partially rewritten lyrics.
An instrumental version of the song was remixed in Quake Holdings
Quake Inc.
Quake Inc. is a Japanese media company for the purposes as the music publisher. The company was originally founded as a printer company in 2001 but it became a music company Quake Records in 2003. In 2005, the company was renamed to Quake Holdings. The company became a subsidiary of Pony Canyon in...
' EXIT TRANCE
Exit Trance
Exit Trance is a compilation series released in Japan specializing in the Japanese J-Trance genre, a niche sub genre of J-Pop. The most prominent influence of J-Trance is to be found in Trance added to this are elements from Rave, Drum and bass and Speed core....
PRESENTS 全米No.1 シネマCOVERS 2 (Exit Trance Presents All-American No. 1 Cinema Covers 2) by artist Ryu*, as simply .
Spanish actress Inma Cuesta tries a "capella" version of the song in the Spanish 17th-century-based show "Águila Roja", in its 14th episode (1st of the second season):
The folk music collaboration The Imagined Village
The Imagined Village
The Imagined Village is a folk musical project founded by Simon Emmerson of the Afro Celt Sound System. It is intended to produce modern folk music that represents modern multiculturalism in the United Kingdom and as such, features musicians from a wide variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds...
, which includes Martin Carthy in its lineup, recorded a version of the song on their 2010 album, Empire & Love.
In the video game Bayonetta
Bayonetta
is a hack and slash action game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 developed by Platinum Games in cooperation with publisher Sega. Set in a fictional city in Europe, the game centers on its title character, Bayonetta, who uses pistols and magical attacks to defeat enemies...
by Platinum Games, the eponymous character uses four pistols called Scarborough Fair, which are individually named Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.
The plot of Nancy Werlin's 2008 fiction book Impossible heavily revolves around the history and mythology of the song.
The song is also popular with Loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
marching bands
Parades in Northern Ireland
Parades are an important part of Northern Irish culture. Although the majority of parades are held ostensibly by Protestant, unionist or Ulster loyalist groups, nationalist, republican and non-political groups also parade. Parading is often considered to be an assertion of a group's control over a...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Dogfish Head beer "Saison du BUFF" is a Saison brewed with parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.
Scottish singer–songwriter Emily Smith
Emily Smith (singer)
Emily Smith is a Scottish folk singer from Dumfries and Galloway. She went to school at Wallace Hall Academy and has a degree in Scottish music from The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She is married to New Zealand-born fiddle player Jamie McClennan.Dumfries & Galloway's EMILY SMITH is...
has recorded a version of this song, with the title "Sweet Lover of Mine" (lyrics: traditional/Emily Smith; melody: Emily Smith; arrangement: E. Smith and J. McClennan), on her fourth solo album, 2011's Traiveller’s Joy. In her album notes, Ms Smith says the song is a "variant of the ballad The Elfin Knight
The Elfin Knight
"The Elfin Knight" is a traditional Scottish folk ballad of which there are many versions, all dealing with supernatural occurrences, and the commission to perform impossible tasks.-Synopsis:...
".
The Italian epic metal band Adramelch's first album Irae Melanox contains two songs, Lamento and Was Called Empire, which make use of the main theme of this song.
The youtube-based international choir Stella Voci made a cover of the song in 2009.
Hungarian singer Zsuzsa Koncz performed this folk-song Bordódi Kristóf with hungarian text by Janos Brody.
The instrumental title tune of the British television mystery series Rosemary & Thyme
Rosemary & Thyme
Rosemary & Thyme is a British television mystery series that starred Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris as gardening detectives Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. The show began on ITV in 2003, and the third series ended in August 2007...
is based on the melody of the song.
Comedian Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey
Bill Bailey is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI.Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in...
covered the song live at Sonisphere 2011. He played the first four lines in a traditional style, before switching to the 'Rammstein version', accompanied by his on stage band.
External links
- The Elfin Knight Several variants, as collected by Child
- The Modern Herbalist: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme: A Love Story
- About the song Scarborough Fair Simple Fanpage with lots of informations and interpretations
- Explanation of Connection to the Plague
- Scarborough Town Information
- "Scarborough Fair" from the BBCBBCThe 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...
, with audio from Martin Carthy and Paul Simon. - Scarborough Fair in YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
: