For He's a Jolly Good Fellow
Composer:
Anon
Genre: World / Folk
Decade: before 1923
Submitted by: Russell Ambrose
Description:
From Wikipedia"For He`s A Jolly Good Fellow" is a song which is sung to congratulate a person on a significant event, such as, a promotion, a birthday, the birth of a child, or the winning of a championship sporting event. The melody originates from that of the French song "Marlbrough s`en va-t-en guerre (Marlborough Has Left for the War). The traditional children`s song The Bear Went Over the Mountain is sung to the same tune.According to the Guinness Book of World Records, "For He`s a Jolly Good Fellow" is the second-most popular song in the English language, following "Happy Birthday to You" and followed by "Auld Lang Syne." It is frequently used instead of "Happy Birthday to You" in films and TV to avoid possible copyright issues.Contents [hide] 1 History2 Lyrics2.1 British Version2.2 American Version3 Variations4 In popular culture5 See also6 References7 External links[edit]HistoryThe tune was originally composed the night after the Battle of Malplaquet in 1709.[1] It became a French folktune and was later popularized by Marie Antoinette after she heard one of her maids singing it.[2] The melody became so popular in France that it was used to represent the French defeat in Ludwig van Beethoven`s composition "Wellington`s Victory" Opus 91 written in 1813.[3]The melody also became popular in England, for example as a harpsichord exercise, and by the 19th century it was being sung with the words "For he`s a jolly good fellow." British and American versions of the lyrics differ. "And so say all of us" is typically British, while "which nobody can deny" is regarded as the American version.[3] Nevertheless, "which nobody can deny" has also been reported by non-American writers including Charles Dickens in Household Words[4] and James Joyce in Finnegans Wake.[5][edit]LyricsAs with many songs that use gender-specific pronouns, the song can be altered to agree with the sex of the intended recipient, "he" being replaced with "she."[edit]British Version(also Australia[citation needed], New Zealand[citation needed])For he`s a jolly good fellow, for he`s a jolly good fellowFor he`s a jolly good fellow (pause), and so say all of usAnd so say all of us, and so say all of usFor he`s a jolly good fellow, for he`s a jolly good fellowFor he`s a jolly good fellow (pause), and so say all of us![edit]American VersionFor he`s a jolly good fellow, for he`s a jolly good fellowFor he`s a jolly good fellow (pause), which nobody can denyWhich nobody can deny, which nobody can denyFor he`s a jolly good fellow, for he`s a jolly good fellowFor he`s a jolly good fellow (pause), which nobody can deny!
by: Russell Ambrose