"Bang Bang Lulu" is a traditional American song with many variations. It derives from older songs most commonly known as "Bang Bang Rosie" in Ireland, "Bang Away Lulu" in

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

,Cray, Ed. ''The Erotic Muse: American Bawdy Songs'' 2nd ed.
p. 173 ff.
UIP (

Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

), 1999. Accessed 13 Jan 2014. and "My Lula Gal" in the

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

.Logsdon, Guy. ''The Whorehouse Bells Are Ringing and Other Songs Cowboys Sing''
pp. 154 ff.
1995 reprint of UIP (

), 1989. Accessed 13 Jan 2014. The form "Bang Bang Lulu" became widespread in the United States from its use as a

cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (1999) ...

during the

World Wars A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...

. The song uses the tune of "

Goodnight, Ladies "Goodnight, Ladies" is a folk song attributed to Edwin Pearce Christy, originally intended to be sung during a minstrel show. Drawing from an 1847 song by Christy entitled "Farewell, Ladies", the song as known today was first published on May 16 ...

Traditional song

All versions concern a woman and her various lovers. The early forms were sometimes very directly crude, violent, or infanticidal. Published versions probably drastically understate the song's popularity, particularly since the first mentions allude to 78 or 900 additional verses unfit for printing.

Robert Gordon Robert Gordon may refer to: Entertainment * Robert Gordon (actor) (1895–1971), silent-film actor * Robert Gordon (director) (1913–1990), American director * Robert Gordon (singer) (1947–2022), American rockabilly singer * Robert Gordon (scr ...

, the first head of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

's Archive of American Folk Song, included his variants of Lulu among the "Inferno" section which was excluded from the library's general collection for its "bawdy and scatological subject matter". One verse appeared in

Owen Wister Owen Wister (July 14, 1860 – July 21, 1938) was an American writer and historian, considered the "father" of western fiction. He is best remembered for writing '' The Virginian'' and a biography of Ulysses S. Grant. Biography Early life ...

's 1902 novel on p. 96 '' The Virginian'':Wister, Owen. ''The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains''
§IX
Macmillan Co. (New York), 1902. :If you go to monkey with my Looloo girl, :I'll tell you what I'll do: :I'll carve out your heart with my razor, AND :I'll shoot you with my pistol, too— Nine appeared in

Carl Sandburg Carl August Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967) was an American poet, biographer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. During his lifetime, Sandburg ...

's 1927 ''

American Songbag ''The American Songbag'' is an anthology of American folksongs compiled by the poet Carl Sandburg and published by Harcourt, Brace and Company in 1927. It was enormously popular and was in print continuously for more than seventy years. Melodies ...

'' among its "Railroad and Work Gangs" songs, including Wister's and:Sandburg, Carl. ''American Songbag''
pp. 378 ff
1927. Accessed 13 Jan 2014. :My Lulu hugged and kissed me, :She wrung my hand and cried, :She said I was the sweetest thing :That ever lived or died. :My Lulu's tall and slender, :My Lulu gal's tall and slim; :But the only thing that satisfies her :Is a good big drink of gin. :My Lulu gal's a daisy, :She wears a big white hat; :I bet your life when I'm in town :The dudes all hit the flat. :I ain't goin' to work on the railroad, :I ain't goin' to lie in jail, :But I'm goin' down to Cheyenne town :To live with my Lulu gal. :My Lulu, she's an angel, :Only she aint got no wings. :I guess I'll get her a wedding ring, :When the grass gets green next spring. :My Lulu, she's a dandy, :She stands and drinks like a man, :She calls for gin and brandy, :And she doesn't give a damn. :Engineer blowed the whistle, :Fireman rang the bell, :Lulu, in a pink kimona :Says, "Baby, oh fare you well." :I seen my Lulu in the springtime, :I seen her in the fall; :She wrote me a letter in the winter time, :Says, "Good-bye, honey," that's all. Sandburg credited many of the verses he knew as derived from the 17th-century Scotch song " Way Up on Clinch Mountain", now usually known as "Rye Whiskey".

Roy Acuff Roy Claxton Acuff (September 15, 1903 – November 23, 1992) was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the "King of Country Music", Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown ...

and his Crazy Tennesseans recorded "When Lulu's Gone" under the pseudonym of the Bang Boys in 1936. Another version—"Lulu"—was recorded by

Oscar Brand Oscar Brand (February 7, 1920 – September 30, 2016) was a Canadian-born American folk singer-songwriter, radio host, and author. In his career, spanning 70 years, he composed at least 300 songs and released nearly 100 albums, among them Can ...

on his 1958 '' Old Time Bawdy Sea Shanties''. Verses from this song also developed into "

Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms" is an American traditional song. It seems to have developed from lyrics in the cowboy song "My Lula Gal", itself a development of bawdy British and Appalachian songs generally known as "Bang Bang Rosie" or "Bang Away ...

", recorded by

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

and

Flatt & Scruggs Flatt and Scruggs were an American bluegrass music, bluegrass duo. Singer and guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo player Earl Scruggs, both of whom had been members of Bill Monroe's band, the Bluegrass Boys, from 1945 to 1948, formed the duo in 1948 ...

and many others after them.

Military cadences

Most military cadences suggested explicit rhymes but skipped back to the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

rather than complete them: :...Lulu had a boyfriend :He drove a garbage truck :'Never got no garbage :'Cos all he did was :Bang bang Lulu :Lulu's gone away :Who's gonna bang bang :Now Lulu's gone away... ...Lulu has an uncle (''whoa'')
Her uncle's name is Chuck
Every time he's at her house
She'd always want to
Bang bang Lulu
Lulu has gone away
Bang bang Lulu
Lulu is here to stay...Bang Bang
at ''Army Study Guide''. Accessed 13 Jan 2014. ... Lulu had a chicken
She also had a duck
She put them on the table
To see if they would
Bang away on Lulu
Bang away all day
Who you gonna bang on
When Lulu's gone away?... ...Lulu has two boyfriends
Both of them are rich
One's the son of a banker
The others a son of a Bang bang Lulu
Lulu's gone away
Who's gonna bang bang Lulu
while Lulu's gone away? ...Lulu has a bicycle(''whoa'')
the seat's on back to front
Every time she sits on it
It goes right up her Bang bang Lulu
Lulu's gone away
Who's gonna bang bang Lulu
while Lulu's gone away?

Ska

A Calypso version of the military cadences was recorded by

The Merrymen The Merrymen, sometimes written as The MerryMen, are a popular calypso band from Barbados. The Merrymen's career spans five decades, from the early-1960s to the 2000s. The Merrymen are still performing as of 2011. At their height they were popu ...

on their 1967 album ''

Sing And Swing With The Merrymen The Merrymen, sometimes written as The MerryMen, are a popular calypso band from Barbados. The Merrymen's career spans five decades, from the early-1960s to the 2000s. The Merrymen are still performing as of 2011. At their height they were popu ...

''. From there, the song was recorded by early

Ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

musicians like

Lloyd Charmers Lloyd Charmers (born Lloyd Tyrell, 1938 – 27 December 2012, also known as Lloyd Chalmers, Lloyd Terell, or Lloyd Terrell)Ruddock, George (2012), ''Jamaica Gleaner'', 29 December 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012 was a Jamaican ska and reggae s ...

in the 1970s and then later covered by various pop artists including

Goombay Dance Band Goombay Dance Band is a German band created in 1979 by Oliver Bendt, named after a small bay on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. Their music has a distinctive sound (somewhat similar to Boney M.), which is a mixture of soca, calypso and west ...

and

Boney M. Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...

The Skadows from England released a version of the song that featured on their debutalbum Ska'd for life (1982) Bang Bang Lulu were also a Ska and Soul revival band in the UK. They formed in 2005 and released the album ''Ska Wars''.''Myspace''
Bang Bang Lulu
2009. Accessed 14 Jan 2014. A Boeing B-17G-100-BO 43-38905 of the 708th Bomb Squadron, 447th Bombardment Group (H) was named "Bang Bang Lulu" based at Rattlesden, Suffolk, U.K.

Boney M. version

"Bang Bang Lulu" was a 1986 single by the German band

It was taken from their final album, the 1985 ''

Eye Dance ''Eye Dance'' is the eighth and final studio album by the vocal group Boney M., released in 1985. The cover artwork was symbolic of the state the group was in at that time, as neither the famous "Boney M." logo nor the group members appeared on ...

''. The single failed to chart, and the group—having disbanded after their 10th anniversary—didn't promote it. It was originally intended for

Liz Mitchell Liz is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God's Promise". It is also a short form of Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Lisbeth, Lizanne, Liszbeth, Lizbeth, Lizabeth, Lyzbeth, Lisa, Lizette, Alyssa, and Eliza. People * Liz Balmaseda (born 1959), Pulit ...

to sing, but she found the lyrics vulgar and refused to do it. Instead,

Reggie Tsiboe Reggie Tsiboe (born 7 September 1950) is a Ghanaian-British entertainer, dancer and one of the singers of the disco group Boney M. between 1982 and 1986 and later between 1989 and 1990. In 1982, Tsiboe originally replaced the dancer Bobby Farrel ...

did the lead vocals, backed by session singers Amy and Elaine Goff.

Releases

* "Bang Bang Lulu" (7" single remix) - 3:31 / "Calendar Song" (Farian) - 2:37 (Hansa 108 395-100, Germany) * "Bang Bang Lulu" (12" remix) - 3:58 / "Calendar Song" - 2:37 / "Chica da Silva" - 4:35 (Hansa 608 395-213, Germany)

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=December 2020 American folk songs Songs about fictional female characters 1985 singles Boney M. songs American Songbag songs Year of song unknown Songwriter unknown

Traditional song

Military cadences

Ska

Boney M. version

Releases

See also

References