"I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" is a

popular song Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Funk ...

written by

Thomas Paine Westendorf Thomas Payne Westendorf (February 23, 1848 – April 19, 1923) was an American songwriter, composer, and educator. Westendorf wrote around 500 musical pieces and songs, but was most famous for his hit song, " I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen." ...

(1848-1923) in 1875. (The music is loosely based on

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

's Violin Concerto in E Flat Minor Opus 64 Second Movement). In spite of its German-American origins, it is widely mistaken to be an Irish ballad. Westendorf, born in Virginia of German parents, was then teaching at the reform school known as the Indiana House of Refuge for Juvenile Offenders in

Hendricks County, Indiana Hendricks County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 145,448. The county seat is the town of Danville. Hendricks County is the third largest county in the Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderso ...

. He wrote it for his wife (who was, however, named Jennie), who had made a visit to her home state of New York due to homesickness. It's in the form of an "answer" to a popular ballad of the time, "Barney, Take Me Home Again," composed by Westendorf’s close friend, George W. Brown, writing under the nom de plume of George W. Persley.

Recorded versions

*A version by

Will Oakland Will Oakland (January 15, 1880–May 15, 1956) was an American countertenor famed for his exceptionally high vocal range. He was born Herman Hinrichs in Jersey City, New Jersey, to German-American immigrant parents. Oakland began his mus ...

on Edison Amberol (catalog 1102) was very popular in 1912. *On 30 January 2011 Jon Boden released a version as part of his ''

A Folk Song A Day A Folk Song a Day is a project by the English folk singer and musician and Bellowhead member Jon Boden where he recorded and released a folk song each day for one year. The project ended on 24 June 2011. About The project started on 24 June ...

'' project. *On March 31, 1971

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

sang a version of this song on the 56th episode of his television show The Johnny Cash Show (TV series). *Frank Connors (released by Varsity Records) as catalog number 519, with the B-side " When Irish Eyes Are Smiling") * Eugene Conley, American operatic tenor, recorded a version released by

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

. * Michael Crawford performed the song for his album ''In Concert'' in 1998, and also in his concert tour. *

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and John Scott Trotter's Orchestra (recorded July 17,

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

, released by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

as catalog numbers 18721B and 28261, both with the B-side " The Bells of St. Mary's"; also as catalog number 23789B with the B-side "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral") * Merv Griffin (released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-4749, with the B-side "Wild Colonial Boy") *Irish tenor Josef Locke recorded a version around the late 1940s. *Danny Malone (recorded November 27,

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

, released by

as catalog number 12052A, with the B-side "All That I Want Is in Ireland") * Mitch Miller – ''Favorite Irish Folk Songs'' – Originally released 1959 Sony BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT – USSM10020418 *Henry Moeller (released by

Gennett Records Gennett (pronounced "jennett") was an American record company and label in Richmond, Indiana, United States, which flourished in the 1920s. Gennett produced some of the earliest recordings by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Bix Beiderbecke, and H ...

as catalog number 10069, with the B-side "Sing Me To Sleep") *Popular English-born singer

Cavan O'Connor Clarence Patrick O'Connor (1 July 1899 – 11 January 1997), known professionally as Cavan O'Connor, was a British singer of Irish heritage who was most popular in the 1930s and 1940s, when he was bill matter, billed as "The Singing Vagabond" ...

recorded and regularly performed the song. Peter Coles, "Obituary: Cavan O'Connor", ''The Independent'', 23 October 2011
Retrieved 22 January 2021 *British novelty pop band

Lieutenant Pigeon Lieutenant Pigeon were an English novelty musical group popular in the early 1970s, originating in Coventry. Career A spin-off from an experimental music band Stavely Makepeace, the group was fronted by Rob Woodward and managed by him and dr ...

(released by Decca Records in 1974 as Decca F13486), with the B-side "Big Butch Baby", reached #3 in Australia. * Elvis Presley released a version (with overdubbed accompaniment) of him singing to his own piano-playing on the 1973 self-titled album called '' Elvis'' on RCA Records, better known as ''The Fool'' album. He can be seen rehearsing the song by himself in the 1981 documentary '' This Is Elvis'' as taken from the footage for the 1970 film ''

That's the Way It Is That's the Way It Is may refer to: *'' Elvis: That's the Way It Is'', a 1970 documentary film about Elvis Presley * ''That's the Way It Is'' (Elvis Presley album), a 1970 album by Elvis Presley * "That's the Way It Is" (Mel and Kim song), a 1988 so ...

''. He can also be heard performing the same song while in the Army while stationed in Germany in the so-called "Bad Neuheim Medley" of the 1997 RCA CD boxset ''Platinum: A Life In Music''. *

Oscar Seagle Oscar Seagle (October 31, 1877 – December 19, 1945) was a prominent musician and music teacher active in the early 20th century. He founded the Seagle Music Colony in Schroon Lake, New York. Early life He was born on October 31, 1877 on Oolt ...

(recorded September

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

, released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

as catalog number A-5718, with the B-side "The Bloom Is on the Rye") *Vaughan Quartet (released by Vaughan Records as catalog number 725, with the B-side "When Honey Sings an Old Time Song") *Tenor and Chorus with Orchestra, Walter Van Brunt. Edison Diamond Disc, 1914, Disc 80160-R. B-side "On The Banks of the Brandywine". *Lew White (released by Victor Records as catalog number 27467, with the B-side "On the Wings of Song") *

Clarence Whitehill Clarence Eugene Whitehill (November 5, 1871 - December 19, 1932) was a leading American bass-baritone who sang at the Metropolitan Opera from 1915 to 1932. He sang on both sides of the Atlantic and is remembered for his association with the mus ...

(recorded July 30,

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

, released by Victor Records as catalog number 74425 (a single-sided record); also as catalog number 1275, with the B-side "In the Gloaming") * Victor Young and his Orchestra (released by

as catalog number 28194, with the B-side "My Mother") * Slim Whitman recorded a version in 1957, on Imperial 8310, also issued in the UK on London HLP 8403. * Daniel O'Donnell recorded the song, where it was released on the album, "Irish Collection", in 1997. *Scottish tenor Robert Wilson released a version in the late 1940s.

In television

*In the second series episode "Antony's Birthday" of the British TV series '' The Royle Family'', the family's neighbour Joe Carroll (played by Peter Martin), normally very quiet and retiring, gives a well-received rendition of the song. *In the

Star Trek (TOS) ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distingui ...

episode, "The Naked Time" (first aired Sep. 29, 1966), the crew of the Enterprise is affected by a substance, unknowingly picked up from an uninhabited, frozen planet named Psi 2000 about to break up, which brings repressed feelings and behavior to the surface. One crewman, Lt. Kevin Thomas Riley, who "fancies himself a descendant of Irish kings" (as described by Science Officer Spock), locks himself in Engineering and shuts the engines off, causing the ship to decay its orbit toward the disintegrating planet. While the behavior-altering disease spreads throughout the ship and the ship continues to fall toward the planet, Riley adds to the stress by repeatedly singing, "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" in a half-drunken manner through ship-wide communication speakers.

References

External links

''I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen''
sheet music at the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

Digital Collections
Lyrics and MIDI

Willie Sutherland version on Youtube.

Blow the Candle Out – Irish folk tune {{authority control 1875 songs American songs Traditional pop songs Slim Whitman songs