Malvina Reynolds (August 23, 1900 – March 17, 1978)
was an American
folk/
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...
singer-songwriter and political activist, best known for her songwriting, particularly the songs "
Little Boxes
"Little Boxes" is a song written and composed by Malvina Reynolds in 1962, which became a hit for her friend Pete Seeger in 1963, when he released his cover version.
The song is a social satire about the development of suburbia, and associa ...
", "
What Have They Done to the Rain
"What Have They Done to the Rain" is a protest song against above-ground nuclear testing written by Malvina Reynolds. The song has been sung by many singers such as Joan Baez, and a version by the English band The Searchers was released as a singl ...
" and "
Morningtown Ride
"Morningtown Ride" is a lullaby, written and performed by Malvina Reynolds. It was covered by The Seekers and their recording reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song tells the comforting story of the journey through nighttime made by al ...
".
Early life
Malvina Milder was born in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, United States,
to David and Abagail Milder, Jewish and socialist immigrants, who opposed involvement in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. Her mother was born in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
and her father was born in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
. She married William ("Bud") Reynolds, a carpenter and labor organizer, in 1934. They had one child, Nancy Reynolds Schimmel (a songwriter and performer), in 1935. Malvina earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English from the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...
, and later earned a doctorate there, finishing her dissertation in 1938.
Music career
Though she played violin in a dance band in her twenties, Reynolds began her songwriting career later in life. She was in her late forties when she met
Earl Robinson
Earl Hawley Robinson (July 2, 1910 – July 20, 1991) was a composer, arranger and folk music singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Robinson is remembered for his music, including the cantata " Ballad for Americans" and songs such as " ...
,
Pete Seeger
Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...
, and other folk singers and songwriters. She returned to school at UC Berkeley, where she studied
music theory. Reynolds went on to write several popular songs, including "
Little Boxes
"Little Boxes" is a song written and composed by Malvina Reynolds in 1962, which became a hit for her friend Pete Seeger in 1963, when he released his cover version.
The song is a social satire about the development of suburbia, and associa ...
" (1962), recorded by Seeger, Chilean singer
Víctor Jara
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (; 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and Communist political activist. He developed Chilean theater by directing a broad array of works, ra ...
, and others, "
What Have They Done to the Rain
"What Have They Done to the Rain" is a protest song against above-ground nuclear testing written by Malvina Reynolds. The song has been sung by many singers such as Joan Baez, and a version by the English band The Searchers was released as a singl ...
" (1962), recorded by
The Searchers
''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John W ...
,
The Seekers,
Marianne Faithfull,
Melanie Safka and
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
(about
nuclear fallout),
"It Isn't Nice" (1964) (a
civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...
anthem), "
Turn Around" (1959) (about children growing up, later sung by
Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an internati ...
), and "There's a Bottom Below" (about depression). Reynolds was also a noted composer of children's songs, including "Love Is Something (Magic Penny)" and "
Morningtown Ride
"Morningtown Ride" is a lullaby, written and performed by Malvina Reynolds. It was covered by The Seekers and their recording reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song tells the comforting story of the journey through nighttime made by al ...
" (1957), a top-5 UK single (December 1966) recorded by
The Seekers.
Malvina lived on Parker Street in Berkeley.
Four collections of Reynolds' music are available on compact disc. The
Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fo ...
label released ''Another County Heard From'' (
Folkways 02524) and ''Ear to the Ground'' (Smithsonian Folkways 40124), and the Omni Recording Corporation in Australia issued ''Malvina Reynolds'' (Omni 112) and ''Malvina Reynolds Sings the Truth'' (Omni 114).
Reynolds' most famous song, "
Little Boxes
"Little Boxes" is a song written and composed by Malvina Reynolds in 1962, which became a hit for her friend Pete Seeger in 1963, when he released his cover version.
The song is a social satire about the development of suburbia, and associa ...
" (made famous by Seeger), has enjoyed renewed popularity by being featured in
Showtime's TV series ''
Weeds''. "Little Boxes" was inspired visually by the houses of
Daly City, California
Daly City () is the second most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with population of 104,901 according to the 2020 census. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, and immediately south of San Francisco (sharing ...
. Nancy Reynolds Schimmel, Reynolds' daughter, explained:
My mother and father were driving South from San Francisco through Daly City when my mom got the idea for the song. She asked my dad to take the wheel, and she wrote it on the way to the gathering in La Honda
La Honda (Spanish for "The Sling") is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 979 at the 2020 census. It is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains between the Santa Clara Valley and ...
where she was going to sing for the Friends Committee on Legislation. When ''Time Magazine
''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...
'' (I think, maybe ''Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'') wanted a photo of her pointing to the very place, she couldn't find those houses because so many more had been built around them that the hillsides were totally covered.
In her later years, Reynolds contributed songs and material to PBS' ''
Sesame Street
''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...
'', on which she made occasional appearances as a character named Kate.
Activism
In 1977, Reynolds became an associate of the
Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP). WIFP is an American non-profit publishing organization. The organization works to increase communication between women and connect the public with forms of women-based media.
Other
In 1979, the
Supersisters
''Supersisters'' was a set of 72 trading cards produced and distributed in the United States in 1979 by Supersisters, Inc. They featured famous women from politics, media and entertainment, culture, sports, and other areas of achievement. The c ...
trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Reynolds's name and picture.
Reynolds was a
Unitarian Universalist.
Death
Malvina Reynolds died on St. Patricks Day March 17, 1978 at the age of 77 from complications brought on by a
respiratory failure at the
Carraway Methodist Medical Center in Birmingham where she was pronounced dead at 12:15 in the afternoon according to the
autopsy report. Thousands packed the Memorial Service at St. Aloysius Church in
Bessemer, Alabama, to pay their respects and hear tributes from other artists. They buried her at Bessemer's Highland Memorial Gardens.
Legacy
Reynolds' career was subject to a biographical short film, ''Love It Like a Fool'', released in 1977 and directed by Susan Wengraf.
[Artel, Linda; Wheat, Valerie (1979]
Women and Work, New Options: A Guide to Nonprint Media
Women's Educational Equity Communications Network. Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development The Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development (FWL) was established in 1966, as one of the 20 original Regional Educational Laboratories funded by the United States Congress and charged with "bridging the gap between research and ...
. p. 37. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
Reynolds' song "Little Boxes" was used as the theme for the TV show ''
Weeds''.
The TV show ''
Big Sky'' featured the song “Little Boxes” at the end of the episode aptly titled “Little Boxes.”
In 2020, most of the second verse of her one-minute ditty "Place to Be," as recorded by her, was used as the sound for a
Zillow
Zillow Group, Inc., or simply Zillow, is an American tech real-estate marketplace company that was founded in 2006, and was created by Rich Barton and Lloyd Frink, former Microsoft executives and founders of Microsoft spin-off Expedia; Spencer ...
commercial.
Two of her songs are included on
The Specials
The Specials, also known as The Special AKA, are an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, Lynv ...
’ album ''
Protest Songs 1924–2012'' (2021).
References
External links
Biography at Sister's ChoiceMemories of her mother, by Malvina Reynolds' daughterSmithsonian Folkways- Malvina ReynoldsMalvina Reynolds: Song Lyrics and PoemsOrange County Weekly RetrospectiveOrange County Weekly Memoir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Malvina
1900 births
1978 deaths
American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
American people of Russian-Jewish descent
University of California, Berkeley alumni
Jewish American musicians
American folk singers
Columbia Records artists
Songwriters from San Francisco
Singers from San Francisco
American women singer-songwriters
20th-century American singers
Activists from the San Francisco Bay Area
Jewish folk singers
American Unitarian Universalists
American folk guitarists
American blues guitarists
American acoustic guitarists
20th-century American guitarists
Guitarists from San Francisco
20th-century American women singers
Jewish women musicians
20th-century American women guitarists
20th-century American Jews
Singer-songwriters from California