"Oleanna" (or "Oleana") is a Norwegian folk song that was translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and popularized by former

Weavers Weaver or Weavers may refer to: Activities * A person who engages in weaving fabric Animals * Various birds of the family Ploceidae * Crevice weaver spider family * Orb-weaver spider family * Weever (or weever-fish) Arts and entertainment ...

member

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, notably ...

. The song is a critique of Ole Bull's vision of a perfect society in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Oleanna was actually the name of one of Ole Bull's settlements in the New Norway colony of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. His society failed, and all of the immigrants moved away since the dense forest made it hard to settle there. The lyrics concern the singer's desire to leave

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

and escape to Oleanna, a land where "wheat and corn just plant themselves, then grow a good four feet a day while on your bed you rest yourself."''Folk Songs Of Four Continents'' (New York City, NY: Folkways Records, 1955). The lyrics for Oleanna were written by Ditmar Meidell, a Norwegian magazine editor who set his words to the melody "Rio Janeiro". The song was first published on March 5, 1853, in ''

Krydseren ''Krydseren'' was a Norwegian language, Norwegian satirical magazine published between 1849 and 1855. History and profile ''Krydseren'' was established in 1849 by Ditmar Meidell, and published by Christian Schibsted. It is regarded as the first ...

'' (The Cruiser), a satirical magazine which Meidell had founded.''Norwegian Emigrant Songs and Ballads'' by Theodore C. Blegen, (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1936).

In English

Theodore C. Blegen Theodore Christian Blegen (16 July 1891 – 18 July 1969) was an American historian and writer. Blegen was the writer of numerous historic reference books, papers and articles written over a five decade period. His primary areas of focus wer ...

included the song in his 1936 book ''Norwegian Emigrant Songs and Ballads'', which had the original lyrics, a literal translation by Martin B. Ruud and musical notation. Eight years later Blegen himself wrote a singable translation consisting of 22 verses. Folksinger

learned Oleanna from Blegen's book and in 1955 wrote a six-verse translation that was later published in '' Sing Out!'' magazine. In 1960 Theodore Bikel and

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music of the 20th century. He was also a musician himself, as well as a folklorist, archivist, writer, sch ...

each published versions of Oleanna that drew on Seeger's translation, Meidell's original lyrics and their own imaginations.

Jerry Silverman Jerry Silverman (born 1931) is an American folksinger, guitar teacher and author of music books. He has had over 200 books published, which have sold in the millions, including folk song collections, anthologies and method books for the guitar, banj ...

translated 19 of the 22 verses in 1992. Seeger recorded Oleanna twice for

Folkways Records Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways. History The Folkways Records & Service ...

. Among those who also covered his translation were Theodore Bikel, Joe Glazer and the

Gateway Singers The Gateway Singers were an American folk music group who achieved national prominence in the US in the late 1950s. The group was included in the Smithsonian's ''Folk Song America'' compilation. The group is best known for their song "Puttin' on ...

. The Kingston Trio, however, released a version with lyrics unrelated to Meidell's original text.'' Here We Go Again!'' (Hollywood: Capitol , 1959).

and Norwegian recordings of the song can be found at video-sharing websites, online retailers and digital download services.

References

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External links

Ole Bull statue in Minneapolis
by

Jacob Fjelde Jakob Henrik Gerhard Fjelde (10 April 1859 – 5 May 1896) was a Norwegian-born American sculptor.Harris, Moira F., ''Monumental Minnesota: A Guide to Outdoor Sculpture'', Pogo Press, 1992, pg. 6 He is remembered as both a prolific portraitis ...

Lyrics * Oleana lyrics in Norwegian
1944 translation of Oleana by Theodore C. Blegen1955 translation of Oleanna by Pete Seeger
Click on "Download Liner Notes". Videos
Pete Seeger and Lillebjørn NilsenThe Kingston Trio
Ole Bull State Park
Ole Bull's Colony at ExplorePAhistory2002 Ole Bull monument
at

Ole Bull State Park Ole Bull State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Stewardson Township, Potter County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is located on Pennsylvania Route 144, north of Renovo and south of Galeton. Ole Bull State Park is in the ...

1853 songs Norwegian folk songs Norwegian migration to North America World music songs Songs about Norway Songs about Pennsylvania Protest songs Songs about musicians Cultural depictions of Norwegian men