"Ring, Ring I've Got to Sing" is a 1966

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

composed and performed by

Ferre Grignard Ferre Grignard (13 March 1939 – 8 August 1982) was a Belgian skiffle-singer from Antwerp, Belgium. He had success with a number of songs, such as "Ring Ring, I've Got To Sing", "Yama, Yama, Hey", and "My Crucified Jesus". Biography Ferre ...

. It became an international hit. The song criticizes

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagoni ...

and

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

through an African-American who doesn't want to fight for his country, because of the way black people are treated in the United States.

History

After an unsuccessful career as an artist, Ferre Grignard had learned to play the guitar and sing the blues. In 1964, De Muze opened in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. It was a bar often frequented by people with an alternative lifestyle. Ferre Grignard often performed there, and "Ring, Ring I've Got to Sing" was greatly appreciated. In 1965, the owner invited him to record the song. Not long thereafter Hans Kusters, a music producer who also owned a record company, heard the song and asked Ferre Grignard to record it once again. In 1966 this version, distributed on 500 copies, became a hit, and because of its mixture of

skiffle Skiffle is a genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, country, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a form in the United Stat ...

, folk and

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 ...

, Grignard's first album ''Ring, Ring I've Got to Sing'' scored high on the European charts. The song was re-issued many times, and it appeared in numerous compilations. In 2007, the song was inducted into the Flemish Hall of Fame of

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...

. "Ring Ring, I've Got to Sing" is still present on many Belgian all-time top hit charts.

Charts

References

External links

* http://www.humo.be/tws/humo-files/14567/humo-sprak-met-ferre-grignard.html (in Dutch) {{Authority control 1966 songs Protest songs English-language Belgian songs Songs against racism and xenophobia Songs about the United States Anti-war songs