Paul Anka and Justin Bieber are both from Ontario, Canada, and they were both only 15 years old when they released their first hit [5], but Anka’s success as a singer-songwriter helped pave the way for The Biebs, and this should not be forgotten. I will admit that prior to beginning the research for this blog post I was, for the most part, unfamiliar with Paul Anka. While his name was familiar to me, I was wildly unaware of his musical contributions throughout the last 60 or so decades. For this reason, I will begin with a brief biography.

Paul Anka: Who is he?

Paul Anka, Canadian heartthrob and crooner was born July 30th, 1941 in Ottawa, Ontario [1]. As a boy he was part of a church choir and studied piano; at the age of 13 he had already claimed a spot in a vocal group named the Bobbysoxers [4].

“From an early age, it was clear that Anka had an abundance of confidence and big dreams of life on stage” -The Canadian Music Hall of Fame

Anka spent 3 months collecting Campbell’s soup can labels that led him to win a contest for a trip to New York [1,2,4]. This New York trip, along with his later travels in 1956 to Los Angeles, only led him to become hungrier for the singing career that awaited him. He recorded his first single “Blau-Wile-Deveest-Fontaine” while in Los Angeles, but unfortunately it was not a hit [1]. Later in 1957, upon returning to New York, Anka recorded his first hit song “Diana” with ABC-Paramount Records [1].

Following the release of Diana, Paul Anka was well on his way to becoming “one of the first and most iconic teen idols in pop music” [1]. His sound evolved throughout the 1960’s, and he also quickly found out that he was going to be a successful, long-term songwriter [1,2].

Anka’s Signature Talent

While he was no doubt a talented crooner, Paul Anka has a leg up on many of the other crooners of the time, such as Frank Sinatra and Nat “King” Cole. At one point Anka described his songs as being “very autobiographical”, meaning that he wrote them about his own personal experiences [4]. For example, “Diana” was written about a woman from Ottawa that he was crushing on and “Lonely Boy” was about his struggles with feeling isolated during his initial teenage years in the music business. His early songwriting continued to develop throughout his career and over the years he wrote songs for many artists including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Buddy Holly, and Tom Jones [1].

The fact that Paul Anka wrote his own songs is one of the biggest distinguishing factors between him and the other crooners we have studied. Frank Sinatra and Nat “King” Cole typically performed older songs in their early years, taking them on and making them their own [3].

“Crazy Love”

There are, however, other things that set Anka part from crooners like Cole and Sinatra. I’ve decided to highlight Anka’s 1958 song, “Crazy Love” to show some of the major differences.

The very first thing I noticed about this song was how much Anka’s vocal style resembles that of Elvis! I think this resemblance is representative of the time; Anka was much younger than Sinatra and Cole at the time of this recording, who were both well into their 30’s. Not to mention that Elvis’s big bust into the music scene occurred 4 years prior to Anka’s release of “Crazy Love.” In the song, you may have noticed his whiny and somewhat melancholic voice; this feature is what I would compare directly to that of Elvis. Another song where I noticed this Elvis resemblance was in “Tell Me That You Love Me.”

Another difference that I noticed from some of the earlier crooners was the pitch of their voices. Anka’s voice is not quite as low and warm as Sinatra and Cole; this could be related to his young age, after-all, Anka was only 17 years old when the song was released. One of the signature features of the popular crooners was their warm, rich texture, and I feel that Anka’s sound in this song and many others is not nearly as robust. Anka seems to have more of that “pretty boy” voice, which is something that the crooners or song interpreters did not necessarily need because they were able to rely on their emotional delivery of the song [3].

As Campbell points out, “Song Interpretation begins with a distinctive vocal style”

This leads to another difference that I noticed in lyrical delivery and vocal style. While  many of the crooners singing was speech-like, Anka is much more reliant on the rhythm and melody of the song, as opposed to how Sinatra and Cole would “mold the song to their style” and not be as concerned with vocal timing. Now, this is up for debate. Because Anka wrote his own songs, he would not have to mold them to fit his voice; he could simply write them to his own liking in the beginning.

Crooner… Yay or Nay?

Despite the differences I pointed out above, Paul Anka is clearly considered one of the best crooners around for a reason. I’ve chosen to highlight the 1959 song “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” as an example towards some of the similarities.

The slower tempo, flowery melody, and deep, rich, and warm voice of this song is much more representative of the crooning and song interpretation that came before Anka. While the lyrics are still “sung” more than, for example, Nat “King” Cole’s “Unforgettable”, Anka’s delivery is more speech-like than in “Crazy Love.” By far, the most recognizable similarity between Anka and the other crooners is the lyrical content: this music is about sentiment. Songs about heartbreak, loneliness, and being in the throws of new love are no stranger to Sinatra, Cole, or Anka.

When considering the similarities and differences between Anka’s music and some of the rest we have heard by Sinatra and Cole, one may suggest that in his beginnings, Anka was on the margins of one of popular music’s greatest transitions. You can hear the tension between the classic and modern pop in his music, signalling the change to come.

21st Century Anka

At 76 years old, Anka is still going strong. Two unique albums that he created were released in 2005 and 2007 by the names “Rock Swings” and “Classic Songs, My Way”, respectively. In this album he revamped multiple classic songs from the past 50 decades in “his way”; some of the artists and bands include Nirvana, Oasis, Eric Clapton, Van Halen, and Bon Jovi [1]. These albums, along with the fact that he wrote the original 1962 theme song for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson [1], might just be two of the most interesting things I found out about Anka. His contributions to the North American entertainment industry are plenty. He has even acted in many TV shows and films throughout the years [1].

In 1980 Anka was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame [1]; a while later in 2008 Anka was also inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame [2]. He is even a member of The Order of Canada [6]. There is no disputing that Paul Anka put Canada on the map and inspired many generations of music to this day.

I’m totally a sucker for the sappy crooner and soul music of this era. I mean, how can you say no to some “Unchained Melody”, “Unforgettable”, and “Stand By Me”. I’m glad to have now become aware of one of the largest Canadian influences of this time, Paul Anka. His music will live on, time after time.

References:

1. “Paul Anka.” The Canadian Music Hall of Fame. http://canadianmusichalloffame.ca/inductee/paul-anka/
2. “Paul Anka.” Biography. https://www.biography.com/people/paul-anka-3424
3. Campbell, Michael. Popular Music In America: The Beat Goes On. Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2012.
4. “Paul Anka Biography”. The Official Site of Paul Anka. http://paulanka.com/biography/
5. O’Connor, Austin. “10 Things You May Not Know About Paul Anka”. AARP. https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/music/info-04-2013/10-things-about-paul-anka.html
6. “Paul Anka.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/paul-anka-emc/

As I researched Robert Johnson I quickly realized just how significant his contribution has been, and still is, to the history of popular music. His music has had tremendous influence on nearly all of the rock and blues music that came after him, evidenced by a never-ending amount of tributes to many of his songs by later artists.

Johnson has even been claimed “the most esteemed of the early Delta Bluesmen.” -Campbell 

Johnson’s “deep blues” [1] sound is simple yet highly unique; his signature shuffle rhythm is one of the primary characteristics that drew me into his music and reminded me of much of the modern blues that I enjoy today. The “country blues” that came out of the South lacks the instrumentation that we hear and see in modern blues music, and nearly all popular music. Nonetheless, Johnson’s masterful guitar playing often sounded like there were two guitarists playing [2], which allowed for a more rounded sound than other solo guitarists.

Some History

Robert Johnson was born May 8th, 1911 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi; sadly, he passed away at the young age of 27, on August 16th, 1938 [3]. His death is suspected to be cause by a “deliberate poisoning” [3] via strychnine; rumour has it the poisoning culprit was the “jealous husband” [1] of a woman who was friendly with Johnson.

Robert Johnson’s life is still a large mystery to this day, but by far one of the most common stories heard about him was the supposed selling of his soul to the devil, in exchange for the mastery of the guitar. This exchange was said to have occurred at the crossroads of Highways 49 and 61 in Mississippi [3], a site that was made famous in Cream’s hit song “Crossroads” , along with the movie of the same name. According to Joel Rose this is simply another myth that requires dispelling [4]. In his NPR article, Rose outlines Johnson’s early life on a plantation in the Mississippi Delta. Johnson was said to have enjoyed music more than farming life, however, and ended up focusing on guitar playing instead. Locals criticized his “lousy guitar playing” [4], leading him to take off to Arkansas. This is the point in the story where the myth emerges; years later Johnson is said to have come back to Mississippi and rumour had it he sold his soul to the devil for his newly developed guitar talent. According to Rose though, Johnson claimed at some point to have practiced with a ‘human’. Nonetheless, the story has inspired generations of music and art, instilling the dark and eerie haze over the blues legacy we have come to know and love.

Johnson’s 29 songs were recorded in 1936 and 1937 in Texas [3], but at this point the country blues had “peaked in commercial style” [1]; Johnson’s recordings did not meet their influential fate until the folk revival in the 1960’s [1,3].

“I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom”

The song I chose to highlight is “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom.” The primary reason I have chosen this song is because it immediately reminded me of the modern blues and rock music that I enjoy so much. This song features many qualities that continue through time in the blues tradition, and it features them well.

“”I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom”, as both a phrase and a song, has been a blues staple for 75 years” -Marshall

First, Johnson is known for his distinctive turnarounds that he plays throughout many of his songs. The intro in this song begins similarly to some of Johnson’s other songs like “Sweet Home Chicago” and “Kind Hearted Woman”. Second, the signature shuffle rhythm is evident all throughout this song; I was unfamiliar with the term “shuffle rhythm” prior to studying it for this section of the blues, and now realize that it is probably the rhythmic feature I am most familiar with—I immediately identify a song as “blues” or “blues-inspired” when I hear this rhythm. The last big feature of this song that caught my attention was Johnson’s repeated guitar licks/fast picking style. This might actually be the feature that really drew me to this song as I did not hear it in some of his previous songs, like “Hellbound On My Tail.” This feature of the song was what really got me feeling a strong connection to Johnson because of it’s similarity to some of my other favourite musicians, like Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix. You can hear the sound pattern that I am referring to a lot in Stevie Ray Vaughn’s solo in “Pride and Joy” between 1:40 and 2:20. Another musical feature that I will mention is the standard high to low melody that we hear in blues lyrics, with a flatter melody towards the ending phrases; typically the 3rd and 4th lines are flatter.

Go ahead and give it a listen! Feel free to comment on other things that you hear in the song that I did not discuss.

Elmore James

The second reason I chose this song is because of the way it has been taken up and expanded throughout time. Multiple artists and bands have made the song their own; its evolution is truly fascinating. The newer versions are always unique to the particular artist/band and time of expression, while they also endeavour to maintain the song’s original integrity in tribute to the legend himself. The next version I have chosen to highlight is that by Elmore James from 1951.

The first two things I notice about this version is how it has been adapted to the electric guitar and how there is more instrumentation than Johnson’s basic solo version. Indeed, in his article “A Brief History of “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom“, Marshall identifies two of the most notable differences in this version is the addition of the harmonica and slide guitar [2].

Elmore James is truly the responsible party regarding the songs major uptake in the popular music scene:

James’ version “grew to take a life of it’s own. His hard driving slide guitar work would lay the foundation for a great many songs and covers after it” -Marshall

ZZ Top

Lastly, I chose ZZ Top’s electrified version of the song. I say “electrified” lightly, because technically the song was already “electrified” by Elmore James. However, you cannot miss the fact that ZZ Top’s approach to the song is even grittier than that of James. It was difficult to decide which of the more recent versions I should include; the song has been performed by many others, including some of my other faves like the original Fleetwood Mac and The Rolling Stones.

ZZ Top’s version definitely has an intoxicating energy to it. The breaks and solos in ZZ Top’s version are more characteristic of modern day blues and guitar playing, while Johnson’s original really takes you back to the authentic blues feeling and has a nostalgic quality about it. I think depending on your mood and purpose for listening to the music, any of the three versions could fulfill a deep need for the blues.

Lyrical Identity

If you have not figured it out by now, Johnson’s notable song essentially describes the trials and tribulations of romantic tension. Analysis of the lyrics will be described below.

The song begins with the now famous metaphor:

I’m goin’ get up in the mornin’

I believe I’ll dust my broom [2]

According to Marshall, the “dust my broom” metaphor has received some debate, but the consensus seems to indicate the action “to leave and not come back” [2]. The verse ends with a reference to a “girlfriend” who’s been “lovin'” another black man, potentially signifying some type of infidelity. The song continues with Johnson saying that he’s going to “write a letter; telephone every town I know” [2]. The verse ends with lyrics indicating that Johnson knows where to find “her”… but we don’t yet know for sure which “her” he is referring to.

The third verse points further to some sort of infidelity:

I don’t want no woman; wants every downtown man she meets

She’s a no good dooney; they shouldn’t allow her on the street [2]

Well, it’s no surprise that this verse indicates some hostility towards the woman who I am assuming was sleeping around with the “black man”. While I was unable to find a definitive definition of the word “dooney”, I’m sure we all have a pretty good idea of what it could mean.

The fourth verse confirms what we thought all along with the “dust my broom” metaphor and the infidelity when Johnson says:

I believe, I believe I’ll go back home

You can mistreat me here babe, but you can’t when I’m back home [2]

The final verse refers to a woman named “China”; she’s a “good girl over there”. Ultimately, it sounds as though Johnson is singing about going back home to find the loyal woman he is in love with. With his geographical references in the final two lines, Johnson seems to imply that he’s willing to go anywhere to find her, whether that be in the Philippines or Ethiopia, but this ending specifically could be open for interpretation.

There is no doubt that the overall theme of these lyrics is still relevant today; much of today’s popular music makes reference to the struggles of love and relationships. The “good girl” metaphor is one that I would say is still common today, but without the resources I found regarding the “dust my broom” metaphor, I may not have made that interpretation quite as quickly. Furthermore, Johnson’s lyrics about the “no good woman” are rather raw and some may even find them offensive; however, I would argue that lyrics today continue to evoke similar symbolism, perhaps in a less explicit way.

Robert Johnson: A Pioneering Bluesman

After researching Robert Johnson I have gained an entirely new appreciation for the blues. I am now in a better position to understand the common conception of rock and other music having directly evolved from the early bluesmen, like Johnson. I look forward to exploring the blues even more and listening for some of the qualities that I hear in Johnson’s songs.

References:

1. Campbell, Michael. Popular Music In America: The Beat Goes On. Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2012.
2. Marshall, Matt. “A Brief History of “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom”.” American Blues Scene, November 29, 2011. https://www.americanbluesscene.com/a-brief-history-of-i-believe-ill-dust-my-broom/
3. “Robert Johnson”. Biography. https://www.biography.com/people/robert-johnson-9356324
4. Rose, Joel. “Robert Johnson At 100, Still Dispelling Myths.” NPR Music, May 6, 2011. https://www.npr.org/2011/05/07/136063911/robert-johnson-at-100-still-dispelling-myths
5. Digiacomo, Frank. “Searching for Robert Johnson.” Vanity Fair, October 8, 2008. https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2008/11/johnson20081