Jimmy Brown

A. G. Maisey · 5th August 2014, 11:04 PM

Well, you see, Jean Nicot was really Jimmy Brown. When the song was anglicised Jean became Jimmy.

The writer of this song was French, and one day he was wandering through a graveyard and he saw Nicot's headstone, and at the same time he heard church bells, he was struck by the thought that our lives are marked by the church bells for birth (christening), marriage and death (funeral) :- the three bells. So he went home and sat down at his piano and wrote "Les Trois Cloches" :- the story of all of us. Apparently the English language version that was the one that made it popular was a very abbreviated and altered version of the original, but it still tells the story, maybe only in precis.

This is as it was told to me, and I thought I'd make a riddle out of the rather boring posting of some Mojo era bronze, so I tested "Three Bells + Jean Nicot " on Dr. Google and he gave me over 100,000 answers. As I said, you were close Rick, if you'd asked Dr. Google he would have told you.

Yep, there's not a bad track on that album, and this one is technically very, very good, but the atypical "Both Sides Now" ---dunno how that ever made it into the mix --- is possibly one of my favourites, along with "--- Blue Eyes" and one of the all-time greats "Wabash Cannonball" ---first song I ever learnt at about age four. Like I said, I grew up on this stuff. But I prefer the Carters cut of Wabash:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMiU_aknPDA

and here's another great railroad song:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3H_TLmsQUo

and don't nobody try to tell us that ain't ethno-graphic, this music is a blossom of a great culture. So is this:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzhyVwkmjKw

This lady is perhaps the best of the female kroncong singers --- others would argue with me --- the song was almost an anthem of the Indonesian freedom movement.

Rick · 6th August 2014, 12:23 AM

Now that is interesting.
Gilles was born in Montreaux 1895 yet Jimmy Brown the Newsboy was written in the 1870's .
Fascinating coincidence .

A. G. Maisey · 6th August 2014, 04:27 AM

Yeah, I guess there's a bit of coincidence there, both songs relate back to the 19th century.

Jimmy Brown the Newsboy was written by Bill Hays (Dr. Google tells me his name was "William Shakespeare Hays) and published in about 1875.
The Carter Family did an adaptation written by Doc Carter (Dr. Google again) in about 1928.

Les Trois Cloches was written by Jean Villard, AKA Jean Gilles in 1940 and he was Swiss, not French, and Edith Piaf did it in 1946. Jean Villard/Gilles was born in 1895. (Dr. Google clarified all that for me, I was running on memory before)

I apologise for not being precisely correct with my previous information, but I was running on memory and what I wrote is broadly correct I think.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

5th August 2014, 11:04 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Well, you see, Jean Nicot was really Jimmy Brown. When the song was anglicised Jean became Jimmy. The writer of this song was French, and one day he was wandering through a graveyard and he saw Nicot's headstone, and at the same time he heard church bells, he was struck by the thought that our lives are marked by the church bells for birth (christening), marriage and death (funeral) :- the three bells. So he went home and sat down at his piano and wrote "Les Trois Cloches" :- the story of all of us. Apparently the English language version that was the one that made it popular was a very abbreviated and altered version of the original, but it still tells the story, maybe only in precis. This is as it was told to me, and I thought I'd make a riddle out of the rather boring posting of some Mojo era bronze, so I tested "Three Bells + Jean Nicot " on Dr. Google and he gave me over 100,000 answers. As I said, you were close Rick, if you'd asked Dr. Google he would have told you. Yep, there's not a bad track on that album, and this one is technically very, very good, but the atypical "Both Sides Now" ---dunno how that ever made it into the mix --- is possibly one of my favourites, along with "--- Blue Eyes" and one of the all-time greats "Wabash Cannonball" ---first song I ever learnt at about age four. Like I said, I grew up on this stuff. But I prefer the Carters cut of Wabash:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMiU_aknPDA and here's another great railroad song:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3H_TLmsQUo and don't nobody try to tell us that ain't ethno-graphic, this music is a blossom of a great culture. So is this:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzhyVwkmjKw This lady is perhaps the best of the female kroncong singers --- others would argue with me --- the song was almost an anthem of the Indonesian freedom movement.

6th August 2014, 12:23 AM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,339	Now that is interesting. Gilles was born in Montreaux 1895 yet Jimmy Brown the Newsboy was written in the 1870's . Fascinating coincidence .

6th August 2014, 04:27 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Yeah, I guess there's a bit of coincidence there, both songs relate back to the 19th century. Jimmy Brown the Newsboy was written by Bill Hays (Dr. Google tells me his name was "William Shakespeare Hays) and published in about 1875. The Carter Family did an adaptation written by Doc Carter (Dr. Google again) in about 1928. Les Trois Cloches was written by Jean Villard, AKA Jean Gilles in 1940 and he was Swiss, not French, and Edith Piaf did it in 1946. Jean Villard/Gilles was born in 1895. (Dr. Google clarified all that for me, I was running on memory before) I apologise for not being precisely correct with my previous information, but I was running on memory and what I wrote is broadly correct I think.