Topic: 16 Tons... an interesting and sometimes bizarre musical stroll

[SLOweather]

Backstory:

I heard Jimmy Dean- Big John on the radio this week. That was my favorite song when I was about 6. that sent me off to Youtube. After listening to Big Bad John, I searched for another of my favorites from that era, 16 Tons.

After watching/listening to the Tennessee Ernie Ford original, I started checking out the covers and remixes.

The Yale Spizzwinks version is awesome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJnERje97jw

The wrong song for LeAnn Rimes, IMO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX6i2wFz0AY

The Red Army Choir (yep, THAT Red Army) version is unintentionally hilarious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI9KBLb_8ro

Bart and Baker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCzEFs9ZT9E

Metal remix cast into the Great Recession
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChwRcxCXyCI

Joe Vs The Volcano theme:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6m1qgnUw74

Lou Monte (English/Italian) unintentionally funny...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enj3pvkomPs

And that's just the tip of the iceberg... There are lots more to explore, Tom Jones, The Platters....

[WeatherHost]

"I owe my soul to the company store" is sort of my go-to line for certain discussions on economics and finance and debt.

[up10ad N9RJH]

I love the the Yale Spizzwinks version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJnERje97jw). 

And I'm surprised at how good Eric Burden sounded doing it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6m1qgnUw74)  But it makes sense, 16 Tons has a similar flavor to House of the Rising Sun (1964)  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgTSfJEf_jM).   

[belfryboy]

my favourite parody of this had the classic line;

you drink 16 pints, wha'd'ya get;
you wake up in the morning and your bed is wet....

[Garth Bock]

When I DJ from time to time I am asked to play an older song like that and I always ask..."Which one? The original artist ? The recent remake ? The remake back in the 90's ? The one from the greatest hits ?..."  I call songs like these.....Community Bicycles......everyone's taken it for a ride......

Okay...here's one to jog your memory........ Skip A Rope........

[techkid]

The songs were really heart touchy

[W Thomas]

I learned a while back that Tennessee Ernie was my mother in laws bus driver for awhile. He was working at WOPI AM in Bristol Tn and driving the school bus during the evening. She said he was a really nice guy then and from what I've he was always an OK person.