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Rockin' Robin - A study of the outlaw
Robin Hood's links with popular music
By Bob White
This article is the intellectual property
of www.retrosellers.com and cannot be reproduced without
express permission. Many thanks to Keri Usherwood and Bob White
for the article
'Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen...' so goes the
signature tune of the 143 episode ATV television series starring
Richard Greene. Penned by American composer Carl Sigman in 1956
the song spent 28 weeks in the British pop music charts courtesy
of versions by Gary Miller and Dick James (who later became a key
publisher of hit songs by The Beatles and Elton John). When Sigman
died (aged 91) in October last year it prompted us to take a closer
look at the legendary outlaw's unlikely links with the world of
pop and rock music and the findings make interesting reading!!
Surprisingly, Robin is specifically mentioned in the lyrics of three
UK chart hits, namely Marc Bolan's '20th Century Boy' (1973); Connie
Francis' 'Stupid Cupid' (1958); and Five Star's 'Rain or Shine'
(1986).
Inevitably, over the years, the musical scores from all the various
Robin Hood movies produced some memorable melodies, with Bryan Adams'
'(Everything I Do) I Do It For You from 'Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves'
holding the number one chart spot for an amazing 16 consecutive
weeks in 1991, a record yet to be broken. Before then it was the
popular HTV series 'Robin Of Sherwood' which put Irish folk band
Clannad into the charts in May 1984 with their haunting Robin (The
Hooded Man) theme tune.
However, the appeal of the legendary outlaw wasn't confined to film
and television music and such credible and diverse bands as Deep
Purple and Ocean Colour Scene have all recorded different tracks
titled 'Robin Hood'. Prefab Sprout also refer to him in their song
'Appetite'.
The Sherwood swashbuckler also gets a mention in the MGM musical
'Seven Brides For Seven Brothers' where in the song 'Sobbin' Women'
the brothers sing 'Just remember what Robin, Robin, Robin Hood would
have done...'.
But reference to our hero of the greenwood does not always ensure
success as hit composer Lionel Bart found to his cost in 1965 when
his musical adaptation of the legend 'Twang' was brutally panned
by the critics and closed in London's West End after the first six
weeks.
On a more bizarre note in the early Sixties, Decca Records signed
Robbie Hood and His Merry Men as recording artists and Mike West
(Robbie) recalled that he wore a Lincoln Green outfit and his backing
group had boots, feathered hats, jerkins made from sacks and bright
red, blue or yellow tights!
In 1979, Canadian folk rock outfit 38 Special put out an instrumental
b-side entitled 'Robin Hood' which, in a quirky, toe-tapping way
sounded like Mike Oldfield meets Guns 'N' Roses.
Even Abba tribute band Bjorn Again have a clip in their TV documentary/video
which shows it's two female singers limbering up their vocal chords
with a Robin Hood/Merry Men voice exercise.
So if you had ever wondered what on earth Robin Hood and pop music
have in common, well now you know.
And if anyone knows of any other popular music links with Robin
Hood then get in touch by visiting www.robinhood.info
Ó Bob White, Robin Hood Limited 2002 www.robinhood.info
This article is the intellectual property
of www.retrosellers.com
and cannot be reproduced without express permission. Many thanks
to Keri Usherwood and Bob White for the article
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