The Funeral (Hank Williams song)
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (May 2021) |
| "The Funeral" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Beyond the Suset" | ||||
| Released | 1950 | |||
| Recorded | January 9, 1950 | |||
| Studio | Castle Studio, Nashville | |||
| Genre | Country, Gospel | |||
| Length | 3:03 | |||
| Label | MGM 10630 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Hank Williams | |||
| Producer(s) | Fred Rose | |||
| Hank Williams aka "Luke the Drifter" singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Funeral" is a song credited to
Luke the Drifter by MGM Records
in 1950.
Background
Although credited to Williams, "The Funeral" had existed for years as a poem written by Will Carleton and recounts a black child's funeral.
Deck of Cards" in 1948, had recorded a version of the song titled "Colored Child's Funeral" around the same time as Williams recorded it, as did East Coast deejay Buddy Starcher. It is one of the few Hank Williams recordings that has not aged well, as biographer Colin Escott
observes:
- "By today's standards, 'The Funeral' was an uncomfortably patronizing account of a black child's funeral service. Originally a poem by Will Carleton, it was first published in August 28, 1886 in Harper's Weekly. Unlike Starcher and Tyler, though, Hank delivered 'The Funeral' in his regular voice, and was clearly extending every ounce of compassion within him. His sincerity, though, was undermined by the words..."[1]
Williams recorded the song in
B-side. It also appeared on the 1953 posthumous LP Hank Williams as Luke the Drifter
.
References
- ^ Escott 2004, p. 138.
- ^ Escott 2004, p. 335.
- ^ Escott 2004, p. 139.
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-316-73497-7.