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"Sixteen Tons" is a song written by Merle Travis about a coal miner, based on life in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.[2] Travis first recorded the song at the Radio Recorders Studio B in Hollywood, California, on August 8, 1946. Cliffie Stone played bass on the recording.[3] It was first released in July 1947 by Capitol on Travis's album Folk Songs of the Hills.[4] The song became a gold record.

"Sixteen Tons"
Song by Merle Travis
from the album Folk Songs of the Hills
B-side"Dark as a Dungeon"
ReleasedJune 1947 (1947-06)
RecordedAugust 8, 1946 (1946-08-08)
StudioRadio Recorders, Los Angeles
GenreFolk
Length2:54
LabelCapitol Americana 48001[1]
Songwriter(s)Merle Travis
Producer(s)Lee Gillette
Official audio
"Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford on YouTube

The line "You load sixteen tons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt" came from a letter written by Travis's brother John.[2] Another line came from their father, a coal miner, who would say: "I can't afford to die. I owe my soul to the company store."[5]


Tennessee Ernie Ford version


Tennessee Ernie Ford's version of Sixteen Tons was a number-one hit in the United States.
Tennessee Ernie Ford's version of "Sixteen Tons" was a number-one hit in the United States.

The best known version was recorded in 1955 by American singer Tennessee Ernie Ford reached number one in the Billboard charts,[6] while another version, by Frankie Laine in 1956, was released only in Western Europe, where it gave Ford's version competition.

On March 25, 2015, Ford's version of the song was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.[7]


Authorship


The sole authorship of "Sixteen Tons" is attributed to Merle Travis on all recordings[6] beginning with Travis's own 1946 record and is registered with BMI as a Merle Travis composition. George S. Davis, a folk singer and songwriter who had been a Kentucky coal miner, claimed on a 1966 recording for Folkways Records to have written the song as "Nine-to-ten tons" in the 1930s;[8] he also at different times claimed to have written the song as "Twenty-One Tons". There is no supporting evidence for Davis's claim.[9] Davis's 1966 recording of his version of the song (with some slightly different lyrics and tune, but titled "Sixteen Tons") appears on the albums George Davis: When Kentucky Had No Union Men[10] and Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian.[11]

The line "another day older and deeper in debt" from the chorus came from a letter written by Travis's brother John.[2] This and the line "I owe my soul to the company store" are a reference to the truck system and to debt bondage. Under this scrip system, workers were not paid cash; rather they were paid with non-transferable credit vouchers that could be exchanged only for goods sold at the company store. This made it impossible for workers to store up cash savings. Workers also usually lived in company-owned dormitories or houses, the rent for which was automatically deducted from their pay. In the United States the truck system and associated debt bondage persisted until the strikes of the newly formed United Mine Workers and affiliated unions forced an end to such practices.


Other versions


"Sixteen Tons"
Single by Tennessee Ernie Ford
from the album Ford Favorites
A-side"You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry"
ReleasedOctober 1955
Recorded1955
GenreCountry, traditional pop
Length2:34
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Merle Travis
Producer(s)Jack Fascinato
Tennessee Ernie Ford singles chronology
"His Hands"
(1955)
"Sixteen Tons"
(1955)
"That's All"
(1955)
The chorus sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford

Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded "Sixteen Tons" in 1955 as the B-side of his cover of the Moon Mullican standard "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry". With Ford's snapping fingers and a unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement, it quickly became a million seller.[6] It hit Billboard's country music chart in November and held the No. 1 position for ten weeks, then crossed over and held the number 1 position on the pop music chart for eight weeks,[12] besting the competing version by Johnny Desmond. In the United Kingdom, Ford's version competed with versions by Edmund Hockridge and Frankie Laine. Nevertheless, Ford's version was the most successful, spending four weeks at number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in January and February 1956.[13][14]

Laine's version was not released in the United States but sold well in the UK. Ford's version was released on 17 October, and by 28 October had sold 400,000 copies. On 10 November, a million copies had been sold; two million were sold by 15 December.[15]

Child coal miners in West Virginia, 1908
Child coal miners in West Virginia, 1908

The song has been recorded or performed in concert by a wide variety of musicians:


Foreign-language versions





References


Citations

  1. "Capitol 48000: Americana Album series 78rpm numerical listing discography". www.78discography.com. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  2. "Sixteen Tons: The Story Behind the Legend". Tennessee Ernie Ford. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  3. Patrick Milligan, Richard Weize (BCD 15637), Michel Ruppli (Capitol Discography), Praguefrank and Mario Manciotti, Murray Kirch (March 11, 2010). "Merle Travis". Praguefrank's Country Music Discographies. Retrieved May 6, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  4. "Advance Record Releases". Billboard. June 28, 1947. p. 119.
  5. "You Load 16 Tons... Coal Mine Song Is a Gold Mine". LIFE. December 5, 1955. p. 183.
  6. Merle Travis & Ernie Ford interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  7. "National Recording Registry To "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive"". the Library of Congress. March 25, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  8. John Cohen, liner notes to the album George Davis: When Kentucky Had No Mining Men (Folkways FA 2343, 1967)
  9. Steyn, Mark. "SIXTEEN TONS".
  10. Folkways FA 2343, 1967
  11. Folkways Recordings ASIN B000S9DIHK, 2002
  12. Collins, Ace (1996). The Stories Behind Country Music's All-time Greatest: 100 Songs. New York: The Berkeley Publishing Group. pp. 91–93. ISBN 1-57297-072-3.
  13. Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 23. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  14. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 54–5. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  15. J.D. (October 6, 2008). "River of No Return". The Pop History Dig. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  16. Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 18 – Blowin' in the Wind: Pop discovers folk music. [Part 1]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  17. "Tip Top [Richmond, Va.] 78 RPM - Label Discography - USA - 78 RPM". www.45worlds.com. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  18. "Three Score & Ten". Topic Records. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  19. "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  20. "Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger: Music". Amazon. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  21. "Dave Dudley - Songs About The Working Man at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  22. Sixteen Tons - YouTube
  23. "Harry Nilsson - Sixteen Tons".
  24. "James & Bobby Purify, "I Take What I Want" Single Release". Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  25. "Bobby Darin, "Sixteen Tons"". YouTube. February 27, 1968. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  26. "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  27. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 134. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  28. "Dance Party With This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb". Amazon. June 7, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  29. MDQ Merchandising LLC (2010). "Song List" and "Performing Credits". In Million Dollar Quartet (p. 5) [CD booklet]. New York City: Avatar Studios; and Chicago: Chicago Recording Company.
  30. "Home - Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman". Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman. May 1, 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2014.[verification needed]
  31. "Sixteen Tons". Tim Timebomb and Friends. November 23, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  32. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  33. Mugnaini Jr. Enciclopédia das músicas sertanejas (2001, ISBN 8575270044), p. 42.
  34. "16 Toneladas (Sixteen Tons) – Noriel Vilela – Details". Musical Taste. March 31, 2003. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  35. "Allmusic Hungary a magyar zene adatbázisa". Allmusic.hu. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  36. Video on YouTube.
  37. "Tábortüz – 16 Tonna lyrics". Musixmatch.
  38. Video on YouTube.
  39. "Ot Vinta. Офіційний сайт". Ot-vinta.com. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  40. "Los Hermanos Barron-16 Toneladas". YouTube. August 4, 2008. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  41. "杜德偉 Alex To – Sixteen tons+靜心等 Official MV – 演唱會 Live 版". YouTube. December 31, 2014. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2017.

Bibliography


На других языках


[de] Sixteen Tons (Lied)

Sixteen Tons ist ein sozialkritischer Country-/Folk-Song, der 1947 von Merle Travis veröffentlicht wurde. 1955 machte Tennessee Ernie Ford ihn zum Nummer-eins-Hit in den Country- und Popcharts sowie zum Millionenseller. Das Stück beschreibt das Leben in US-amerikanischen Kohlegruben etwa zur Zeit des Zweiten Weltkriegs.
- [en] Sixteen Tons

[ru] Sixteen Tons

Sixteen Tons (с англ. — «Шестнадцать тонн») — песня, повествующая о тяжёлых условиях труда и бедственном положении шахтёров-угольщиков США в период «Великой депрессии» 1929—1939 годов.



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