Jambalaya, Apple Pie, Chante Quelque Chose Oh Yé Yaille: A History of Cajun Culture through Music from the Early 1920s to the Late 1980s

Discovery of Commercial Cajun Music: The Beginnings

The new technologies of record players and radio allowed the success of regional/local music in the early 1910s, and from a push by Rayne police juror, George Burrow, accordionist Joseph Falcon, guitarist Cleoma Breaux Falcon (Joe’s wife) and vocalist Leon Meche made their way to New Orleans on April 27, 1928, created their first recordings, and brought Cajun music to America's music marketplace.[i] Meche backed out at the last minute due to nerves so Joe and his wife, Cleoma, were left to swell their sounds into the large recording studio.[ii] 





The song, one that Falcon knew from his childhood, bounced to a two-step rhythm and told the story of a lover and his fiancée. Thus the duo created the first recorded Cajun song, “(Allons à) Lafayette!"[iii] 
 







FRENCH:                                                                              ENGLISH TRANSLATION: 
Allons à Lafayette                                                                  Let’s go to Lafayette
          mais pour changer ton nom.                                                 in order to change your name. 
On va t’appeler Madame,                                                       They’ll call Mrs.,
          Madame Canaille Comeaux                                                     Mrs. Canaille-Comeaux
 
Petite, t’es trop mignonne                                                        Baby, you’re too cute
           pour faire ta criminelle.                                                            to do anything wrong.
Comment tu crois mais moi                                                      How can you think of anyone but me,
           je peux faire mais moi tout seul.                                              I can do all right by myself.
           
Mais toi, mon jolie coeur                                                           But you, my little heart,
         regarde-donc mais quoi t’as fait.                                               look what you’ve done.
Si loin que moi je suis de toi,                                                    I am so far from you,
       mais  ça ça mefait pitié.                                                                that, that makes me sad
   
 LISTEN:  
Many Cajun songs share similar tunes because of either the region or era the song was recorded or to make money selling records artist would just change the lyrics—this was long before royalties! You can HEAR this from Falcon's 1928 "(Allons à) Lafayette" and McGee's 1929 "Jeunes gens de la Campagne." Though it is noted that "Jeunes gens de la Campagne" is much older than Falcon's “newer” version.  


 
Did you know? The name for the record was named "Lafayette" but spelled as "Laufette," as the name of the song was "Allon à Lauafette," with the same misspelling as the record company did not actually know how to spell Lafayette correctly! Over time the names for the record and song has changed to its correct spellings and current title of, “Lafayette." 


LISTEN: Here are other renditions of "Lafayette" thorugh the ages. There is the 1946 popular western swing style, and the 1990s styles of Zydeco and Cajun. All have the same melody and lyrics but the different instrument changes are the telling sounds of hte popular music styles in South Louisiana at the time they were recorded. Also check out the renditions of "Jeunes de la Camagne," including a name change done in the twenty-first century with Wayne Toups. 
 


 
Afro-Creole and African American la musique française also came into the commercial industry in the year 1929. Influential artists like Afro-Creole singer and accordion player Amédé Ardoin and Cajun fiddlers Dennis McGee and Sady Courville came onto the recording scene. 



Even though McGee and Courville played Cajun music, they partnered with Ardoin multiple times, causing a unique mixture and influence of Afro-Creole and Cajun sounds within their songs.[iv]One such song was Ardoin's “Colinda” (“Anon au Bal Colinda”) (1928-1929) a song about slave culture and a dance in New Orleans.





McGee and Courville changed the name to “Madame Young Donnez Moi Votre Jolie,” and changed the lyrics to a man asking a mother for her daughter’s hand in a dance. 
                                           















                                                                    “Anon au Bal Colinda" 
                     CREOLE FRENCH:                                                                ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
                          Anons au bal, Colinda.                                                        Let’s go to the dance, Colinda      
                         Ti vas matin dans le brouillard.                                             You go in the morning fog.
                         Ta robe était déchirée.                                                            Your dress was torn.
 
                           Anons au bal, Colinda.                                                         Let’s go to the dance, Colinda,
                          Pourquoi, ti me dis pas, Colinda,                                          Why won’t you tell me, Colinda,
                          Où t’a été hier au soir?                                                           Where you were last night?
 
                          Anons au bal, Colinda.                                                            Let’s go to the dance, Colinda.
                         Alle y va matin dans le petot jour.                                             She left at the break of dawn.
                         Sa robe était déchirée.                                                               Her dress was torn.
 
LISTEN:
Sadly there are no surviving records of Ardoin's "Colinda," but we can still HEAR its tune in McGee's and Courville's “Madame Young Donnez Moi Votre Jolie." Another example of similar tunes used but changing lyrics.
 
                                                   
                                   “Madame Young Donnez Moi Votre Jolie (McGee and Courville)”
 
 
FRENCH:
Ouais, donc ouais , Madame Young, donnez moi la vot’ chere blonde
Le voudrais malheureuse avec mais ouais malheureuse
Mais ouais, oh ouais, mais l’avoir L’avoir oh ouais la grosse blonde
Pour moi finir mes grands jours avant tu pars , malheureuse
 
Ouais, donc ouais , Madame Young, comment ca s’ fait d’r’ fuser
Pas miserait de m’ marier ah ouais j’irais l’apres ouais
Ouais, mais ouais , de l’avoir avec la chere ma grosse blonde
C’est pour moi finir mes grands jours toujours avec la chere blonde
 
Depuis quand elle etait ‘tite j’avais cheri la chere blonde
Je su’ après la guetter oh ouais la chere petite blonde
Je desirais que ca s’rait elle dirait ouais mon idée
D’avoir la chere mais grosse blonde pour ouais finir mes grande jour
 
C’est pas quelle est si belle , mais el’est si bonne est aimable
La chere tite blonde j’l’ aim’ rais dans tout mais chere mon gros Coeur
Oh oui garde donc cheri coeur mais fait pas ca ‘vec ton neg
Tu vas me faire mais mourir pour toi toujours malheureuse
 
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Yeah, so yeah, Mrs. Young, give me your dear blonde,
I'd like that, oh my, well yeah, oh my,
Well yeah, oh yeah, well to have her, to have her oh yeah, the big blonde,
With me for the rest of my days, before you leave, oh my.
 
Yeah, so yeah, Mrs. Young, how can you refuse me?
Don't bet on marrying me, ah yeah, I'll go get her, yeah,
Yeah, well yeah, to have the dear big blonde,
With me for the rest of my days, always with the dear blonde.
 
Since she was little, I've cherished the dear blonde,
I'm watching for her, oh yeah, the dear little blonde,
I would like if she said "Yes" to my idea,
To have the dear, well, big blonde for, well, the rest of my days.
 
It's not that she's so beautiful, but, she's so good and kind,
The dear little blonde, I'd love her with all my heart,
Oh yeah, so look dear sweetheart, well, don't do that to your man,
You'll make me die for you, forever, oh my.
 
 
Many observers also count McGee as one of the founders of commercial Cajun music as well, even the five years from 1929 until 1934 when he paired up to record with Ardoin.
McGee was known for his long bowing style that produced a unique sound compared to the short and fast bowing that many Cajun fiddlers did later in the 1930s.[v]He recorded many favorite songs within the Cajun community and still shapes even the most recent artist of early twenty-first century. 




Did you know? The current favorite Cajun song "Allons Danser, Colinda" is not Ardoin's "Colinda!" This Cajun version did not become popular for Cajun repertoire until 1962 when Swamp Pop singer Rod Bernard recorded it. Another favorite version was from 1949 by Happy, Doc, and the Boys.[vi] 



LISTEN: All three covers, however, allude to Ardoin's character, Colinda, who will not dance with the singer, but in Bernard's and Happy's versions, it is because of the girl's mother. Note that Happy's version is sung in French whereas Bernard's switches between English and French lyrics. This showcases the involvement of Cajun music in the national music market of the 1950s. But in a later recording in the 1970s and Creole's version in the 1990s, the lyrics are once again in French. 
 

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