Oleanna (song) facts for kids
Oleanna (also spelled Oleana) is a fun Norwegian folk song. It was later translated into English and became very popular thanks to Pete Seeger. He was a famous folk singer and a member of a group called The Weavers.
The song makes fun of a dream that a man named Ole Bull had. He was a famous violinist and composer. Ole Bull wanted to create a perfect new society in America. He even named one of his settlements in Pennsylvania "Oleanna." This was part of his "New Norway colony" idea. But his dream didn't work out. The forest was too thick, and it was too hard for people to live there. So, all the immigrants moved away.
The song's words are about someone who wants to leave Norway. They dream of escaping to Oleanna. In this dream land, "wheat and corn just plant themselves." They also "grow a good four feet a day" while you "rest yourself" in bed. It's a funny way to describe a place where life is super easy!
The words for the Oleanna song were written by Ditmar Meidell. He was a Norwegian magazine editor. He used the tune from another song called "Rio Janeiro." The song first appeared on March 5, 1853. It was in a magazine called Krydseren (The Cruiser). This was a funny magazine that Meidell had started.
Oleanna in English
A historian named Theodore C. Blegen included the song in his 1936 book. The book was called Norwegian Emigrant Songs and Ballads. It had the original Norwegian words. It also had a word-for-word translation by Martin B. Ruud. Plus, it included the music notes.
Eight years later, Blegen wrote his own version. It was a translation that could be sung easily. It had 22 verses. Folksinger Pete Seeger discovered Oleanna in Blegen's book. In 1955, Seeger wrote his own shorter translation with six verses. This version was later printed in Sing Out! magazine.
In 1960, two other people, Theodore Bikel and Alan Lomax, also published their own versions of Oleanna. They used parts of Seeger's translation. They also looked at Meidell's original words. And they added their own ideas too! Later, in 1992, Jerry Silverman translated 19 of the 22 verses.
Pete Seeger recorded Oleanna two times for Folkways Records. Other singers also recorded his translation. These included Theodore Bikel, Joe Glazer, and the Gateway Singers. However, The Kingston Trio released a version with completely different words. Their lyrics were not related to Meidell's original song at all. You can find both English and Norwegian recordings of the song online. Look on video websites, music stores, and digital download services.
