Difference between revisions of "First of May"

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Revision as of 09:33, 5 May 2008


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First of May
ReleaseSmoking Monkey
Length4:10
Release date11-05-2003
Related Pages

Lyrics
Tabs
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Other media
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Trivia

  • The chorus is a variation on an old folk/schoolyard rhyme, "Hooray, Hooray, the first of May! Outdoor fucking starts today!" In an April 10, 2007 blog post, JoCo credited John Hodgman with the idea for the song, and mentions that the modern dirty rhyme derives from an older, traditional dirty rhyme. Commenters Mike and Bry tracked the reference down to a poem in Another Almanac of Words at Play by Willard R. Espy.
  • The poem which Espy cites, in turn, derives from ancient Pagan customs celebrating fertility on the eve of Beltane, the Celtic name for the month of May.
  • James Taylor and the Bee Gees have also recorded songs by the same title. Taylor's song explores some similar themes with less explicit language, while the Bee Gees' song is a love song lamenting the passage of time.
  • On May 1st 2008, Spiff started the First of May Olympics, based on the song.

Availability

Available from jonathancoulton.com as a free MP3 download or for purchase in MP3 or FLAC formats, as well as on the Smoking Monkey CD.


Themes

Smoking Monkey
1. I'm Having a Party · 2. Bozo's Lament · 3. Kenesaw Mountain Landis · 4. Ikea · 5. I Hate California · 6. Christmas Is Interesting · 7. Over There · 8. Millionaire Girlfriend · 9. First of May · 10. De-Evolving · 11. I'm a Mason Now · 12. Overhead