"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
StudioRadio Recorders, Los Angeles
GenreFolk
Length2:54
LabelCapitol Americana[1]
Songwriter(s)Merle Travis
Producer(s)Lee Gillette
Official audio
"Sixteen Tons" on YouTube

"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. It was first released in July 1947 by Capitol on Travis's album Folk Songs of the Hills.[3] The song became a gold record.

Authorship

The sole authorship of "Sixteen Tons" is attributed to Merle Travis on all recordings[4] 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;[5] he also at different times claimed to have written the song as "Twenty-One Tons". There is no supporting evidence for Davis's claim. 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[6] and Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian.[7]

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.

The titular "sixteen tons" refers to a practice of initiating new miners. In the mid-1920s, a miner tended to haul eight to ten tons per day, whereas for new miners, other miners would slack off so the new miner could "'make sixteen' on his very first day."[8]

Tennessee Ernie Ford version

"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
RecordedSeptember 20, 1955
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)
Audio sample
Chorus sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford
  • file
  • help

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.[4] 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,[9] 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.[10][11] On March 25, 2015, Ford's version of the song was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.[12] It was featured in the 9th episode of Season 22 of South Park. In 2002, the song was played at the beginning of the Emmy-winning TV film Door to Door. In 2023, it was included on the soundtrack of the 2023 Wes Anderson film Asteroid City.[13]

Other versions

Frankie 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.[14]

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

  • Armand Mestral released a version with French lyrics under the title "Seize Tonnes" in 1956.
  • Olavi Virta with Triola Orchestra released a version with Finnish lyrics by Reino Helismaa under the title "Päivän työ" in 1956 (Triola, T 4249), for the 1972 album Olavi Virran Parhaat 3. (Sävel, SÄLP 717).
  • A German version of the song did not translate the original lyrics, but rather rewrote them entirely, under the title "Sie hieß Mary-Ann". This was released in several versions on German record labels in 1956 and 1957, most notably by Ralf Bendix, and Freddy Quinn on his album "Freddy" recorded on Polydor.
  • Spanish version "16 Toneladas" was recorded by the Spanish singer José Guardiola and became a hit in Spain and Latin America in 1960.[31]
  • 16 tons (Neapolitan version) by Italian American singer Lou Monte recorded in 1961 with both English and Italian verses
  • Italian version recorded by I Giganti, on the B-side of a 45 RPM vinyl record in 1968.
  • Brazilian composer Roberto Neves wrote the Portuguese version "Dezesseis Toneladas", first recorded by Noriel Vilela in 1971, this version is a samba with happy lyrics unrelated to the subject of the original.[32][33]
  • Adriano Celentano released an Italian-language version "L'Ascensore" in 1986.
  • Polish version, called Szesnaście ton has become popular among the local sea shanty bands. Because of that the song is mistakenly treated as sea shanty classic in Poland.
  • A Chinese version called "靜心等" (Jìng Xin Deng, "Wait patiently") is a well-known hit in Taiwan, interpreted by Chinese singer 張露 (Chang Loo or Zhang Lu) and by Teresa Teng (鄧麗君, Deng Lijun).
  • Hungarian punk band Hétköznapi Csalódások recorded a cover version in 1994 called "16 000 kg=1 600 000dkg" on their album Nyaljátok ki (Kiss my).
  • Hungarian rock band Republic recorded a cover version in 1998 called "Tizenhat tonna feketeszén" ("16 tons black coal") on their album Üzenet (Message).[34][35] Republic's lyrics uses lines from a Hungarian campfire song, a more literal translation of the original ballad.[36]
  • Hungarian music composer and singer Breitner János recorded and released a cover version in 1960 called "Húsz tonna" on 7 inch record EP. The lyrics is translated from the original, but for the number of syllables the 16 tons is changed to 20 (húsz) tonna.
  • A slow, jazzy version by Finnish Turo's Hevi Gee appeared on the 1999 album Ei se mitn! as "Velkavankilaulu".
  • Serbian hard rock band Riblja Čorba recorded a cover version in 1999 called "16 noći" ("16 nights") on their album Nojeva barka.
  • July 2013, in Ukraine, the song was recorded[37] by ukrabilly (Ukrainian folk) group "Ot Vinta!".[38]
  • A Mexican group Hermanos Barron from Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico recorded the song in the 1980s as "16 Toneladas".[39]
  • A Swedish version ("Sexton ton") was recorded 1956 by Cacka Israelsson and released as a B-side on the single "Tro och Kärlek". It was adapted into Swedish by Ingrid Reuterskiöld.
  • Another Swedish version ("Sexton ton") was recorded in 1970 by Gunnar Wiklund. The song is about a truckdriver who drives 16 tons of wooden crates over the border.
  • Alex To version in his 2014 concert. He sang both the original version and his mom's (Chang Loo) version.[40]

In literature and the arts

Eric Burdon's version of "Sixteen Tons" is the opening song of the 1990 American film Joe Versus the Volcano.

Songwriter Rupert Holmes cited "Sixteen Tons" as an inspiration for his song "Timothy", about a pair of miners who are implied to have cannibalized their fellow miner when the three are trapped following a mine collapse.

The song remained popularly recognized through the 20th and early 21st centuries, used or referenced in a number of works. In the season 22 South Park episode "Unfulfilled", Ford's version of "Sixteen Tons" plays in the background of a montage of an Amazon fulfillment center, and in The Simpsons episode "Bart Gets an Elephant", "Sixteen Tons" is being played on the radio as Bart is forced by Marge to do housework. In Fallout 76, Ford's version of "Sixteen Tons" is one of the songs featured on the in-game Appalachia Radio.

References

Bibliography

  • Coleman, Rhonda Janney (April 2001). "Coal Miners and Their Communities in Southern Appalachia, 1925–1941, Part 1". West Virginia Historical Society Quarterly. XV (2). Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  • Coleman, Rhonda Janney (July 2001). "Coal Miners and Their Communities in Southern Appalachia, 1925–1941, Part 2". West Virginia Historical Society Quarterly. XV (3). Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2014.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Capitol 48000: Americana Album series 78rpm numerical listing discography". www.78discography.com. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Sixteen Tons: The Story Behind the Legend". Tennessee Ernie Ford. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Advance Record Releases". Billboard. June 28, 1947. p. 119.
  4. 1 2 Merle Travis & Ernie Ford interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  5. ↑ John Cohen, liner notes to the album George Davis: When Kentucky Had No Mining Men (Folkways FA 2343, 1967)
  6. ↑ Folkways FA 2343, 1967
  7. ↑ Folkways Recordings ASIN B000S9DIHK, 2002
  8. ↑ Green, Archie (March 1, 1972). Only a Miner: Studies in Recorded Coal-Mining Songs. Urbana. p. 312. ISBN 978-0252001819. OCLC 279194.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 54–5. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  12. ↑ "National Recording Registry to "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive"". the Library of Congress. March 25, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  13. ↑ Starkey, Adam (June 23, 2023). "Here's every song on the Asteroid City soundtrack". NME. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  14. ↑ J.D. (October 6, 2008). "River of No Return". The Pop History Dig. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  15. ↑ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 18 – Blowin' in the Wind: Pop discovers folk music. [Part 1]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  16. ↑ "Tip Top [Richmond, Va.] 78 RPM - Label Discography - USA - 78 RPM". www.45worlds.com. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Three Score & Ten". Topic Records. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  18. ↑ "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger: Music". Amazon. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Dave Dudley - Songs About The Working Man at Discogs". Discogs.com. November 27, 1964. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
  21. ↑ Sixteen Tons - YouTube
  22. ↑ "Harry Nilsson - Sixteen Tons".
  23. ↑ "James & Bobby Purify, "I Take What I Want" Single Release". Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Bobby Darin, "Sixteen Tons"". YouTube. February 27, 1968. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  26. ↑ 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.
  27. ↑ "Dance Party With This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb". Amazon. June 7, 2006. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  28. ↑ 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.
  29. ↑ "Home - Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman". Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman. May 1, 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Sixteen Tons". Tim Timebomb and Friends. November 23, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  31. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  32. ↑ Mugnaini Jr. Enciclopédia das músicas sertanejas (2001, ISBN 8575270044), p. 42.
  33. ↑ "16 Toneladas (Sixteen Tons) – Noriel Vilela – Details". Musical Taste. March 31, 2003. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Allmusic Hungary a magyar zene adatbázisa". Allmusic.hu. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  35. ↑ Video on YouTube.
  36. ↑ "Tábortüz – 16 Tonna lyrics". Musixmatch.
  37. ↑ Video on YouTube.
  38. ↑ "Ot Vinta. Офіційний сайт". Ot-vinta.com. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  39. ↑ "Los Hermanos Barron-16 Toneladas". YouTube. August 4, 2008. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  40. ↑ "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.
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