The Frog's Springtime Song (Uh-HUH, Uh-HUH, Uh-HUH)

Frogs can be loud, and in the spring their courtship song can be heard for long distances. "The Seeger Sessions" is a spring album, and from where I write, tonight is the first night I've heard the frogs singing this year. Hearing the frogs is one of the surest traditional signs that spring has finally arrived.

The song "Froggie Went A Courtin'" is easily the oldest of "The Seeger Sessions," dating back at least as far as a 1549 publication, and possibly much longer. At one time, "Froggie Went A Courtin'" was likely the most well-known song in the English language. As might be expected for a folk song this old, there are many, many variations of "Froggie Went A Courtin'," many more than for any song of "The Seeger Sessions." The song has been a staple of both American and Celtic traditions, under many titles and styles. Pete Seeger recorded 3 different versions of "Froggie Went A-Courtin'," as did John Langstaff; several artists have recorded at least 2.

The oldest recording documented are by Chubby Parker and by Bradley Kincaid, both in 1928. Parker's in under the title "King Kong Kitchie Ki-Me-O," and is included in the Anthology of American Folk Music. "Froggie Went A-Courtin'" was frequently used for field recordings; this site documents 7 field recordings of the song prior to 1950.

Among notable recordings of "Froggie Went A Courtin'": Woody Guthrie recorded a loose version with Cisco Houston in 1944; Burl Ives recorded it in 1951. Richard Dyer-Bennet, John Jacob Niles, and Ed McCurdy all recorded it in the late '50's; Niles' version being one of the many variants of the song (and one that Pete Seeger would put on his Birds, Beasts, Bugs and Fishes, Little and Big album).

In more recent years, "Froggie Went A Courtin'" has been recorded more often as both a rock song and as a children's song. Jimmie Rodgers was among the first to put out a rock version of Froggie; it has also been recorded by Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley -- Presley's version being a rehearsal take from 1970. Todd Rundgren recorded a version of the song with M. Frog Labat under the title "Froggy Went a Pumpkin" in 1976. Nick Cave's hard rocking version of "King Kong Kitchie Ki-Me-O" was recorded in the mid-90s.

The first notable use of "Froggie Went A Courtin'" as a children's song as by John Langstaff in 1956; it also appeared on a Disney album in the early '60s. But most children's versions of the song are much more recent; children's versions dominate the recordings of Froggie over the past decade, and range from recordings for small children from the likes of Barney (as "Frog He Would A-Wooing Go") and The Wiggles, to more sophisticated versions from artists such as Dan Zanes (as "King Kong Kitchie") and Laurie Berkner. The most offbeat recording is probably Jim Nollman's early 1980s version, augmented by a flock of 300 turkeys.

William Grant Still created an arrangement of Froggie for flute, oboe and piano; this site documents several recordings of it; one is available from the audio page of this site.