About this podcast
Welcome to Folk Files, a podcast hosted by Olivia Harding that seeks to uncover the mysteries of folk music throughout the ages and dive deep into the tangled history of murder ballads, sea shanties, rebel songs, and other music that has withstood the test of time!
Episodes
The newest 20 of 37 episodes
- Episode #3.10 - Cold as the Clay · 36 min · Season 3 Episode 10This episode is an exploration of ghost songs or, more accurately, “revenant ballads.” Ghosts are not particularly common in English ballads, so we’ll look at what circumstances…
- Episode #3.9 - Fol-de-rol and Fiddle-dee-dee · 24 min · Season 9 Episode 3Non-lexical vocables are syllables without any semantic meaning, sometimes called “nonsense syllables.” In this episode of Folk Files, we’ll explore lilting, yodeling, konnakol…
- Episode #3.8 - Beat the Drum Slowly · 31 min · Season 3 Episode 8The Anglo-Irish ballad "The Unfortunate Lad," the cowboy classic "Streets of Laredo," and the blues song "St. James of Infirmary" are often considered different versions of the…
- Episode #3.7 - I Got the Blues · 39 min · Season 3 Episode 7According to many textbooks, the blues is a genre that was born in the rural Mississippi Delta, with roots in the “sorrow songs” of enslaved people. It’s easy, however, to poke…
- Episode #3.6 - There Was Two Brothers · 29 min · Season 3 Episode 6Whereas the “Two Sisters” murder ballad is a complete, coherent story, “Two Brothers” is messy. What’s the motive? Who are these brothers? Who kills who? In this episode of Folk…
- Episode #3.5 - Rise Again · 22 min · Season 3 Episode 5Stan Rogers was one of Canada's greatest singer-songwriters, despite his music having never had major distribution or significant radio playtime. In this episode, I discuss the…
- Episode #3.4 - There Were Two Sisters · 27 min · Season 3 Episode 4A harrowing murder ballad in which an older sister shoves her younger sister in the water (and sometimes a musician makes an instrument from the drowned girl's corpse) can be…
- Episode #3.3 - The Music of Temple Bar · 41 min · Season 3 Episode 3In this St. Patrick's Day episode, I ask the question: Is it actually Irish? We will explore over thirty songs that are performed in Irish contexts and see if they actually come…
- Episode #3.2 - He Never Returned · 27 min · Season 3 Episode 2Is "The MTA Song" a conservative song or a communist song (or neither)? And why did record companies try to hide the origins of the tune of one of the most prolific early 20th…
- Episode #3.1 - Piping in the Haggis · 27 min · Season 3 Episode 1Welcome to the third season of Folk Files! We are starting off the year with a Robert Burns-themed episode to celebrate Burns Night on January 25th. Learn about the traditions…
- Episode #2.12 - Lully, Lulla · 25 min · Season 2 Episode 12Happy Holidays! Coventry Carol is a lullaby to a "little tiny child"...but surprisingly, that child is not Jesus. Learn more about this Christmas carol that was almost lost to…
- Bonus Episode: The Ballad World of Anna Gordon · 46 minIn this bonus episode of Folk Files, I interview Ruth Perry, the author of The Ballad World of Anna Gordon, Mrs. Brown of Falkland. Anna Gordon is one of the most famous source…
- Episode #2.11 - The Flower of England · 27 min · Season 2 Episode 11For a long time, "The Death of Queen Jane" has been considered a folk song that takes artistic liberties with the historic event of the birth of Edward VI to Jane Seymour in…
- Folk Files #2.10 - Beware the Moss · 23 min · Season 2 Episode 10Long Lankin is the bogeyman of the Child Ballads. A mysterious figure who lives in the moss (or the gorse, or the hay), he is known as a bloodthirsty murderer. But what's the…
- Folk Files #2.9 - I Said the Sparrow · 33 min · Season 2 Episode 9Who Killed Cock Robin? It was I, said the Sparrow. But where did the song come from? And what does it mean? Explore a world of birds, nursery rhymes, mythology, and history in…
- Folk Files #2.8 - Stand and Deliver · 32 min · Season 2 Episode 8Robbers, bandits, highwaymen…there are a lot of English folk songs about outlaws. In this episode of Folk Files, we'll look at why there are so many songs about criminals and…
- Episode #2.7 - I Died For Love · 31 min · Season 2 Episode 7This episode of Folk Files looks at a family of songs where the main character "dies for love." In particular, I explore "The Butcher Boy," a song with American, Irish, and…
- Episode #2.6 - No Strings Attached · 26 min · Season 2 Episode 6Welcome to Part II of Folk Files' exploration of the history of folk instruments! Learn about the origins and etymology of accordions, concertinas, harmonicas, bagpipes…
- Episode #2.5 - Strings Attached · 27 min · Season 2 Episode 5This episode of Folk Files takes a departure from folk songs to talk about folk instruments! Learn about the history, ancestors, and etymology of folky string instruments…
- Folk Files #2.4 - I Am A Roving Gambler · 39 min · Season 2 Episode 4This episode explores the variations, history, and geography of the bluegrass song "The Roving Gambler." Host: Olivia Harding Special thanks to: Ashford King, The Cecil Sharp…
