Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.
Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair
| "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" | |
|---|---|
 Original sheet music cover | |
| Song | |
| Published | 1854 |
| Genre | Parlor song |
| Songwriter(s) | Stephen Foster |
"Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" is a parlor song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864), published by Firth, Pond & Co. of New York in 1854. Foster wrote the song with his estranged wife Jane McDowell in mind. The lyrics allude to a permanent separation.[1]
"Jeanie" was a notorious beneficiary of the ASCAP boycott of 1941, a dispute caused by ASCAP increasing its licensing fees. During this period, radio broadcasters played only public-domain music or songs licensed by ASCAP rival BMI. According to a 1941 article in Time magazine, "So often had BMI's Jeannie [sic] With the Light Brown Hair been played that she was widely reported to have turned grey."[2]
- ^ O'Connell, Joanne. "Understanding Stephen Collins Foster, His World and Music", ProQuest. March 23, 2007.
- ^ "No Letup". Time Magazine. January 27, 1941. Archived from the original on May 30, 2008.
Previous Page Next Page
