Here’s something peculiar for you: a folk song about the Boston underground…sung in French. Why would the French care? And what could they make of a schmuck named Charlie who can’t simply get off a train? And what about his even more ridiculous wife, who throws him sandwiches when she could easily toss one with a few coins in it so he can pay the fare?
One of the lousy things about travel is that you generally have no idea how to get around. Unless you take a cab and don’t mind being stiffed all the time and driven the longest way possible, you’re stuck with mass transit. Most every city has its own infuriating rules. Coins allowed? NOT allowed? Do you have to wait on a line and get a TICKET? I haven't been in France in a while, but the last time, I recall some odd business about getting a pass with a photo ID on it. I don't remember if I used the pass itself or had to buy individual tickets for every subway (metro) or bus ride.
The gimmick with the Boston system at the time (and maybe even now) is fare zones. I haven't been in Boston in a long time. I do recall their "underground" as being pretty dinky. I think at least you could actually take an easy commute from Logan Airport into mid-town or even Cambridge.
Back in the 50's, it cost ten cents to get on the train, and then, depending on the destination, passengers had to pay at least another nickel to get off. A politician named Walter O’Brien wanted to change policy and the tax structure in Boston. In his run for mayor (he finished with less than one percent of the vote) he enlisted Bess Lomax Hawes (daughter of Almanac singer John Lomax) and Jackie Steiner to create a catchy tune for him.
Their campaign song turned into a novelty number. They were partying with two friends (Sam and Arnold Berman) and Sam mentioned how weird it was that if you didn't have the extra nickel you might have to stay on the MTA and "never get home." This became "never return," since Bess recalled an Almanac Singers number called "The Train That Never Returned" (which borrowed music from "The Wreck of the Old 97."
The song ended with "Vote for Walter A. Obrien and fight the fare increase! Get poor Charlie off the MTA!" The song was recorded by Sam Berman on vocal, with his brother Arnold, Jackie Steiner and others playing backup instruments and singing along. The song was played live at rallies, and the recording was hooked up to a truck and played at various locations to bewildered onlookers. Eventually Will Holt heard the song and managed to get an actual record label to release it.
Will Holt was a nice man, and I enjoyed talking to him about some aspects of his career. I think he considered “The MTA Song” one of his lesser achievements. After all, it didn't become a hit. Coral edited the song when there was a worry that the "Vote for" line was actually mentioning a real person. The Kingston Trio eventually covered the song, streamlining some of the lyrics and shouting out the fictitious name "Vote for George O'Brien!" at the end.
Hold came up with his own original lyrics for “Lemon Tree," which was a big hit for Trini Lopez. He figured his enduring achievements were in the musicals he wrote for the stage. (Most of YOU know this thing and "Lemon Tree" most of all).
So why not see if it could roll in other countries, too? The singer here is EILEEN. She’s better known as a Nancy Sinatra impersonator (in France, at least) but she took on a variety of American tunes to Frenchify. An interesting thing about her is that she is proof that it’s who you know…but also if you know other languages. Eileen’s father Michael Goldsen founded Criterion Music. (Yeah, yeah, you wonder who losted it. Ha ha.) Born in New York, a language teacher in Los Angeles, she taught French, and was asked to translate some of the popular folk songs of the day into that language.
In 1963 the teacher journeyed to Paris, married over there, and managed to get a record deal offering her specialty of being able to sing perfectly in two languages, and knowing the cultures of both. She did both an English cover version of Nancy Sinatra songs and foreign language variations. Since she learned a bit about the music biz from her father, it’s not much of a surprise that after her brief days as a singing idol ended, she started her own music publishing firm, French Fried Music. She still lives in France.
Hop aboard: Le Métro De Boston (M.T.A. The Boston Subway Song) download or listen online
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