KING'S HEAD. AKA and see "Soldier's Joy," "King's Hornpipe," "(I) Love Somebody," "Payday in the Army." English (origianlly), American; Reel. D Major. Standard. AABB. "Kings Head" was the name "Soldiers Joy" went by in areas of the northern U.S., especially in Pennsylvania; it is an immensely popular tune and in nearly every fiddler's repertory (see note for "Soldier's Joy"). Bayard (1944) relates that a Pennsylvania story exists to explain this name concerning a condemned man who saved himself by playing this tune for the king; this will be recognized as an old legend, having attached itself in another form to such tunes as "Camp Chase" and much earlier (in a variant form) to "MacPherson's Farewell." Influential North Carolina fiddler Tommy Jarrell also heard the story of "King's Head" and repeated it to an interviewer in 1982 (see Peter Anick, "An Afternood with Tommy Jarrell," Fiddler Magazine, Spring 1995), though the melody was not known by that title in his region (Jarrell knew the tune variously as "Love Somebody," "Soldier's Joy" and "Payday in the Army;" it was not recorded where and when he heard the "King's Head" story and it may be heard heard it from one of many young musician visitors who frequented his home in his later years).
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Despite the story of the condemned man, the title probably has more to do with its association to the alternate titles "Soldier's Joy" and "Payday in the Army." It is recognized that money, often a joy to soldiers (especially when paydays were irregular during hostilities), carries numerous euphemisms. Among these are references to a sovereign whose picture was stamped on the obverse of coins; note, for example, the phrase 'taking the Queen's shilling' for the bounty upon enlisting once upon a time in the British army. In a similar sense, the title 'the kings head' may refer to money paid out in coin stamped with a male sovereign.
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Bayard traces the tune itself to Europe: "Either in part or as a whole, this tune also has international currency: see J. Tiersot, 'Chansons Populaires Recueillies dans les Alpes Francaises', p. 532, tune No. 3--an air (one of the 'monferines') with a second part closely resembling the second of No. 21. See also Burchenal, Folk-Dances of Finland, p. 36, 'Ten Person's Polka', pp. 78, 79, the whole of No. 21 as the second part of a 'Kontra'; Yngvar Heikel, Finlands Svenska Folkdiktning, VI, B, Folkdans (Helsingfors: Utgivna av Svenska Litteratursallskapet i Finland, No. 268, 1936), pp. 69, 'Gammalmodig Atta'; 73, No. 1b, 'Stampantakt'; 264, 'Fein Engelska'; 283, 'Kokar Engelska'; 310, 'Sex Man Engelska'. The names of the dances connected with these Swedish-Finnish versions suggest that tunes and steps alike were introduced from British tradition" (Bayard, 1944). In his 1981 publication he stated the tune dated back to the latter part of the 1700's, and that it had since become as popular on the fife as on the fiddle. Sources for notated versions: Mrs. Sarah Armstrong, (Derry, Pennsylvania, 1943) [Bayard, 1944]; Hiram White (elderly fiddler from Greene County, Pa., 1930's), George Reed (elderly fiddler from Centre County, Pa., 1930's), and George Strosnider (elderly fiddler from Greene County, Pa., 1930's) [Bayard, 1981]. Adam, No. 2. Aird, Vol. 1; No. 109. American Veteran Fifer, No. 93. Bayard (Hill Country Tunes), 1944; No. 21. Bayard (Dance to the Fiddle), 1981; No. 332A-C, pgs. 303-310. Burchenal, 1918; p. 6. Cole (1001 Fiddle Tunes), 1940; p. 24. DeVille, No. 76. Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; p. 95 (2d part of "Coonie in the Creek"). Greenleaf and Mansfield, 'Ballads and Sea Songs of Newfoundland', p. 377 (a quadrille with a second strain which corresponds to part 2 of 'King's Head'). Harding's Original Collection, No. 20. Howe's School for the Violin, p. 37. Jigs and Reels, p. 22. Kerr (Merry Melodies), Vol. 1; No. 6. Krassen (Appalachian Fiddle), 1973; pgs. 15 & 45. Levey, No. 90. Linscott (Folk Songs of Old New England), pp. 110, 111. O'Neill, Music of Ireland, No. 1642. Raven (English Country Dance Tunes), 1984; pg. 166. Robbins, No. 56. Roche Collection, Vol. 2, No. 216. Saar, No. 14. Seventy Good Old Dances, p. 14, No. 9. Sweet (Fifer's Delight), 1964; pg. 43. Sym's Old Time Dances, p. 31. Thede (The Fiddle Book), pg. 118. White's Excelsior Collection, p. 72.