If I Had a Hammer

Last updated
"The Hammer Song"
Hammer Song The Weavers 1950.jpg
Original 1950 release by The Weavers on Hootenanny Records, 101-A.
Single by The Weavers
B-side "Banks of Marble"
Released 1950
Genre Folk
Label Hootenanny
Songwriter(s) Pete Seeger
Lee Hays
"If I Had a Hammer"
If I Had A Hammer Peter Paul Mary 45 1962.jpg
Single by Peter, Paul and Mary
Single by Peter, Paul and Mary
from the album Peter, Paul and Mary
B-side "Gone the Rainbow"
Released 1962
Genre Folk
Length2:11
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s) Pete Seeger
Lee Hays
Producer(s) Albert Grossman
Milt Okun
Peter, Paul and Mary singles chronology
"Lemon Tree"
(1962)		"If I Had a Hammer"
(1962)		"Puff, the Magic Dragon"
(1963)
"If I Had a Hammer"
If I Had A Hammer Trini Lopez 45 1963.jpg
Single by Trini Lopez
Single by Trini Lopez
from the album Trini Lopez at PJ's
B-side "Unchain My Heart"
Released 1963
Venue P.J.'s
Genre Folk rock
Length2:59
Label Reprise
Songwriter(s) Pete Seeger
Lee Hays
Producer(s) Don Costa
Trini Lopez singles chronology
"If I Had a Hammer"
(1963)		"Kansas City"
(1963)
"Datemi un martello"
Single by Rita Pavone
B-side "Che m'importa del mondo"
ReleasedDecember 1963 [1]
Recorded1963
Genre Pop, chanson, surf rock
Length2:40
Label RCA Italiana
Songwriter(s) Pete Seeger
Lee Hays
Sergio Bardotti
Producer(s) Luis Bacalov
Rita Pavone singles chronology
"Cuore"
(1963)		"Datemi un martello"
(1963)		"Son finite le vacanze"
(1963)

"If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)" is a protest song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. It was written in 1949 in support of the Progressive movement, and was first recorded by the Weavers, a folk music quartet composed of Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. It was a #10 hit for Peter, Paul and Mary in 1962 and then went to #3 a year later when recorded by Trini Lopez in 1963.

Contents

The Weavers released the song under the title "The Hammer Song" as a 78 rpm single in March 1950 on Hootenanny Records, 101-A, backed with "Banks of Marble".

Early versions

The song was first performed publicly by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays on June 3, 1949, at St. Nicholas Arena in New York City at a testimonial dinner for the leaders of the Communist Party of the United States, who were then on trial in federal court, charged with violating the Smith Act by advocating the overthrow of the U.S. government. [2] It was not particularly successful in commercial terms when it was first released. It was part of the three songs Seeger played as the warm-up act for Paul Robeson's September 4 concert near Peekskill, New York, which subsequently erupted into a notorious riot. [3]

Hit versions

It fared notably better commercially when it was recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary 12 years later. Their version of the song, released in July 1962 from the group's debut album became a top 10 hit, and won the Grammy Awards for Best Folk Recording and Best Performance by a Vocal Group. It reached number 17 in Canada. [4] Trini Lopez's 1963 single went to number three on the same Billboard chart and number five in Canada. [5] It was included on his album Trini Lopez at PJ's (Reprise R/RS 6093). [6] Rita Pavone's Italian-language adaptation "Datemi un martello", with lyrics by Sergio Bardotti, was a major hit in Italy and also charted in South America. [7]

Other versions

Legacy

The song "If I Had a Hammer" was a freedom song of the civil rights movement. It had a tremendous impact on the American youth in the 1960s who protested against the American culture. It helped to spark the hippie movement.[ citation needed ]

Charts

Peter, Paul and Mary
Chart (1962)Peak
position
Canada CHUM Chart [20] 17
US Billboard Hot 100 [21] 10
US Cashbox Top 100 [22] 13
Trini Lopez
Chart (1963–1964)Peak
position
Argentina [23] 1
Australia (Kent Music Report) [24] 2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [25] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [26] 1
Canada (CHUM Chart) [27] 5
Denmark (Hitlisten) [28] 1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [29] 16
France (IFOP) [30] 3
France (Cash Box) [31] 1
Ireland [32] 3
Israel (Kol Yisrael) [33] 1
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [34] 10
Mexico (AMPROFON) [35] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [36] 1
New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade) [37] 2
Norway (VG-lista) [38] 2
Peru [39] 1
South Africa [40] 3
Spain (AFYVE) [41] 1
Sweden (Kvällstoppen) [42] 1
Sweden ( Tio i Topp ) [43] 1
Switzerland (Musikmarkt) [44] 2
UK Singles (OCC) [45] 4
Uruguay [46] 4
US Billboard Hot 100 [47] 3
US Billboard Hot R&B Singles [48] 12
Venezuela [49] 8
West Germany (Official German Charts) [50] 2
Rita Pavone
Chart (1964)Peak
position
Argentina (CAPIF) [51] 3
Brazil (IBOPE) [52] 1
Uruguay [53] 5

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References

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  2. ↑ "Town Talk," The Daily Worker, June 1, 1949
  3. ↑ Frillmann, Karen. "Today in History: Peekskill Riots". WYNC (New York), 4 September 2009. Accessed 25 January 2015.
  4. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - August 27, 1962".
  5. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - September 2, 1963".
  6. ↑ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 21 - Forty Miles of Bad Road: Some of the best from rock 'n' roll's dark ages. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles . University of North Texas Libraries. Track 2.
  7. ↑ Salvatori, Dario (2001). "Datemi un martello". Dizionario delle canzoni italiane. Elle U. p. 119. ISBN   8888169016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Phull, Hardeep (2008). Story behind the Protest Song: A Reference Guide to the 50 Songs That Changed the 20th Century. ABC-CLIO. p. 20. ISBN   9781567206852.
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  10. ↑ Paul Simpson, ed. (2003). The Rough Guide to Cult Pop. Rough Guides. p. 80. ISBN   9781843532293.
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  13. ↑ "Pongo en Tus Manos Abiertas - Victor Jara | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2020-03-23.
  14. ↑ Mularski, Jedrek (2014). Music, Politics, and Nationalism In Latin America: Chile During the Cold War Era. Cambria Press. p. 94. ISBN   9781621967378.
  15. ↑ "Johnny Cash". Billboard .
  16. ↑ Banister, C. Eric (2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 208. ISBN   9781617136092.
  17. ↑ "Wanda Jackson". Billboard .
  18. ↑ "Various Artists – Appleseed's 21st Anniversary: Roots and Branches". AllMusic . Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Appleseed will release unreleased Springsteen recording". Point Blank. August 28, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  20. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - August 27, 1962".
  21. ↑ "Peter Paul Mary Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Cashbox Top 100: October 16, 1962". cashboxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  23. ↑ "Cash Box – International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 29 August 1964. p. 46.
  24. ↑ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book (1940–1969). Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-44439-5.
  25. ↑ "Trini Lopez – If I Had A Hammer" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  26. ↑ "Trini Lopez – If I Had A Hammer" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  27. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - September 2, 1963".
  28. ↑ "Cash Box – International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 7 December 1963. p. 36.
  29. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Trini Lopez". Sisältää hitin – 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 152. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  30. ↑ "InfoDisc : Accès direct à ces Artistes > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  31. ↑ "Cash Box – International Best Sellers" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Cash Box. 11 January 1964. p. 38.
  32. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard . 2 November 1963. p. 28. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  33. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard . 9 November 1963. p. 24. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  34. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 15 March 2024. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Trini Lopez".
  35. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard . 25 April 1964. p. 36. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  36. ↑ "Trini Lopez – If I Had A Hammer" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  37. ↑ Flavour of New Zealand, 3 October 1963
  38. ↑ "Trini Lopez – If I Had A Hammer". VG-lista. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  39. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard . 15 February 1964. p. 38. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  40. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard . 23 November 1963. p. 32. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  41. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  42. ↑ Hallberg, Eric (1993). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. p. 243. ISBN   9163021404.
  43. ↑ Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. p. 313. ISBN   919727125X.
  44. ↑ Swiss Charts Archive. 15 February 1964.
  45. ↑ "Trini Lopez: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  46. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard . 30 May 1964. p. 28. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  47. ↑ "Trini Lopez Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  48. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 360.
  49. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard . 9 May 1964. p. 30. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  50. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Trini Lopez – If I Had A Hammer" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 15 March 2024. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Trini Lopez"
  51. ↑ "Billboard (8/29/64)" (PDF).
  52. ↑ "Billboard (9/5/64)" (PDF).
  53. ↑ "Billboard (7/18/64)" (PDF).
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