Genre Western folk song Lyricist(s) Brewster M. Higley | Composer(s) Daniel E. Kelley | |
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"Home on the Range" is a classic western folk song, sometimes called the "unofficial anthem" of the American West. The lyrics were originally written by Dr. Brewster M. Higley of Smith County, Kansas in a poem entitled "My Western Home" in the early 1840s to 1927 and 1940s. In 1947, it became the state song of the U.S. state of Kansas. In 2010, members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
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History
The poem was first published in a December 1840s to 1927 issue of the Smith County Pioneer under the title "My Western Home". The music was later written by Daniel E. Kelley (1843–1905), a carpenter and friend of Higley. Higley's original words are similar to those of the modern version of the song, but not identical; the original did not contain the words "on the range". The song was eventually adopted by ranchers, cowboys, and other western settlers and spread across the United States in various forms. During the early 20th century, it was arranged by Texas composer David W. Guion (1892–1981), who occasionally was credited as the composer. The song has since gone by a number of names, the most common being "Home on the Range" and "Western Home". It was officially adopted as the state song of Kansas on June 30, 1947, and is commonly regarded as the unofficial anthem of the American West.
The antelope referred to in the song is not a true antelope species, but rather the American pronghorn, which is often called an antelope.
The most popular version of the song was the version by Bing Crosby in 1933 which appeared in the various charts of the day. This turned a little-known saddle song into a most renowned western hymn. The origin of "Home on the Range" was obscure and widely debated at the time. It was published in 1910, in Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads by John Lomax who said he learned it from a black saloonkeeper in Texas. In 1925 a sheet-music arrangement found some popularity and in 1927 Vernon Dalhart recorded it for Brunswick Records. California's radio cowboys picked it up from him, and in 1930 Hollywood's first crooning western star, Ken Maynard, recorded the song. However, it was not until the Crosby version that the song was seen as a national anthem for the west. Its popularity led to a plagiarism suit that created a search for its background.
Crosby's rendition is described by the writer Gary Giddins as transforming "a nostalgic lament into an ode to pioneering, a dream of shared history, a vaguely religious affirmation of fortitude in the face of peril." Giddins praises Crosby's subtle embellishments which enhance the melody.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt acknowledged "Home on the Range" as his favorite song.
Modern usage
Bing Crosby recorded the song again in 1938 and 1939. Frank Sinatra also recorded the song on March 10, 1946; his version was released in Great Britain and was not available in the United States until 1993. Others who have recorded the song include Connie Francis, Gene Autry, Burl Ives, Pete Seeger, Johnnie Ray, Slim Whitman and Steve Lawrence. "Home on the Range" is often performed in programs and concerts of American patriotic music, and is frequently used in plays and films. These include the 1948 film Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (sung by both Cary Grant and Myrna Loy), the 1967 off-Broadway musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (sung by the cast as a glee club rehearsal number), the 1980 film Where the Buffalo Roam (sung by Neil Young over the opening credits), the 2009 film The Messenger (sung by Willie Nelson over the closing credits), and the 1946 western film Colorado Serenade (sung by actor Roscoe Ates).
The song has naturally also made its way into screen shorts for children and adults, as in the 1954 Looney Tunes cartoon Claws for Alarm, where it is sung by Porky Pig. Likewise, Bugs Bunny sings the song in both The Fair-Haired Hare (1951) and Oily Hare (1952), the latter containing original lyrics specific to Texas oilmen.
In the 2010 video game Fallout: New Vegas, a version of this song titled "Home on the Wastes" appears, with the lyrics referring to a nice, radiation-free place to live. In the altered lyrics, the original animals mentioned in the older versions, such as buffalo, deer, antelopes, and prairie dogs, are replaced with Bighorners, Mole rats, Fire Geckos, and Radscorpions.