{"id":9025,"date":"2024-11-21T21:36:56","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T03:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/?p=9025"},"modified":"2024-11-21T21:36:56","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T03:36:56","slug":"paul-robeson-and-ol-man-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/2024\/11\/21\/paul-robeson-and-ol-man-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Robeson and Ol\u2019 Man River"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ol\u2019 Man River<\/em> is a song that has been performed many times, analyzed, and critiqued for its lyrical depth and cultural significance. While exploring archives of the Chicago Defender, I came across a 1936 article about the film Showboat<\/em>, titled: Paul Robeson Makes Film \u2018Showboat\u2019 One of Finest1<\/sup><\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

August 8th, 1936<\/p><\/div>\n

The article offers a broad summary of the film, highlighting a few of the actors and key scenes. Notably, it praises Robeson\u2019s vocal performance, describing his voice as:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHis deep vibrant voice ringing above the din of noise, the blare of music, the harmony of voices, fills the listener\u2019s ears and hearts with gladness.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The description of his vocal quality is vivid and reverent, capturing the power of Robeson\u2019s performance. However, it glosses over the song\u2019s lyrical content and deeper implications. Given that the article was published just three months after the film\u2019s premiere, one might expect some discussion of the song’s meaning, especially in the context of race and labor. It simultaneously reminds us of its perceivedness during a different time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The article does briefly touch on the presence of Black characters in the film, stating:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPictures portraying the South are incomplete without the richness and colorful figure of the Negro. He is an integral part of the land of toil, deeply and firmly entrenched.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Yet this framing reduces the portrayal of Black characters to a scenic element rather than addressing their narratives or the systemic struggles they represent. The lack of critique is understandable, as the article is descriptive rather than analytical, but it shows how the significance of <\/span>Ol\u2019 Man River<\/span><\/i>, a song central to the film, was overshadowed.<\/span><\/p>\n