Chickens and Movies

[justwrite]

Yes, this is a strange post.

My husband has spent the past 15 years working on-and-off on a movie about a chicken. The first ever theater screening is set a week from tomorrow. We're going to have a reception afterward, and I'm trying to come up with a list of appropriate songs (recorded music -- low budget flick, can't afford a band, could barely afford the theater).

I thought this group might know lots of obscure and songs about chickens and/or movies. Here's what I've come up with so far:

Chicken songs:
Chicken Reel
Thus Clucked Henrietta (Ray Stevens)
Dixie Chicken (Little Feat)
Snuff the Rooster (Nirvana?)
That song that goes " . . . ever since that rooster come in our yard"
Those Were the Days (The Best I can Recall) (Austin Lounge Lizards)

Movie Songs:
Face on the Cutting Room Floor (Steve Goodman as recorded by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band)
Late Night Double Feature Picture Show (Rocky Horror soundtrack)
Act Naturally (Buck Owens)
Still in Hollywood (Concrete Blond)
Tulsa Time (as in, "they don't need me in the movies and nobody sings my songs")

Suggestions?

[fatt-dad]

memphis women and fried chicken - Delbert McClinton (i think)

[rixter]

I can only think of a couple right now:

C-H-I-C-K-E-N (there's the way to spell chicken) as done by the Red Clay Ramblers and Mississippi John Hurt

Cluck Old Hen

A verse of Turkey In The Straw (Oh I had me a chicken that wouldn't lay an egg...")

[OdnamNool]

Hmmmm... The first thing that popped into my head was... (well, I don't know the title or who wrote it, but it's a choral tune, acapella...(sp?), and it goes somethin' like this):

"Cock-a, cock-a, cock-a NAY! Cock a NAY! Cock a NAY! Cock-a, cock-a, cock-a NAY! Cock a NAY! Cock a nay... The hen has laid an egg...

Very cool tune...

Maybe it's called, "The Hen has laid an Egg"? Try looking it up on the internet? Or... I bet Eugene knows...

[OdnamNool]

oops... perhaps that should be "layed"? Urgh... Change the subject... QUICK!

[Bobbie Dier]

On the "Now and Then" CD from Trapezoid ,there is a tune called "There Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" by Louis Jordan.

I saw something on the news about the oldest living chicken and how there is a movie coming out about it. Is this the movie? Is your chicken 15 years old?

[justwrite]

No, the movie is not about the oldest living chicken, although my husband will love to hear that news. I see a double feature in the future. His is sort of an absurd horror-comedy take off of old 50s and 60s B-grade creature features. Very, very silly.

[justwrite]

And I thought of another movie song -- "Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott?" by the Statler Brothers.

[Bobbie Dier]

I like crazy films like that. Good luck on your premiere.

[chirorehab]

Chicken Strut - The Meters - Very Funky!

Eric

[steve in tampa]

Fred Eaglesmith and the Flathead Noodlers-Rooster Fight

Here's the words:


Well I got me a Rooster, I got me a Hen Locked them up in willow branch pen
Fed 'em some Corn, Fed 'em some Bran Boiled 'em up in an Oil can

CHORUS:

There's a Rooster Fight in the Red Rock Farm Bring your money, Bring your gun
If you got any Rotgut bring it along There's Rooster Fight on the Red Rock Farm

2nd Verse:

I had me Chicken and I had me a Dog Traded 'em for a Little Red Hog

Dog on a Chain, Chicken in the sack Dog ran away, Chicken came back (Chorus)



3rd Verse:

Had me a Banty and a Rhode Island Red Kept 'em in the back of my shed

Kept 'em watered, Kept 'em fed Went one day and chopped off their heads (Chorus)

Ending:

There's Rooster Fight on the Red Rock Farm There's Rooster Fight on the Red Rock Farm

[Eric F.]

Oooh, another Fredhead! Excellent.

What about "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain"? Don't they plan to kill the old red rooster when she comes?

[Damnation Gulch]

That Mississippi John Hurt track is GREAT. My all time favorite bluesman!

Jack Starr has a song called "Chicken" and if you cant find his version on Kazaa the punk band ANTiSEEN did a cover of it.

The "Snub The Rooster" song you're talking about is just called "Rooster" and its by Alice In Chains.

[Mike Bunting]

The Greenbbriar Boys also recorded the Chicken Song.......and that's the way you spell chicken............friends

[mikeomando]

Memphis women and fried chicken - written by Dan Penn. #There's a version on his greatest hits record. #Joe Ely has a great long tune (7 minutes) about a fighting rooster on his CD "Letter to Laredo" The song is called "Gallo del Cielo".

[mikeomando]

Let's not forget the classic "Funky Chicken" by Little Milton, I believe.

[jim simpson]

How about "Chicken Train" by the Ozark Mountain Daredevils. I used to do this with a group back in the early 70's.

[MandyLynn]

That Austin Lounge Lizards song is called "Rocky Byways," if you have trouble locating it.

One of my favorite songs about gigging with chickens. :]

[justwrite]

Great suggestions and info. And of course, there's the Chicken Dance.

[levin4now]

Didn't Garth Brooks do a song "And the Rooster Crows" ? Or was that something about 'thunder rolls'....? He could've used either for that song I believe.

[Frankmc]

Fishn' For Chickens--- by Tim Wilson

[pickinpox]

"Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Lewis Family

"Take an old cold tater and wait" Little Jimmy Dickens

"Frog Legs Rag" Ok, I got carried away, that doesn't mention a chicken.......but they taste just like chicken http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[dwmand]

Bob Tyler has a great cover of "Chicken A La Blues " by
Cousin Joe Pleasant.

www.theotherbob.com

[justwrite]

Ah yes, thanks for reminding me of Steve Goodman's "Chicken Cordon Blues!"

[JiminRussia]

I can't believe that nobody mentioned "Cluck Old Hen"!

[Landgrass]

"Gallo del Cielo" by Joe Ely

[Ken Berner]

I know that this won't help you at all, but . . . . MANY years ago Hank Williams did a "Talking Blues" that started out, "Down in the hen house on my knees, I thought I heard a chicken sneeze". I'd give my next Social Security check if I could get the words to that and hear it just one more time. It was a treasure and I've been unable to locate it anywhere!

[Joe F]

I remember hearing a song in the 1970s called "Making the Best of a Bad Situation" by (I think) Ray Stevens. #In one of the verses, a woman complains that her husband thinks he is a chicken. #The tag line goes something like, "It's not so bad, and besides, we can use the eggs."

[justwrite]

I remember that --

Makin' the best of a bad situation
Don't want to make waves can't you see
Makin' the best of a bad situation
Reckon I'd do the same if it was me.


Now I know a lady, she's a mighty fine lady
Got a heart of gold, wouldn't harm a fly . .

. . . that's where I lose it.

[August Watters]

Hey Ken --

Search engines are a wonderful thing -- I googled your line "Down in the hen house on my knees, I thought I heard a chicken sneeze" and found a couple of likely matches, including a Talking Blues that Alan Lomax supposedly attributed to Woody Guthrie (which of course doesn't mean Hank Williams didn't do it too!):

Talking Blues (http://www.univie.ac.at/Anglistik/easyrider/data/talking.htm)

Now about that Social Security check -- you can send it to me any time! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

August W

[justwrite]

Well, here's the next question. In this post-Napster era, can anyone recommend a good website for downloading songs legally for a small fee?

[Ken Berner]

Nice goin', August . . . . "the check is in the mail". Seriously, thank you very much for your assistance. This is great stuff!

[justwrite]

Well, the screening went well. The theater was nasty and we spent all day cleaning up and decorating. I deviled 5 dozen eggs, and we had chicken wings delivered from a place called "The Right Wing." We had 50 to 60 people in a theater that seats 64, so we were pretty happy. The response to the movie was generally positive. A few negative comments, but hey, this movie isn't for everyong. We're all just relieved that it's over!

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to gather new music, but we pulled together the chicken songs we had and mixed in some other stuff and it turned out well. Thanks for all your suggestions. We will have time to track down some of this stuff before our next screening and make the music even better.