During 1960, Horton had two other successes with "North to Alaska" for John Wayne's movie, North to Alaska, and "Sink the Bismarck". Horton is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Johnny Horton had several top ten songs in the late 50's and early 60's and was on the verge of becoming one of the top stars of the 60's when he met with tragedy.
He was born John Gale Horton in Los Angeles in 1925. He was raised in Tyler, Texas. Horton worked in the fishing industry in Alaska and California, and attended Seattle University. He worked for a while as a carpenter, and played basketball at Baylor University. He worked at a local radio station in East Texas and at the Hometown Jamboree in California. He did some recording with little success for the Abbott, Mercury, and Dot labels and picked up the nickname the Singing Fisherman. Horton became a regular on the Louisiana Hayride.
Johnny married Billie Jean Jones, the widow of country music legend Hank Williams. He sang country songs and signed a recording contract with Columbia, where he would achieve his greatest success. Some of his first hits included Honky Tonk Man, I'm A One-Woman Man in 1956, Coming Home in 1957 and All Grown Up in 1958. He topped the country charts in 1959 with When It's Springtime In Alaska.
Johnny Horton then began to record a series of saga songs that crossed over to the pop charts. He covered Jimmy Driftwood's The Battle Of New Orleans in 1959. The song topped the country charts and it reached number one on the pop charts, where it remained for a solid six weeks. The song was a tribute to the final battle of the War of 1812. He also recorded Sink The Bismarck in 1960, a song that was suggested by the film of the same title; it went top ten country and pop. Johnny Horton was a star. He sang the title song for the John Wayne movie North To Alaska and it too made the top ten in both charts during the same year.
On November 5, 1960, while North To Alaska was still climbing the charts, Horton was killed in an automobile accident in Milano, Texas following an appearance at the Skyline Club in Austin. He is buried in Hillcrest Cemetary in Haughton, LA.
Following Horton's death some of his earlier hit songs made the charts once again. Albums of his recordings were compiled and issued in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's, and they are still selling.
His biography was published in 1983 under the title Your Singing Fisherman.
Battle of New Orleans
Johnny Horton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip'
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans
We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
We looked down a river and we see'd the British come
And there must have been a hundred of 'em beatin' on the drum
They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring
We stood behind our cotton bales and didn't say a thing
We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Old Hickory said, "We could take 'em by surprise
If we didn't fire our muskets 'til we looked 'em in the eye"
We held our fire 'til we see'd their faces well
Then we opened up our squirrel guns and gave 'em
Well, we fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Yeah, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
We fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round
We filled his head with cannonballs 'n' powdered his behind
And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind
We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Yeah, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
Hut, two, three, four
Sound off, three, four
Hut, two, three, four
Sound off, three, four
Hut, two, three, four
Hut, two, three, four
The Battle of New Orleans is a narrative song by Johnny Horton that tells the story of the final battle in the War of 1812 between the British army and a group of American volunteers led by General Andrew Jackson. The song begins with the description of the journey taken by the American army to New Orleans, along the Mississippi River. The lyrics mention a supply shortage and the eventual defeat of the British forces, largely attributed to the clever tactics of General Jackson. He and his men waited patiently and fired their guns only when they were close enough to see the whites of the British soldiers' eyes. The song also describes the lengths to which the Americans went to defeat the British, like using an alligator as a weapon.
The Battle of New Orleans was written in 1959 by Jimmie Driftwood, a high school teacher and amateur songwriter. The song became a commercial success and was one of several songs that Johnny Horton recorded in a similar style, including Sink the Bismarck and North to Alaska. The song's popularity was partly due to the rising interest in folk music in America in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Line by Line Meaning
In 1814 we took a little trip
The singer is talking about a trip taken in 1814.
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip'
The singer was accompanied by Colonel Jackson down the Mississippi.
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
The singer and companions brought provisions like bacon and beans with them.
And we caught the bloody British in the town of New Orleans
The British were captured in New Orleans by the artist and companions.
We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin'
Despite gunfire from the artist and companions, the British continued to advance.
There wasn't as many as there was a while ago
The British force had been depleted by some previous encounter.
We fired once more and they began to runnin'
The British started to retreat after a second round of gunfire.
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico
The British fled towards the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River.
We looked down a river and we see'd the British come
From a vantage point by the river, the artist and companions observed the British Army approaching.
And there must have been a hundred of 'em beatin' on the drum
The British Army was marching to the beat of drums; estimated to be as many as one hundred drummers.
They stepped so high and they made their bugles ring
The British Army marched in a coordinated and disciplined manner, sounding their bugles.
We stood behind our cotton bales and didn't say a thing
The artist and companions used bales of cotton as cover and remained silent.
Old Hickory said, "We could take 'em by surprise
General Andrew Jackson suggested that they could attack the British by surprise.
If we didn't fire our muskets 'til we looked 'em in the eye"
Jackson proposed holding their fire until they had a clear view of the enemy.
We held our fire 'til we see'd their faces well
The singer and companions heeded Jackson's advice and waited until they could see the enemy's faces clearly.
Then we opened up our squirrel guns and gave 'em
After observing the enemy for a sufficient amount of time, the artist and companions attacked with their squirrel guns.
Yeah, they ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles
The retreating British Army encountered rough terrain like briers and brambles.
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go
The fleeing British soldiers navigated through dense bushes that even a small animal like a rabbit could not penetrate.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
The British soldiers ran at such a pace that even trained hunting dogs could not catch them.
We fired our cannon 'til the barrel melted down
The artist and companions kept firing their cannon until its barrel melted due to excessive heat.
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round
After the cannon was unusable, the artist and companions fought using an alligator as a weapon.
We filled his head with cannonballs 'n' powdered his behind
The artist and companions filled the alligator's head with cannonballs and powder to create an improvised explosive device.
And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind
When detonated, the improvised explosive device caused the alligator to go into a frenzy.
Hut, two, three, four
Chant/Drill.
Sound off, three, four
Chant/Drill.
Hut, two, three, four
Chant/Drill.
Sound off, three, four
Chant/Drill.
Hut, two, three, four
Chant/Drill.
Hut, two, three, four
Chant/Drill.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Morris
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@charlesmolt7706
The Americans suffered roughly 60 casualties, while the British suffered roughly 2,000. Maybe Red Coats were a bad idea
@brokenuniverse1485
britain can hold this L
@heinrichschuppisser2166
@@brokenuniverse1485 Hardly
@Eazy-ERyder
@@heinrichschuppisser2166 This great battle gave the US the victory in this war, belated though it was
@KenoReplay.
@@Eazy-ERyder Lmao no. American goal was to annex Canada.
The British not only repelled the American invasion, they pushed back and burnt the Capital. Keep in mind, this is while the rest of the British Empire was focused on Napoleon
@okyeahsure3858
@@KenoReplay. I'm pretty sure America declared war to end the trade embargoes out on by the British to stop countries from trading with France, not to annex Canada
@hydraulichydra8363
It fascinates me how even in more "primitive" times people always found a way to improvise. It's a crying shame that most folks nowadays wouldn't even think to use an alligator as a cannon. Oh what we've lost.
@su-rv2uq
Much to the relief of the alligators!
@Seagull780
@Max Cooper What the fuck, I wasn't told about a test. You can't just give surprise exams like this.
@jlo13800
The field marshall 310 CID crankcase 2 stroke diesel is coming, it takes a shotgun shell to start it, never tow it to start or it will run over and kill you!