The Kingston Trio is an American folk group that helped launch the folk rev… Read Full Bio ↴The Kingston Trio is an American folk group that helped launch the folk revival of the 1960s and continued to thrive despite the emergence of rock and roll.

The Kingston Trio was formed in 1957 in the Palo Alto, California area by original lineup of Dave Guard (1934–1991), Bob Shane (1934–2020), and Nick Reynolds (1933–2008), who were just out of college. Greatly influenced by The Weavers, the calypso sounds of Harry Belafonte, and other semi-popular folk artists such as the Gateway Singers and the Tarriers, they were discovered playing at a college club called the Cracked Pot by Frank Werber, a local publicist then working at the Hungry i. He became their manager, and secured them a one-shot deal with Capitol Records.

Their first hit was a catchy rendition of an old-time folk song, "Tom Dooley", which went gold in 1958. It was so popular that it entered popular culture as a catchphrase: Ella Fitzgerald, for example, parodies it during her recorded version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". It won them the first Grammy award for Best Country & Western Performance in 1959. The next year, they won the first Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording category for the album The Kingston Trio at Large.

At one point in the early 1960s The Kingston Trio had four albums at the same time among the Top 10 selling albums, a record unmatched for nearly 40 years. In spite of this, they had a relatively small number of hit singles.

The group's music was simple and accessible, with much use of tight vocal harmony, signature riffs (often played on the banjo), and repetitive choruses. Capitol producer Voyle Gilmore[1] enhanced their vocal sound to great effect with reverb and the relatively new process of doubletracking, in which the performers sang along with their own pre-recorded part to produce a stronger sound than with a single voice, in part due to a natural time gap of a fraction of a second between the original recording and the overdubbed part. At first pairs of tape recorders were used, then later multitrack recording machines, to produce the effect.

Guard left the band in 1961 as part of a disagreement over its musical direction. He formed the group Whiskey Hill Singers, and was replaced by John Stewart, who led the group through several more years of popularity until the arrival of The Beatles and British invasion rock bands pushed them from the charts.

In 1967 the Trio disbanded after a final performance at the Hungry i, June 17, 1967.

Shane, the lone member to resist the break-up of the Trio, started a new group, aptly named, "The New Kingston Trio," in 1969. Eventually, Shane was successful in reaching a contractual agreement with his former partners, Guard, Reynolds, and Werber, to secure and license once again, the original name, "The Kingston Trio" (unencumbered by the adjective new), in 1976.(Blake et al. 1986.) Shane still owns the property today, 2006.

For a number of years in the 1980s Reynolds, one of the original three members, rejoined Shane.

In 2004 Shane retired from the group due to health problems. He was replaced by Bill Zorn, who had been with Shane in an iteration of the group called The New Kingston Trio; Zorn also has been a member of The Limeliters.

In 2005 Bobby Haworth (a one-time member of The Brothers Four) left the group to be replaced by Rick Dougherty, who also had been a member of The Limeliters.

As of 2006, The Kingston Trio consisted of George Grove, Bill Zorn and Rick Dougherty.

in October 2017, Grove, Zorn, and Dougherty were replaced as the Trio by new licensees Reynolds and Marvin and their friend, Tim Gorelangton. In 2018, Josh Reynolds left the group and was replaced by Bob Haworth, who became a member of the band for the third time. At the end of 2018, Haworth left the group and was replaced by Don Marovich.

Oleanna
The Kingston Trio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Chorus:
Ole, oleanna. Ole, oleanna. Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, oleanna.

Climbing up the Matterhorn, all alone as I could be, I reached the top, I paused to stop and heard this mystic melody.
(Chorus)

On an island in the ocean, not a human soul around, as I searched for bread and water, once again I heard this sound.
(Chorus)

My plane had all its motors gone. The wings would never keep me up.
I heard a voice that seemed to say, 'Now, let's take it from the top.'
(Chorus)

I was tramping through the Congo when the Mau-Mau tribe appeared
And their native chant was haunting, just the sound that I had feared.
(Chorus)

While rocketing one day in space, I found myself upon the moon. An ectoplasm greeted me with, 'Have you heard the latest tune?'
(Chorus)

My ship was sinking in the water, so I sent an S.O.S. and I waited for an answer, you don't even have to guess.

Came a voice so calm and cheerful, just as cheerful as can be, said, 'According to our survey, now the song is number three!'
(Chorus twice)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Kingston Trio’s song Oleanna give the impression of a never-ending journey across different places and situations with an interesting twist that connects all of them - a recurring mystical melody that seems to follow the singer no matter where he goes. The chorus, consisting of the repetition of the word “Oleanna,” serves as a sort of anchor for the song, unifying the different scenarios that are presented in each verse.

The first verse describes an ascent to the Matterhorn mountain, where the singer hears the “mystic melody” for the first time. In the second verse, he finds himself stranded on an island with no one around, and once again, he hears the mysterious sound. The third verse tells the story of an airplane accident that leaves the singer hopeless until he hears the same melody, which motivates him to keep going. In the fourth verse, he encounters the Mau-Mau tribe in the Congo, who chant a haunting tune that seems to be a variation of the melody he keeps hearing. Finally, in the fifth verse, the singer experiences an encounter in space with an “ectoplasm” that greets him with the latest tune.

What seems to tie all these different experiences together is this unexplainable melody that pervades each scene. Perhaps the song is about the power of music to transcend borders and connect people in different parts of the world. It reminds us of the universal language of music that can unite individuals from different cultures, races, and backgrounds.

Line by Line Meaning

Ole, oleanna. Ole, oleanna. Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, oleanna.
The repeating chorus serves as a simple and catchy hook throughout the song.

Climbing up the Matterhorn, all alone as I could be, I reached the top, I paused to stop and heard this mystic melody.
The singer climbed the famous mountain, and at the top, he heard a beautiful and mystical melody.

On an island in the ocean, not a human soul around, as I searched for bread and water, once again I heard this sound.
Stranded on an uninhabited island, the singer was searching for basic necessities when he heard the melody again.

My plane had all its motors gone. The wings would never keep me up. I heard a voice that seemed to say, 'Now, let's take it from the top.'
In an airplane that was losing power, the singer heard a voice telling him to start over.

I was tramping through the Congo when the Mau-Mau tribe appeared And their native chant was haunting, just the sound that I had feared.
Traveling through the Congo, the singer encountered a tribe whose haunting chant made him fearful, but he also recognized the melody.

While rocketing one day in space, I found myself upon the moon. An ectoplasm greeted me with, 'Have you heard the latest tune?'
During a space journey, the singer landed on the moon and was greeted by a ghost who asked if he had heard the newest version of the song.

My ship was sinking in the water, so I sent an S.O.S. and I waited for an answer, you don't even have to guess. Came a voice so calm and cheerful, just as cheerful as can be, said, 'According to our survey, now the song is number three!'
The singer's ship was sinking, and when he sent an S.O.S. for help, he received a response from someone who cheerfully informed him that the song was now #3 in popularity.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: H. GELLER, M. SELIGSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Samir al Kurdi

3y↑2

Ole, oleanna. Ole, oleanna. Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, oleanna.
Climbing up the Matterhorn, all alone as I could be, I reached the top, I paused to stop and heard this mystic melody.
(Chorus)
On an island in the ocean, not a human soul around, as I searched for bread and water, once again I heard this sound.
(Chorus)
My plane had all its motors gone. The wings would never keep me up.
I heard a voice that seemed to say, 'Now, let's take it from the top.'
(Chorus)
I was tramping through the Congo when the Mau-Mau tribe appeared
And their native chant was haunting, just the sound that I had feared.
(Chorus)
While rocketing one day in space, I found myself upon the moon. An ectoplasm greeted me with, 'Have you heard the latest tune?'
(Chorus)
My ship was sinking in the water, so I sent an S.O.S. and I waited for an answer, you don't even have to guess.
Came a voice so calm and cheerful, just as cheerful as can be, said, 'According to our survey, now the song is number three!'
(Chorus twice)