June 28, 2022 – THEME WEEK DAY 2

We’re continuing our Patriotic Songs theme week today with the song “Yankee Doodle”! The early versions of the song predate both the Seven Years’ War and the Revolutionary War. The melody is thought to go all the way back to folk songs of Medieval Europe.
Originally, the song was sung to by the British military to mock the American troops they were serving with during the French and Indian War. The word “doodle” first appeared in he early 17th century, and meant “fool” or “simpleton”. At the time, a “Dandy” was a man who placed particular importance on his clothing and physical appearance, refined language, and leisure hobbies. Part of “Dandy” fashion was the Macaroni wig, which was an extreme fashion popular in Europe. The term “macaroni” was used to describe someone who enjoyed high end fashion and spoke in an outlandishly affected manner. So to the Brits, a Yankee Doodle Dandy was a foolish person who tried to imitate the latest styles and act like they were part of the upper crust, but wound up embarrassing himself in the process.
The song was written by a British Army surgeon named Dr. Shuckburgh. British troops saw the colonial “Yankees” as disheveled and disorganized, and they sang it to make fun of the American troops who thought they’d be stylish if they simply stuck a feather in their cap. According to one story, the song was inspired by the Colonial troops led by Colonel Thomas Fitch. Fitch assembled his men at his homestead at the beginning of the French and Indian War. His sister was concerned that they didn’t have uniforms, so she gave each man a chicken feather for their hats, so they’d all look alike. After seeing their unpolished clothing and feathers in their caps, Dr. Shuckburgh was inspired to write the song, mocking the men as “Yankee Doodles and Macaronis”.
However, the American’s weren’t insulted or offended by the song. In fact, they took it, changed the words a bit, and started using it as a song of defiance. By 1781, “Yankee Doodle” went from being an insult to a song of national pride. It’s the state anthem of Connecticut today.
Bonus fun fact: The word “dude” comes from “doodle”, as in Yankee Doodle Dandy! In the 1890s, “dude” meant a dandy. It became popular in surfer culture in the 1960s, and by the 1970s, became more mainstream.
Learn more here.