Jolie Blonde
"Jolie Blonde" is a Cajun waltz so loved in southwest Louisiana that it is often called the Cajun national anthem. Its fiddle melody is older than 1900, and since its first recordings in 1929 it has been played by Cajun bands, country stars and rock singers alike.
- Type
- Cajun waltz, sung in Cajun French
- Melody
- Dates to before 1900
- First recording
- Believed to be the Breaux Brothers, 1929, as "Ma blonde est partié"
- Big hit
- Harry Choates, 1946
- Nickname
- "The Cajun national anthem"
What the song is about
The title means "pretty blonde". In the original Cajun version, the singer addresses the girl he loved, who has left him to go back to her family and to another man. It is a short, aching song, and the waltz rhythm makes it a dance-hall favourite despite the heartbreak.
History
Amedée Breaux is usually credited with the song, though his sister Cleoma is said to have written the words while Amedée sang them. The Breaux Brothers' 1929 recording, made in Atlanta, is believed to be the first. Angelas LeJeune and Ernest Frugé recorded their own version in New Orleans the same year, and fiddler Dennis McGee claimed LeJeune had written an earlier form of it during the First World War. As with many traditional songs, its true origin is not settled.
Recordings by the Hackberry Ramblers and others followed in the 1930s. Then in 1946 fiddler Harry Choates recorded it in French for Gold Star Records. His version spread across the country, reached Billboard's country chart in 1947 and set off a wave of answer songs and English-language versions.
We describe this song rather than print its words: versions differ widely from singer to singer, and the best-known ones come from particular recordings.
Famous versions
| Year | Artist | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Breaux Brothers | Believed to be the first recording |
| 1946 | Harry Choates | The hit that made it famous nationwide |
| 1958 | Waylon Jennings | His first single, with Buddy Holly on guitar |
| 1970 | Joan Baez | On One Day at a Time |
| 1981 | Gary U.S. Bonds and Bruce Springsteen | On Dedication |
McNeese State University in Lake Charles adopted it as its official fight song in 1970.
Waltz chords in G
| G | G | D | D | | D | D | G | G | | G | G | D | D | | D | D | G | G |
Count it in three. Cajun bands traditionally play it with fiddle and accordion; on guitar, a simple bass-strum-strum pattern works well.
More Cajun music: what Cajun music is · the Red Stick Ramblers · all folk songs