Oh My Darling, Clementine

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"Oh My Darling, Clementine"
Language English

"Oh My Darling, Clementine" is an American western folk ballad in 87.87D trochaic meter usually credited to Percy Montrose (1884), although it is sometimes credited to Barker Bradford. The song is believed to have been based on another song called "Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden" by H. S. Thompson (1863). This American folk song is commonly performed in the key of F Major. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.[1]

History and origins[edit]



It is unclear when, where and by whom the song was first recorded in English for others to hear but the first version to reach the Billboard charts was that by Bing Crosby in 1941 when it briefly touched the No. 20 spot. It was given an up-dated and up-tempo treatment in an arrangement by Hal Hopper and John Scott Trotter. The re-written lyrics include a reference to Gene Autry ("could he sue me, Clementine?") amongst the five swinging verses.[2]

Contemporary use[edit]



The melody for the song has become popular as the rhythm for a number of chants by sports supporters, such as the Barmy Army, popularized by the 1998 hit song "Carnaval de Paris" by English dance trio Dario G.

Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Huckleberry Hound often sang an off-key, inaccurate version of "Clementine".




Scooby Doo whistled the tune in the episode featuring the Miner 49'er.


In Star Trek Voyager ("601 Equinox Pt II") The Doctor stimulates Seven of Nine's auditory processor to make her sing a duet of "Clementine" after his ethical subroutines have been deleted.

The melody is used in "Xin Nian Hao Ya",[3] a Chinese New Year song.

Music of the song "Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan",[4] from the Hindi film C.I.D. is copied from this song.



During the Campaign of Zamboanga City Ill-fated Mayor. Cesar Climaco the melody is used in "Ay si Cesar, Ay si Cesar Climaco" sung in Chavacano. It was also sung during his funeral in 1984. Coincidentally, "O my Darling Clementine" was the love song of Climaco to his wife, Julia Floreta-Climaco.


At the end of M*A*S*H episode 22 of season 5, "Movie Tonight", the song is sung by all the staff in the operating room after an abortive attempt to view the John Ford movie My Darling Clementine.


An American children's song, called Found a Peanut (in other countries also known as, "Call the Doctor"), uses the tune. [5]



On the children's television program Barney & Friends, the tune is used for the song "There Are Seven Days in a Week."

A rendition of the song was heard on Shining Time Station.

David Lister (in the sci-fi show Red Dwarf season 1) sang a parody of "Clementine". The Lyrics 'Miner 49er' were changed to 'lived and old Plutonian Miner' implying that the farmer lived on Pluto.



An eerie version of this is used in Telltale Games' The Walking Dead, in a Vine promoting the fifth episode of the second season of this episodic point and click.

An English country duo containing of Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish have named themselves My Darling Clementine.

In the 2001 Columbo episode "Murder With Too Many Notes", Lieutenant Columbo sings the first verse of the song along with Billy Connolly's character Findlay Crawford when the Lieutenant visits him in his bungalow. Columbo is also heard singing it in the 1978 episode "Make Me A Perfect Murder.[6]

In the Arthur episode "April 9th", Buster Baxter was given Mr. Morris's accordion when the latter moved out of Elwood City during the episode, in light of the episode's events, and near the end of the episode Buster plays the song on the accordion.

In Duck Dodgers (TV series) while doing a love scene for a movie in the episode "Hooray For Hollywood Planet", Dodgers messed up the script by singing the song.

Bobby Darin version[edit]

Bobby Darin recorded a version of the song, credited to Woody Harris, in which he made fun of Clementine's weight, joking at the end of the song that whalers might find her: "Hey you sailor, way out in your whaler, a-with your harpoon and your trusty line, if she shows now, yell... there she blows now It just may be chunky Clementine".

Jan and Dean version[edit]

Jan and Dean had a hit with "Clementine" hitting as high as 65 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was released under the Dore label (SP DORE 539 (US)) in November, 1959; "You're on My Mind" was the B Side.

Tom Lehrer version[edit]


Other versions[edit]

  • In 2004 the song was recorded by Westlife on their Allow Us to Be Frank.
  • The song is referenced in the lyrics of two separate songs by Elliott Smith. The first, "Clementine", from his 1995 self-titled album. The second, "Sweet Adeline", appears three years later on XO.
  • Megan Washington recorded "Clementine" in 2010. The song references some of the lyrics from the original.
  • In 2012 Neil Young and Crazy Horse recorded an almost six minutes long, hard rock version of "Clementine" on their album Americana.
  • The Robben Island Singers adapted the tune for their anti-apartheid ballad "What a System, What a Crime"


  2. ^ Reynolds, Fred. The Crosby Collection 1926-1977 (Part Two 1935-1941 ed.). John Joyce. pp. 209–210. 
  3. ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-04-28. 
  4. ^ "Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan - Johnny Walker, Mohd Rafi, Geeta Dutt, CID Song". YouTube. 2011-09-09. Retrieved 2015-11-18. 
  5. ^ "Found A Peanut". 
  6. ^ "Columbo: An analysis of "Make Me a Perfect Murder" part 1 - Biohazard Films". Radioactive-studios.com. 2015-06-13. Retrieved 2015-11-18. 

External links[edit]