The "Zip Coon" was a blackface character who parodied a free black man attempting to conform to white high society. As often happens with matters of race, something that is rather vanilla in origin is co-opted and sprinkled with malice along the way.įor his creation, Browne simply used the well-known melody of the early 19th century song " Turkey in the Straw," which dates to the even older and traditional British song " The (Old) Rose Tree." The tune was brought to America's colonies by Scots-Irish immigrants who settled along the Appalachian Trail and added lyrics that mirrored their new lifestyle. I learned that though Browne was fairly creative in his lyrics, the song's premise and its melody are nearly as old as America itself.
I wondered how such a prejudiced song could have become the anthem of ice cream and childhood summers. There's nothing like a watermelon for a hungry coon I soon realized that the ice cream truck song was forever ruined for me, especially once the chorus began:įor here, they're made with a half a pound of co'l The music immediately resumed and so did the racism. (For the record, not all ice cream trucks play this same song, but a great many of them do.)Īs quickly as it began, the music paused, and this call-and-response ensued:īrowne: "You niggers quit throwin' them bones and come down and get your ice cream!"īlack men (incredulously): "Ice Cream?!?"īrowne: "Yes, ice cream! Colored man's ice cream: WATERMELON!!" When I started the song, the music that tumbled from the speakers was that of the ever-recognizable jingle of the ice cream truck. Admittedly, though, beneath my righteous indignation, I was rather curious about how century-old, overt racism sounded and slightly amused by the farcical title. I was a bit conflicted over whether the song warranted a listen. I came across this gem while researching racial stereotypes. Browne and played on the familiar depiction of black people as mindless beasts of burden greedily devouring slices of watermelon. Released in March 1916 by Columbia Records, it was written by actor Harry C. "Nigger Love A Watermelon Ha! Ha! Ha!" merits the distinction of the most racist song title in America. Read no farther if you wish to avoid racist imagery and slurs. Ice Cream Truck Songs was produced for the exhibition #404 Not Found curated by Miguel Cortez at Co-Prosperity Sphere in August 2013.Editor's note: This article is about a virulently racist song. Ice Cream Truck Songs consists of three discrete parts: a gallery installation, a photo catalog, and playback in an ice cream truck trolling the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. Ice Cream Truck Songs was created using circuit-bent variations of handclaps, calliopes, glockenspiels, chimes, bells, and MIDI tones. Each track is arranged to be looped for an extended, unknown duration over and over again. Ice Cream Truck Songs acts as a soft-serve cover album of the most common jingles found in ice cream truck music boxes. The sonic messages investigate the invasive distribution and transmission techniques of public address systems. "Ice Cream Truck Songs is a seasonal set of melodic chimes and jingles produced for playback on ice cream truck loudspeaker horns. Here's Jeff Kolar's description of the project: These trucks are a constant sight in many Chicago neighborhoods during the warmer months and their often noxious music will drill its sound into your brain just as surely as the treats they sell will freeze your gray matter if you eat your Oreo crumb covered waffle cone too quickly. This booklet focuses on photo documentation of the various ice cream trucks that Kolar has spotted in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.
#Ice cream truck music box series
Kolar produced a series of electronic ice cream truck jingles and paired up with a truck that played the recordings over the truck's address system. This sweet booklet was produced to accompany a sound project by the Chicago-based artist Jeff Kolar (who also co-administrates the ongoing broadcast project Radius).
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