The undisputed viral hit of Christmas 1852 was the country dance ‘Pop Goes The Weasel’, still taught to children today. On 13th December, 1852, the craze was seen at a party in Ipswich, where it was declared “one of the most mirth-inspiring dances which can ever be well imagined”.
The song was performed at the Palace and taught to the gentry but, within a few years, had gained a reputation as an irritating earworm beloved by the poor and illiterate. How did this plummet from posh society come about? And to what do its famous lyrics, ‘half a pound of tuppeny rice / half a bag of treacle’ actually refer?
In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly attempt to unpick the song’s meaning; discover what Humpty Dumpty was doing atop his famous wall; and reveal how The Eagle on City Road still cashes in on their nursery rhyme celebrity…
Further Reading:
• ‘London Has A Pub From A Nursery Rhyme’ (Londonist, 2022): https://londonist.com/london/food-and-drink/london-has-a-pub-from-a-nursery-rhyme
• ‘Pop Goes the Weasel - The Secret Meanings of Nursery Rhymes, By Albert Jack’ (Penguin, 2010): https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Pop_Goes_the_Weasel/BoidGaGcDPwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=pop+goes+the+weasel&printsec=frontcover
• ‘Pop! Goes The Weasel | Rhymes in Time’ (The Museum of London, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUbP7d2j6SQ
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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.
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