“Yankee Doodle” is a patriotic song that everyone in America knows and loves. Most people will know some things about the song, but there are other things about the song that are not common knowledge. Most people will know that “Yankee Doodle” is a very popular patriotic song that has been featured in some older patriotic movies. Some may even know that the song is the official song for the state of Connecticut. That is where the common knowledge of the song will end for most. Let us look at some of the things that probably are not commonly known about Yankee Doodle.

For most people they will not know that the origins of this song are British. During the American Revolution British soldiers created this song to make fun of American soldiers. The origins of the song come from English folk music; in the case of “Yankee Doodle” it was meant to be a humorous song. This song was actually created by British soldiers prior to the American Revolution as a means of mocking American soldiers. The word “Yankee” began as a slang term poking fun at the American soldiers, and people in general. The word “Doodle” was also derogatory and meant that the person was a simpleton.

When the Americans started to take control of the war they also took control of the song. They would start to sing the song anytime they were within earshot of British soldiers. They sang the song proudly as a means of taunting the British. The earliest known reference to “Yankee Doodle” is seen as early as 1767 when it was performed in an opera called “The Disappointment.” It was also printed in 1775; in this printing the song was again used in a derogatory manner to mock an Army official from Massachusetts. In these early days the song had no music; it was sang or chanted to various tunes.

It is not known who created the original words or music for the song. This is probably due to the fact that a number of common people made the original words, and they were changed or added to over the years. What is known, as stated by the Library of Congress, is that our version of “Yankee Doodle” was written in 1755 by a doctor from England named Dr. Shackburg.

Over the years, since it was extremely popular, the song lent itself to newer versions with words being added, subtracted, or changed to fit the situation. During Civil War times, both the North and the South had their own versions of the song. Each side used the song to mock the other side. Although “Yankee Doodle” was a song meant to mock Americans in the beginning, it has become a song that now symbolizes American pride.

As we mentioned before, the song has been changed and adapted for use in many different ways. It has been performed by bands, in theater, movies, and many other venues. It is considered the most lighthearted and fun of all of our patriotic songs; it is sung by many people, although they may only remember a verse or two of the song.