"The Popular Wobbly" is a labor song written by the Finnish-American songwriter T-Bone Slim. It is a parody of the 1917 hit "They Go Wild Simply Wild Over Me" by Joseph McCarthy and Fred Fisher.[1][2]
| "The Popular Wobbly" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Published | 1920 |
| Composer(s) | Fred Fisher |
| Lyricist(s) | T-Bone Slim |
"The Popular Wobbly" first appeared in the 1920 edition of the Little Red Songbook published by the Industrial Workers of the World.[1] Its title referred to the "Wobbly" nickname that was often given to IWW members.[3]
The song was revived during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Candie Carawan wrote new lyrics that told about her 1960 arrest while taking part in desegregation sit-insinNashville, Tennessee.[4] The Guy and Candie Carawan version is known as They Go Wild Over Me.[5] An adaptation of "The Popular Wobbly" was also included in a 1931 songbook published by radio personality Ernest Iverson.[6]
Pete Seeger,[7] Utah Phillips[1] and Joe Glazer[8] are among the well-known singers who have performed the song.
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