Ong and the Orality of American Song

Written by Michael Black

In the height of the information age, many people think of oral culture as just a thing of the past, only alive in inferior societies that have not kept up with the advancements of the western world. In many ways this assumption holds nothing but truth. Very few pure oral cultures still exist, and as time passes they continue to diminish in number. While these pure oral cultures are far removed from today's American society, the fundamentals of orality that Ong outlines in Some Psychodynamics of Orality have had a huge impact on and still exist to some extent in our culture, most notably in the forms American song. By analyzing the nine points Ong outlines about orality, I plan to show that American song has through our history maintained the fundamental workings of oral culture.

(i) Additive rather than subordinative

Ong opens by commenting on the importance of "oral patterning" to an oral culture (37). While this practice can even still be seen in today's music, it has been a hallmark of blues music over the past century. Blues icon Robert Johnson used the technique fluidly and frequently in many of his songs including the 1937 recording of "Love in Vain".

Love in Vain
And I followed her to the station, with a suitcase in my hand
And I followed her to the station, with a suitcase in my hand
Well, it's hard to tell, it's hard to tell, when all your love's in vain
All my love's in vain

When the train rolled up to the station, I looked her in the eye
When the train rolled up to the station, and I looked her in the eye
Well, I was lonesome, I felt so lonesome, and I could not help but cry
All my love's in vain

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