Talk:Barbara Allen (song)

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[edit] Use of the ballad in "A Christmas Carol"

In the 1951 version of "A Christmas Carol" (released as "Scrooge" in England) starring Alastair Sim, the film uses the tune in two scenes: first when introducing Scrooge's beloved sister, Fan, and again when Scrooge visits Fan's son for Christmas dinner. Richard Adddinsell, who scored the movie, may have selected the Ballad of Barbara Allen solely for it's tune. But perhaps he knew the text well enough to have thought it a fitting symbol for the theme of penitence that marks Dicken's A Christmas Carol.

[edit] Version

The verse should not be here. A link to external sources, or a WikiSource copy, should contain that information. Goldfritha 16:47, 2 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Diary reference

The article says:

The first known reference to the song has been found in a 1666 diary.

The liner notes to The Everly Brothers' album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us (which includes 'Barbara Allen') state that this was, in fact, Samuel Pepys' diary. Can anyone verify this? If it's correct, Pepys should probably be mentioned by name. --Perodicticus 21:44, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

Edited to do this, with a link to the Gutenberg text. Mhardcastle 21:42, 15 March 2007 (UTC)