The Messed Up Origins of YANKEE DOODLE | History Explained

In honor of America's 248th birthday (did I count that right?) we're unpacking the Messed Up Origins of one of her OLDEST anthems: Yankee Doodle Dandy.🇺🇸
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▼ Timestamps ▼
» 0:00 - Happy birthday, USA!
» 1:25 - The Original Yankee Doodle
» 6:21 - The Meaning of Macaroni
» 12:05 - Reverse!
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▼ Credits ▼
» Researched by: Meredith Walker
/ professormeredith
/ theprofmeredith
» Written & Directed by: Jon Solo
▼ Resources ▼
» my favorites: messeduporigins.com/books
» Yankee Doodle Wiki: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_...
» Yankee Doodle Dandy, New York Times Article: www.nytimes.com/1989/07/04/op...
» University Musical Encyclopedia: A History of Music Vol 2: archive.org/embed/universitym...
» The Nursery Rhymes of England, James Orchard Halliwell: www.presscom.co.uk/nursery/nu...
» "The Macaroni Craze" by Elaine Thornton: www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK...
» Yankey Doodle dandy (1775 variant): www.mountvernon.org/library/d...
» Civil War Variant of Yankee Doodle: www.civilwarpoetry.org/confed...
▼ Music Sources ▼
» All the Way to Galway - Reel: • All the Way to Galway ...
▼ Art Sources ▼
» If I used your art in any portion of this video please send a message to my business email with proof that you're the original artist so I can give you credit!
#4thofjuly #yankeedoodle #americanhistory

[@jacobash5904]

Im not a Yankee Doodle Dandy, but I AM a Goofy Goober

[@JonSolo]

ROCK! 🤘🏼😭🤘🏼

[@Mickeyg-123]

WE’RE ALL GOOFY GOOBERS!! 🤡🎉🎂

[@shelleyroper588]

Goofy Goofy Goofy Goober! 🎵🎶

[@NordicDan]

I laughed way harder than I should've at this

[@Bookwormtalksabout]

IM A GOOFY GOOBER

[@briickhead1886]

This is unrelated, but Alfred from Harley Quinn has an alter ego called The Macaroni and is just as ridiculous as the powdered wig men look

[@DorkyWolf]

😂😂 Why'd you remind me about this?!

[@briickhead1886]

@@DorkyWolf i’m guessing you’re aware of the things on the Harley Quinn show

[@DorkyWolf]

@@briickhead1886 I am, even though I haven't actually watched the show yet

[@howtubeable]

Yankee Jon, this is one of your best videos. Rational. Fair. Informative. As a US Southerner, I found it funny that the Confederates appropriated the song for their own cause.

[@davidfitzpatrick6535]

Penny's eyes going down WAS PERFECT! Made it look like she's really contemplating if she's a Yankee Doodle Dandy when she's probably thinking "When's our walk Dad?"

[@pamelamays4186]

When I was a kid, I thought Yankee's horse's name was Macaroni.

[@npcimknot958]

Same looool

[@smalls9852]

Lol! I did too!

[@SadieMccollough-mf3jl]

@pamelamays4186 Sort of confused about there being any confusion. I was taught that macaroni meant fashionable or overly fancy when I first learned the song in first grade, in 1969

[@punk46664]

I came here to say this 😆 It will always be the horse's name to me

[@clarisapolk7050]

Me 2!!!

[@Phranque]

I read somewhere, a long time ago, that Thomas Jefferson served Macaroni and Cheese at a Presidential Dinner - the meal was very posh and new at the time. That was when I learned that "macaroni" meant fancy in that song.

[@moonlightsweetener4309]

My nana taught me a version that went “ Yankee Doodle went to town, riding over yonder ( pronounced as yunder ) , stuck a bugle in his butt and blew out all the thunder

[@JamesDavy2009]

She's dead funny.

[@Dee-xq6pg]

Mine was "yanke doodle went to town riding on a pony stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni. Yanke doodle keep it up yanke doodle dandy find the music and step and let the girls be handy."

[@GeraldBlack1]

I was a musical kid, personally destroying holiday songs, probably too much for the algorithm to handle.

[@dwightnorton3398]

Happy 4th/ The world

[@LaineyBug2020]

In my head canon, the Revolutionaries stole the song during a battle when they used it to trick the British into thinking they had reinforcements... Because that would have been badass!

[@trycon40]

we call that tossing it right back in your read coat face

[@RickyMaveety]

Red coat.

[@JosephSmith-xy4lp]

Jon had to say Yankee Doodle in his regular voice and then lowered his voice and said it again hilarious

[@smb-c3po]

@@JosephSmith-xy4lp Jon is a total daddy and doesn't realize he's bi or that heterosexuals are a myth.

[@howtubeable]

@@smb-c3po Yeah, I've had that fantasy too, but it's just a fantasy.

[@smb-c3po]

@@howtubeable But everyone really is LGBT.

[@samuelmelendez7566]

Happy 4th of July to all my fellow Americans 🇺🇸🦅🎆🗽

[@smb-c3po]

You colonizers aren't really American, you're all European immigrants squatting on stolen land.

[@TristanMA]

Islamic victory at Hattin in 1187 (Saladin defeats Crusader ocupation paving the way for the reopening of Jerusalem).

[@KitKat4Christ]

​@@TristanMA What does that have to do with the 4th of July?

[@TristanMA]

@@KitKat4Christ It happened on July 4th in 1187.

[@laurenkabasan8611]

happy fourth y’all

[@TristanMA]

Saladin's victory at the Battle of Hattin on July Fourth 1187 paved the way for the reopening of Jerusalem to all faiths after the Crusader ocupation.

[@aryanprivilege9651]

No we lost that conflict, City of London Bank private unconstitutional king of earth calks the price of hold daily . Independent murdered for on K y free in 45. Blue print and memory point way.

[@aryanprivilege9651]

👍🏻

[@kushface8488]

Happy fourth to you 🎉 thanks for all the entertaining videos

[@ericneilson1198]

Back at ya!

[@Wolfbane382]

Happy 4th of July everyone! Honestly, this is the kind of history I actually enjoy watching. XD Edit: Can you do Dixie Land next?

[@Dphillip2929]

Happy 4th of July everyone! Not only is it America’s birthday but it’s also my dog Rascals 15th birthday.

[@americaroleplayer]

Oh a Jon Solo Video on my birthday???? I truly am blessed!

[@dersan7522]

I’ve always learned that the word yankee comes from that “all” the Dutch people in that time where named Jan and Kees, (the settlers in New((Amsterdam))York) so they where called Yankees by, I believe the British ….

[@wolflover306]

Jup

[@DorkyWolf]

This reminded me about how they literally made us sing the song in elementary 😂

[@Based_Gigachad_001]

Why?

[@smb-c3po]

As opposed to figuratively or metaphorically making us sing it in elementary school? Dude, the word LITERALLY has lost all meaning from being thrown around too much these days and you're not a character from The Loud House.

[@DorkyWolf]

@@smb-c3po I mean literally, like I was in 1st grade and my class had to learn the song for our music class

[@smb-c3po]

@@DorkyWolf The word LITERALLY already lost all meaning from being thrown around too much these days, please pick a different synonym.

[@DorkyWolf]

@@smb-c3po That's your opinion and I don't have to change a single word in my statement if I don't want to.

[@mecahhannah]

Happy 4th everyone awesome video as always thanks!

[@AuthorWASimpson]

🤣🤣🤣🤣 I've never heard that second one before!

[@Bluntz1289]

How old are you? That's a classic song LOL

[@AuthorWASimpson]

@@Bluntz1289 Now you know better than to ask a lady her age! 🥰😉🤣

[@Bluntz1289]

@@AuthorWASimpson Oh my bad I didn't know you were a lady 😂

[@MackenzieNerdyEMT]

I didn't know that version either actually haha

[@Artretha]

As someone who grew up in the South, I will attest that, at least in *my* schools they taught us that the American Civil War wasn't about slavery, but that it was about the "haves and have-nots." 🙄 Obviously, that's not the truth. I'm sure that part of it was Southerners resenting Northerners for being more wealthy, but, let's be real: it was about the "right" to own slaves. I hate how throughout school they tried to frame it as that, because, unfortunately, I believed that until I learned differently in college.

[@pamelamays4186]

How we sang the song when I was a kid: Yankee Doodle came to town, riding on a chicken. Stuck his finger up his butt and called it "Finger Lickin' ". 6:36

[@ecthelion222]

How funny. I’ve known this for years and it’s so refreshing that somebody is informing other people. I love history.

[@changingpeopleslivesmoon2993]

Fun fact this is not the month where America signed the declaration of independence

[@tomkerruish2982]

But it is when it was adopted.

[@oregonvulture]

The fact you used a scene from Always Sunny of Mac and Dennis had me dying

[@user-hf2cc9jk6d]

I’m sad that he missed the opportunity to use a clip from the pageant episode of Always Sunny where they had that kid perform a dance to a weird remix of Yankee Doodle. It was sooo cringey to watch.

[@sydneyslaughter7163]

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

[@edbangor9163]

Brits: you're a bunch of Yankee Doodles Americans: YANKEE DOODLE DO OR DIE!!! (proceeds to beat the strongest army in the world at the time)

[@chrisnemec5644]

the Dutch theory is interesting. FWIR the word Yankee came from a term Jan Kees, (literally "John Cheese') which the English called Dutch settlers in what is now New York and Connecticut.

[@MosukaDreamer]

Lol. Macaroni and John Cheese.

[@matthewmagda4971]

It's hard to understand history and the current cultural zeitgeist simultaneously... Well done!

[@freakshowfilmfestival3591]

The Dropkick Murphy's should cover All The Way To Gullway.

[@lashonnakennybrew4847]

Happy Fourth of July Jon solo thank you for all the good years of all the content and videos you made for us on the channels and thank you for the folklore videos❤❤😊

[@theodosiasnudpuckle7372]

My dutch is very rusty but I think that song said buttermilk and potatoes

[@nishthajain2793]

Both dandy and macaroni were terms used to describe men who dressed up more so than others or rather more experimental than others. The only reference I can remember is a video by Nicole rudolph on how mens fashion turned boring( though I'm pretty sure baby Cox probably made a video too).

[@613aristocrat]

Don't forget Mr. Don Music's version: From memory, it goes like this: Yankee Doodle stayed at home, Cooking for his pony, Put fat spaghetti in a pot, And called it macaroni Yankee Doodle, stir it up, Let it gently simmer, (I don't remember this line) And that's the pony's dinner! One of Sesame Street's best characters.

[@JeeWeeD]

"Hey, add the pepper and the salt" is what I hear listening to it, but it is hard to understand what exactly it is...

[@stardust949]

I loved this video so much, I had to share it to Fakebook! I gave my elderly friends a Warning about the sarcasm levels they might expect---but I hope they watch it and laugh as much as I did! lol! JON---WHAT ABOUT JAMES CAGNY singing "Oh, I'm A Yankee Doodle Daaaannnnddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-----A Yankee Doodle Do or DIE!" in that film about the famous musical dude---whose name I forget right now. I'm more of a Rust Belt kind of Momma, but I IDENTIFY as a Yankee Doodle Dandy.

[@sanicksdraven7719]

I always thought he was calling the pony Macaroni

[@williamromine5715]

I wondered about that until I learned(many years ago) about the meaning of macaroni as fopish.

[@kvskang3561]

0:05 oh my poor john adams got no specs

[@clarapettit3303]

Finish the song John!!! My O.C.D. is Burning!!! With the girls be handy. = Get a wife!

[@mathieunolet8236]

Jon, I just want to say I’m so glad you post these as podcasts as well. I absolutely adore it, works perfectly

[@zehavathezamboni]

I remember a version of the song I sang at my summer camp, it went like “Chester have you heard about Harry, just got back from the army, I hear he knows how to wear a rose, hip hip hooray for the army”

[@michellecrocker2485]

Happy fourth, Jon

[@Writing4MySoul]

I knew the part about keeping girls handy (that was the one we sung at my elementary/middle school), but I never questioned it until now. Thanks for that! 😂

[@adreannaalleman2173]

I remember that too, when I was four years old. Now, because of that inappropriate line in the song, I wonder how this song is ever kid appropriate. 🤨

[@Licenciadopedro]

The first time I heard the tune was in Roger Ramjet cartoons in 1972 in Venezuela, I loved the melody as you said it was very catchy. I lived in England from 1965 to 1971 and in all those years I never heard Yankee Doodle Dandy there.

[@JamesDavy2009]

The American Eagles were named after that song: Yanks, Doodle, Dan and Dee.

[@thespiderofhonor3732]

And let us not forget that somewhere in the 80s someone decided to re-utilize the melody for a theme song for a show about a purple dinosaur

[@trixmania]

Here he did a dance in the middle of France 😂

[@carminecdinoproductions]

Happy 4th of July, Jon Solo!

[@VAL-TotallyNotHAL]

Dandy dog, dandy video, hopefully the only shot I hear today. I call this video macaroni!

[@alexisdowers2030]

Thank you for explaining that macaroni line, from this old nursery rhyme, it really gave my head a time. Okay I did not mean to rhyme the first one, but I definitely did the second one

[@juliacassandraleonor3106]

All i can hear is good old barney song🤧

[@jmurphy95]

I loved this episode, you Yanks have some great history!

[@JStryker47]

I've only ever heard the word "fop" used in the Secret of Monkey Island, and up until now, I had no idea what it meant. Also, strictly speaking, Samuel Prescott was the one who did most of the work in warning the town of Concord about the imminent attack, since Paul was captured and wasn't released until the next day. And contrary to popular belief, instead of riding around and shouting that the redcoats were coming, they actually knocked on people's doors and told them directly.

[@thechickennugget30]

Riding through town yelling always seemed like an awful idea to me. Like….not everyone would hear, and what if an enemy was in town already?

[@kadeemwallace6014]

hey have you ever considered covering the origins davy jones or other sea legends?

[@drgnlady13]

"Oh, I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy, Yankee doodle do-or-die. A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam, Born on the Fourth of July. I've got a Yankee Doodle sweetheart. She's the apple of my eye. Yankee Doodle went to town riding on a pony. I am that Yankee Doodle boy."

[@TheBlindDyslexic]

Forget if you've done it or not, but could you do the origin of the Brothers Grimm tale Bearskin

[@SandiDutoit-ty8nz]

I’m South African, and was taught the same first verse except he went to London not town. The second verse, however, goes “ Yankee Doodle doodle doo, Yankee Doodle dandy, all the lasses are so smart and sweet as sugar candy”. Have a funny idea it was in a nursery rhyme book from my Scottish gran.

[@mikeg2306]

A pony is a tiny horse so not only was Yankee ham-fistedly imitating a fopish style, he was doing so while riding a comically small horse.

[@smalls9852]

I knew from the beginning that this video would be fantastic and I was right. Lol, love it!

[@clipsocat5296]

Imaging just coming up with a random song while drunk and then becoming the old day version of a meme, to where historian's are convinced it actually meant something beyond people just being drunk.

[@SonodaSymphony]

You probably won’t consider this but I’d really love if you could dive into the Evillious Chronicles. It’s a GIANT story about the seven sins told through various songs and novels. And the lore and characters are absolutely incredible and certainly have messed up origins of their own that not many people know about. Some of the events and characters are based on real life (Riliane (Pride) is inspired by Marie Antoinette, events of Daughter of Evil (Pride’s song) based on French Revolution, Margarita (Sloth) is inspired by Marie-Madeleine-Marguerite d'Aubray, Wrath Arc inspired by WWII, etc.) I think this would be something very interesting to uncover!

[@KasumiKenshirou]

8:27 In this version, I would have interpreted this to mean that Yankee Doodle named his "Kentish poney" Macaroni. In Japan they use the word "Yankee" to refer to juvenile delinquents for some reason.

[@c.w.r.794]

Does this count as a Messed Up Nursery Rhyme? I know that the Barney song has the same melody and there was a version of the song written by George M Cohan who was- born on July 3rd 1878.

[@foxcraft209]

imagine wendigoon, chubby electron man, and jon having a collab... that would be the day

[@datboidrummer29]

Fun fact listen to the barney intro

[@LiliannEnder]

BARNEY IS A DINOSAUR FROM OUR IMAGINATION 🗣🗣🗣💥💥‼‼

[@datboidrummer29]

@@LiliannEnder that yes

[@Jennythecatgirl]

How very interesting 🙂 When I was at school it was just one of the songs we had to learn for recorder group 😖 (sounds much nicer played on a fife…) It is a clever insult, if you think about it, but well done to the soldiers for taking it back 🙂 PS: I love your T-shirt, Jon; is that zombie Steamboat Willie?? Awesome 😂😂

[@morenndymeus2976]

John, I have to tell you: you really know how to properly conduct research on a subject and is even the reason that I trust you and your analysis'. Stay bless, brother; Happy 4th!! 🎉🎉

[@rayrae204]

I love this episode ❤

[@jenniferlonnes7420]

Interesting to hear all the history.

[@kingjohnthegreat1752]

Most of the states in the U.S. have state song and Connecticut song is Yankee Doodle

[@EBThisThat]

I would love it if you did some deep dives into mining songs. I'm also wondering if there are any other songs associated with the railroad (old ones). I'm sure 'Ive Been Working On the Railroad' has a pretty jacked up history.

[@LillianLogicalL.4296]

I love this video. . . It's getting saved

[@hippiblue]

My grandma was a Dutch dairy farmer who sang that song when making butter.

[@calicosta]

Hi🎉😊 so happy I’m here ! ❤

[@reddtexx81]

“Here comes that Yankee Doodle boyyyy”..iykyk😂😂

[@mikeg2306]

Different song, but a good one.

[@alexisotti256]

Hey, Jon Solo, I really love your videos, and i wanted to ask if you could review the odd sisters if you haven't. They are the reason why they were disney villian are villans. It's just a suggestion. ❤❤

[@beccatea250]

My family and friends always sang the "Yanky doodle dandy" version of it. Maybe it was more popular in my part of Canada

[@user-xc3wr5lk4s]

10/10 would watch again for pupper shot at the end

[@bellaroserela]

Happy independence Jon great video for the 4 and the uncle one before this😃👌🏿

[@catebrooks6779]

Dandy!😂😂 I'll see myself out...😅

[@muma-kitty1639]

fun fact, my childhood phone number would play this song when typed into an old landline phone

[@TB-jg2oq]

Love the message. Remake an insult as a source of pride and you win.

[@mikeg2306]

It’s in the American character to not let anyone mess with us. As a good example look up the Doolittle Raid following Pearl Harbor.

[@Jack_wright_32]

My only takeaway from this is yanky doodle will be in my head for the foreseeable future

[@amieroberg9258]

I went 39yrs not knowing this. Then in the last hour randomly watched 2 videos about this. The other video was a sewing video. Crazy coincidence

[@bsman321]

make a messed up about karius and bactus

[@chrisjuliette]

i love that you used an its always sunny clip xD

[@exexpat11]

"Yeah! Yankee Doodle this 58 caliber musket ball Limey!"

[@dhawthorne1634]

Macaroni as a food is misunderstood as well. What we think of as macaroni, today, is specifically _elbow_ macaroni. Macaroni actually refers to any pasta or noodles made from a semolina dough.

[@elarisgg]

Just wanna say that I love light touch of judgement and toxic humor you sprinkle with some of your comments.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

That skeleton behind Jon won't mind being called "Yankee Doodle" for sure

[@kylelien7810]

Happy 4th of July to you Jon 🎇🎆🦅🇱🇷

[@ScorpionIII]

Interestingly, when I was a kid I was taught the second verse went: "Yankee Doodle keep it up, Yankee Doodle Dandy! Yankee Doodle keep it up, And keep the women handy!"(or was it, "And make the women handy"? Probably "Keep"...)

[@christanedd989]

Where I'm from which is Trinidad and Tobago, this song for a game I played as a kid

[@AnamBerlin]

I love the episode with the dogs either one. Today penny was so cute.

[@patricianunes3521]

I was right then in my comment last week about the macaroni. The upper class young men going on the Grand Tour of Europe. They brought back macaroni, was an exotic food back then

[@codyherrera7577]

I couldn't help but think when that song was sung by the British. Not only was it a dis to the colonists but to their own people as well, please tell me I am not the only one lol

[@cheyennehall4057]

This video made me literally lol

[@rozanidesignsmasquerade7050]

Great info❣️👍😍🇺🇸

[@AshParth560]

It was a song? Only time I know about Yankie Doodle is some people use it like an insult or something. The more ya know.

[@BrotherJonathan]

I'm the kid that's all the candy, I'm a Yankee doodle dandy!

[@kylebrandon4556]

All this time I thought it was just a nursery rhyme that was passed down through the ages

[@debbralehrman5957]

Thanks Jon 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎶🎶