Keep on the sunny side: A brief history

(NOTE: Spoiler Alert for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes)

One aspect of the prequel that astonished me (and others I’ve seen) is the incredible central role that music plays in the story (one aspect I am researching for future posts and a book). Some of the numerous songs included in the Prequel are original creations for the book, while others are based closely on actual historical tunes. (See this complete inventory of songs in all Hunger Games books.) One prominent example of the latter is Maude Ivory’s sing-along song, Keep on the Sunny Side. This was an actual song (almost word for word as in the book), written in 1899 by Ada Blenkhorn as a Gospel hymn, apparently inspired by her disabled nephew, who always wanted his wheelchair pushed down “the sunny side” of the street. The song became a popular hit across the country when the famous country group, the Carter Family first recorded the song in 1928. The Carters and Johnny Cash featured the song in various albums in decades thereafter. The tune became a sort-of theme song for the Family singers.

In brief, the Carter family was legendary for their contributions to country and bluegrass genres (including June Carter Cash, Johnny’s wife). According to the book, Homegrown Music: Discovering Bluegrass (2004), “Husband and wife, A.P. and Sara Carter, along with Sara’s cousin, Maybelle Carter, carried music from their southwest Virginia homeplace to a new national audience. They shared the music they grew up with in their families and community, messages and themes that touched hearts and souls everywhere.” In any case, the Prequel song is almost word-for-word the same. Collins did her research once again and somehow chose this one! Given the rise (and some scholars argue, the birth of) country music in the southern Appalachians in District 12 territory, it makes sense that Collins is tying the history of early 20th-century country music to this region.

There are plenty of examples of the song being performed on YouTube, though a decent (secondhand) video of Johnny Cash and the Carter Family performing the song can be found here.

(Photo: A.P., Sara and Maybelle Carter in their early years. Credit: jean-christophe salad, Creative Commons)