The Wheels

The Wheels were a 60s R&B and blues-influenced rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who came from the same music scene that produced the better-known band, Them, led by Van Morrison. Their best-known membership consisted of Brian Rossi (keyboards and vocals), Rod Demick (rhythm guitar and vocals), Herbie Armstrong (lead guitar), Tito Tinsley (bass guitar), and Victor Catling (drums). Morrison was a member of the band, briefly, before they became known as the Wheels. They are best remembered for writing and recording the original version of "Bad Little Woman", later covered in America by The Shadows of Knight.

History

Years of activity

The band began in 1964, initially known as the Golden Eagles and, for a time, were the house band for the Plaza, a popular local venue. It was during this time that Van Morrison did a brief stint on vocals and saxophone with the band. Later in 1964, not long after changing their name to the Wheels, they were fired from the Plaza, so, in September of that year, they moved to Blackpool in northern England, where they were able to find another club residency and built a strong local following. In 1965, their original rhythm guitarist, Kit Carson, left to and was replaced by Rod Demick, formerly of Tony and the Telstars. They were signed to a record deal with EMI Columbia in 1965. Tommy Scott, who had previously worked with Them, would produce their records for the label. at Regent Sound in London, they recorded and released a cover of the Van Morrison-penned "Gloria" in September '65, which had already been recorded by Them, and would later become a big hit in the USA for the blues-based Chicago garage rock band, the Shadows of Knight.

Nursery rhyme

A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for young children in Britain and many other countries, but usage only dates from the late 18th /early 19th century. In North America the term Mother Goose Rhymes, introduced in the mid-18th century, is still often used.

History

Lullabies

The oldest children's songs of which we have records are lullabies, intended to help a child sleep. Lullabies can be found in every human culture. The English term lullaby is thought to come from "lu, lu" or "la la" sound made by mothers or nurses to calm children, and "by by" or "bye bye", either another lulling sound, or a term for good night. Until the modern era lullabies were usually only recorded incidentally in written sources. The Roman nurses' lullaby, "Lalla, Lalla, Lalla, aut dormi, aut lacta", is recorded in a scholium on Persius and may be the oldest to survive.

Many medieval English verses associated with the birth of Jesus take the form of a lullaby, including "Lullay, my liking, my dere son, my sweting" and may be versions of contemporary lullabies. However, most of those used today date from the 17th century. For example, a well known lullaby such as "Rock-a-bye, baby on a tree top", cannot be found in records until the late-18th century when it was printed by John Newbery (c. 1765).

Wheels on the Bus

The Wheels on the Bus may refer to:

Wheel

A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the main components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be moved easily facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Wheels are also used for other purposes, such as a ship's wheel, steering wheel, potter's wheel and flywheel.

Common examples are found in transport applications. A wheel greatly reduces friction by facilitating motion by rolling together with the use of axles. In order for wheels to rotate, a moment needs to be applied to the wheel about its axis, either by way of gravity, or by the application of another external force or torque.

Etymology

The English word wheel comes from the Old English word hweol, hweogol, from Proto-Germanic *hwehwlan, *hwegwlan, from Proto-Indo-European *k^wek^wlo-, an extended form of the root *k^wel- "to revolve, move around". Cognates within Indo-European include Icelandic hjól "wheel, tyre", Greek κύκλος kúklos, and Sanskrit chakra, the latter both meaning "circle" or "wheel".

The Wheels on the Bus

"The Wheels on the Bus" is a United Kingdom folk song dating no later than 1939 written by Lydia Ulsaker. It is a popular children's song in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom and is often sung by children on bus trips to keep themselves amused. It has a very repetitive rhythm, making the song easy for a large number of people to sing, in a manner similar to the song "99 Bottles of Beer". It is based on the traditional British song "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush". The song is also sometimes sung to the tune of "Buffalo Gals", as in the version done by Raffi.

Lyrics

Generally the song is sung with reference to common objects or people that one might find on a bus:

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round,
Round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All day long.

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
Swish, swish, swish.
Swish, swish, swish.
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
All day long.

The driver on the bus goes "Move on back!",
"Move on back!",
"Move on back!".
The driver on the bus goes "Move on back!",
All day long.

The people on the bus go up and down,
Up and down,
Up and down.
The people on the bus go up and down,
All day long.

The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep,
Beep, beep, beep.
Beep, beep, beep.
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep,
All day long.

The baby on the bus goes "Wah, wah, wah",
"Wah, wah, wah",
"Wah, wah, wah".
The baby on the bus goes "Wah, wah, wah".
All day long.

The parents on the bus go "Shh, shh, shh",
"Shh, shh, shh",
"Shh, shh, shh".
The parents on the bus go "Shh, shh, shh".
All day long.

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round,
Round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All day long.