Good Humor ice cream company has taken it upon themselves to team up with RZA and create a new ice cream jingle since reports say that there are racist roots tied to the original jingle, "Turkey in the Straw". The jingle you are used to hearing play at an ice cream parlor or blaring down your street as the ice cream truck came by, apparently has racist roots. The song's original melody originated from British and Irish folk songs and did not have initial racial connotations. However the melody become popular in the United States and in the 1800s it was most often played at minstrel shows, which according to Britannica is: "an American theatrical form, popular from the early 19th to the early 20th century, that was founded on the comic enactment of racial stereotypes." Furthermore, there were some adaptations of the song that contained racist lyrics. For these reasons, Good Humor along with RZA took it upon themselves to create a new jingle that had no ties to racism.
Artist RZA had this to say about the new ice cream jingle and the project: “We wanted to make a melody that includes all communities that’s good for every driver, every kid. And I’m proud to say, for the first time in a long time, a new ice cream truck jingle will be made available to trucks all across the country in perpetuity. That means forever, you know what I mean? Like Wu-Tang is forever. And I will assure you that this one is made with love.”
I have no problem with them changing the ice cream jingle. For starters if it really is hurtful to people, just change it up. It has British and Irish origins not even American made origins so there is no patriotic tie to it anyway. Furthermore, I personally hate the jingle. I find it to be extremely annoying. I might have been the only kid to say "go away" to an ice cream truck blaring that jingle! It was like nails on a chalk board to me that would never end! I would sooner walk to my neighborhood ice cream parlor and get an ice cream than get one off that screeching truck! I digress though. I'm not that worked up about changing the tune. If it gives RZA something fun to work on that will make people happy overall, go for it. What do you think?
-Producer Lightning