Singing Squares

January 14th, 2012
contra
There's a saxophone and a drummer with a full kit, and the caller is singing the calls. Some new contra syncretism? Or just a typical night in 1955?

The singing square, "Just Because," from live recordings over the years:

1952 Frank Fortune (studio)
1955 Frank Fortune
1973 Glenn Pease
2008 David Millstone (youtube)
2011 Tod Whittemore (youtube)
2011 Walter Lenk
(If you compare a dance program from 1955 or 1965 to one now, the biggest thing you notice is half the dances were singing squares, and the ones that weren't were mostly couple dances.)

Update 2012-01-22: I later transcribed the 'Just Because' recordings.

Update 2012-02-29: I tried my hand calling this yesterday and wrote about it after.

Referenced in:

Comment via: google plus, facebook, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

Parenting standards and the village

Cartoons Hate Her has written about the village nobody wants. In principle, parents usually want a community to help take care of their kids: someone to bring meals when they get sick, keep an eye on their children while they play, and talk to about paren…

via Thing of Things December 19, 2025

Opinionated takes on parenting

This post is a collection of parenting takes that sometimes go through my head, based on my experience raising our two boys (5 and 2 years old). All of this is based on my experience and might not apply to others (see the law of equal and opposite advice)…

via Victoria Krakovna December 16, 2025

How to Make a Christmas Wreath

Yesterday, I made a Christmas wreath. Here's how to make one. First, find an evergreen tree near your house. Clip off a few branches from the tree. Try to have as many leaves or needles on the branches as possible. Next, bring them home. What I usu…

via Anna Wise's Blog Posts December 6, 2025

more     (via openring)