Theoretical Greensleeves
My Greensleeves tracking list is vast, containing over 800 versions of Greensleeves I've discovered but haven't yet collected. These are all audio files that I know exist somewhere on the internet or in the world
But sometimes I come across an IDEA of a version, that may or may not ever exist, but one that I want to keep track of regardless. This is the realm of wishlists, rumors, conjecture
These are the THEORETICAL versions of Greensleeves that I hope to one day possess
Bruce Springsteen
In an interview with Jimmy Fallon in December 2020, Bruce Springsteen revealed that the first song he ever learned to play was Greensleeves. Did he ever record himself playing the song? Unclear
Bruce Springsteen on The Tonight Show (with timestamp)
Jazz Scat Singing
I feel like there has to be a good cover out there where someone goes wild scatting along with the tune of Greensleeves. And if there isn't, there should be
If only there were a version by Shooby Taylor, the Human Horn
Daxophone
The Daxophone is an acoustic instrument invented in the 80s that uses a bow to make wood squeal. As soon as I heard about it, I knew I wanted a version of Greensleeves played on it
Bollywood
There MUST be a version of Greensleeves played in a traditional Bollywood musical style. Even better, could there be one in an actual Bollywood movie?
Scientology
There are a ton of highly-local Christmas song collections that various religious organizations create or give out, usually through charity or fundraising efforts. I bet the Church of Scientology commissioned or made a Greensleeves at some point, but I can't prove it yet. As with most Scientology stuff, I bet it'd be interesting.
Gamelan Ensemble
Gamelan ensembles are amazing - the ringing acoustics of this Indonesian percussion tradition are unlike anything else on Earth. I've found midi versions that imitate a Gamelan ensemble, but I want a REAL Gamelan ensemble playing the tune
Fun fact: I've actually played in a Gamelan ensemble!
Eric Johnson
Setlist.fm is a site that catalogs what songs musicians play when they perform live. According to the page for famous guitarist Eric Johnson, he played the song three times live in the 80s. If he did, is there a recording of it anywhere?
Floppy Disk
Apparently there's an underground music scene where original songs are distributed via floppy disks. A single song on 1.44MB, maybe offerred online, maybe not. Relying on a physically-dying medium is the ultimate DIY punk aesthetic so I would love it if there would exist a floppy disk Greensleeves
Archived article on The Verge on this topic
If you have any leads on any version on this page, use the contact page and let me know about it!
As a footnote, I would like to see these categories eventually fulfilled:
- A Greensleeves representative for every popular subgenre
- A version sung in every popular language
- A version for every instrument
- A version from every country
A version from every year since 1950✅
