“Rock-a-Bye Baby” published a hundred years ago

Rock-a-Bye Baby Effie I. Canning (music/words)

Writer(s): Effie I. Canning (music/words) (see lyrics here) Released: -- First Charted: -- Peak: -- (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 676.48 video, 240.93 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Rock-a-Bye Baby” may be the best known lullaby ever written. It is believed to have been published by John Newbery as early as 1765 in Mother Goose’s Melody WK with the original opening line being “hush-a-bye baby.” There are some who believe the words may have been written by Bertrada II of Laon, the mother of Charlemagne. LC The pairing of the original words with the tune we know today is generally credited to Effie I. Crockett. In 1872, the fifteen-year-old was babysitting and struggling to get the baby to sleep. She improvised a tune for the “Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top” line from the Mother Goose poem and “Rock-a-Bye Baby” was born. WS She took the song to he banjo teacher who connected he with a publisher in Boston. One account suggests she published under the last name Canning, taken from her grandmother’s name, because her father wouldn’t have approved. LC That doesn’t quite ring true, however, considering the song wasn’t published until 1884 when Effie would have been nearly thirty years old. It has also been suggested that Charles Dupee Blake (1847-1903), a prolific composer of popular music, may be the author of the song. WK He published it in 1886 after arranging for it to be used in the play The Old Homestead by Denman Thompson. Sheet music sales reached around $20,000 within a few months. LC Regarding the music, there has been speculation by the scholars Iona and Peter Opie that the tune is a variant of “Lillibulleo,” a 1686 ballroom dance number by Henry Purcell. However, the Opies additionally offered multiple thoughts on the inspiration for the lyrics without any sources to back them up. WK However the song originated it has become “fondly…appreciated by anyone who has struggled with the daily routine of bedtime.” WSSecondHandSongs.com reports the song has been recorded at least 36 times by artists such as Judy Collins, Olivia Newton-John, Lawrence Welk, and the Wiggles. SH Resources: FU James J. Fuld (1966). The Book of World Famous Music: Classical, Popular and Folk. Crown Publishers, Inc.: New York, NY. Pages 468-9. LC Library of Congress SH SecondHandSongs.com WS William Studwell (1997). The American Song Reader. The Haworth Press, Inc.: Binghampton, NY. Page 136. WK Wikipedia First posted 12/6/2025.