“A’Soalin’” (1963) – Peter, Paul and Mary * Traditional Arrangement by Paul Stookey, Elaina Mezzetti, and Tracy Batteaste * LP: (Moving) * Produced by Albert B. Grossman * Label: Warner Bros.
“A’Soalin'” is a folk rendition of “Soul Cake,” a traditional British Christmas song for the dead associated with certain door-to-door proto-Halloween traditions. This one stands out among holiday recordings by creating a haunting, wintry mood; its guitar part, too, still serves as an alluring entry point for newcomers to the instrument. But Paul Stookey’s verse about the “lit-tle chul-dren” brings to mind a demonstrative Dickensian headmaster. On the label, songwriting credits go to Stookey, Mezzetti, and Batteaste, even though it’s an arrangement.