Hold My Mule

Song by Shirley Caesar

"Hold My Mule"

Song by Shirley Caesar
Genre| Urban contemporary gospel
Length| 8:42 (digital release)

"Hold My Mule" is a 1988 urban contemporary gospel song by Shirley Caesar.

Telling the story of an old man named Shoutin' John who boisterously praises God for his numerous blessings to the dismay of more conservative, "spiritually dead" clergy, the song earned newfound popularity in 2016 after DJ Suede the Remix God remixed the song into the Thanksgiving anthem "You Name It!" The success of the remix would contribute to the original song reaching No. 1 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart on Billboard.

## Synopsis

[edit]

As a lead-in to the song, Caesar tells the story of "Shoutin' John," an 86-year-old man who one day chooses to attend a church that is "spiritually dead." It opposes boisterous behavior among the congregation, including speaking in tongues and dancing, not out of theological opposition but out of fear it may embarrass the "dignitaries" that attend the church. Shoutin' John attends a service at this church and begins celebrating all over the sanctuary; an angry clergyman attempts to stop him by tackling him, but Shoutin' John gets back up and resumes dancing, eventually getting the entire congregation excited.

After the service, the concerned clergy of the church decide to visit Shoutin' John at his home, with the intent of warning him that if he does not stop his boisterous behavior, he will be barred from attending the church. When they arrive, they find that Shoutin' John owns a large and successful farm, which he still plows by hand. Shoutin' John then explains that he has received an abundance of blessings from God: his children are all healthy, none have died young nor faced legal troubles, and at age 86, he is still in good enough physical health to work his farm and to dance. Because of that, he insists that even if the church expels him, he is obligated to give praise to God for His blessings, asks the clergy to "hold my mule" as he begins dancing and praising God at that moment.

Albertina Walker and Milton Brunson are credited as featured artists on the record.

## DJ Suede the Remix God rendition

[edit]

"You Name It!"

Single by DJ Suede the Remix God featuring Shirley Caesar
Released| November 11, 2016
Genre| Trap
Length| 2:17
Songwriter(s)|

* Keenan Webb
* Shirley Caesar

DJ Suede the Remix God singles chronology
| "Rudolph"
(2016)  | "You Name It!"
(2016)  | "Cash Me Outside"
(2017)

|
|

In 2016, DJ Suede the Remix God released a remix, consisting of a portion of the story where Shoutin' John lists the items that grow on his farm:

> Look! I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes, lamb, ram, hogs, dogs, chickens, turkeys, rabbits—you name it!

Under the title "You Name It!," the song went viral,[1] (initially on Vine and Musical.ly) as part of DJ Suede's effort to create a Thanksgiving-themed Internet challenge to dance to the remix,[2] with the help of Chris Brown. It proved to be DJ Suede's breakthrough hit, peaking at number 15 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. In the wake of DJ Suede's remix, the original recording shot to the top of the Hot Gospel Songs chart, peaking at number one on December 10, 2016.[3] Billboard noted that despite the uptick in interest in the song, it did not receive a corresponding rise in airplay on radio stations, in part because Caesar was focusing her efforts on more recent singles.[4] The song has since been reused in November 2020 and November 2021 on TikTok's Thanksgiving-themed dance and challenge videos.

## Chart performance

[edit]

### Shirley Caesar version

[edit]

Chart  | Year  | Peak
position  | Source

|
|
|

Billboard Hot Gospel Songs | 2016  | 1  | [3]

### You Name It! (DJ Suede the Remix God remix)

[edit]

Chart  | Year  | Peak
position  | Source

|
|
|

Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 2016  | 15  | [5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "DJ Suede Made #UNameItChallenge Viral Thanksgiving Theme Song in One Hour". www.google.com. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
2. ^ "Remix God Suede: I Created The Song For "U Name It Challenge" In An Hour and A Half". YouTube.
3. ^ a b Shirley Caesar Chart History: Hot Gospel Songs. Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
4. ^ "Despite Viral Success, Shirley Caesar's 'Mule' Isn't Kicking up Support from Gospel Radio". Billboard.
5. ^ "DJ Suede The Remix God Chart History: Billboard The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-01-07.

* v
* t
* e

Thanksgiving

History and
traditions

| Canada|

* Samuel de Champlain
* Martin Frobisher
* First Nations

|

United States|

* Pilgrims
* Mayflower
* Plymouth Colony
* Plymouth, Massachusetts
* William Bradford
* Edward Winslow
* Mary Brewster
* Susanna White
* Native Americans
* Samoset
* Squanto
* Massasoit
* Wampanoag
* Cornucopia
* National Thanksgiving Proclamation
* Franksgiving
* National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation
* Sarah Josepha Hale
* Blackout Wednesday
* Abraham Lincoln
* Freedom from Want
* Mourt's Relation
* Friendsgiving

Germany|

* Erntedankfest Düsseldorf-Urdenbach

Cuisine|

* Thanksgiving dinner
* Turkey
* Deep-fried
* Tofurkey
* Turducken
* Stuffing
* Gravy
* Butternut squash
* Apple cider
* Cranberry sauce
* Creamed corn
* Mashed potatoes
* Sweet potatoes
* Succotash
* Green bean casserole
* Pie
* Apple
* Pumpkin
* Pecan
* Sweet Potato

Media

| Songs|

* "Alice's Restaurant"
* "Bless This House"
* "Bringing In the Sheaves"
* "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come"
* "For the Beauty of the Earth"
* "Jingle Bells"
* "Let All Things Now Living"
* "Over the River and Through the Wood"
* "The Thanksgiving Song"
* "We Gather Together"
* "We Plough the Fields and Scatter"
* "You Name It"

|

Television|

* "Bart vs. Thanksgiving"
* The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw
* Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet
* A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
* Garfield's Thanksgiving
* Intergalactic Thanksgiving
* Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular
* The Mouse on the Mayflower
* "Oprah's Favorite Things"
* Saints & Strangers
* "Slapsgiving"
* "Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap"
* Star Wars Holiday Special
* "Thanksgiving"
* "Thanksgiving Orphans"
* The Thanksgiving Special
* Turkey Hollow
* "Turkeys Away"
* A Very Gaga Thanksgiving
* A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving

Associated
events

| Cultural|

* Christmas and holiday season
* Harvest festival
* List
* Thanksgiving in film
* Thanksgiving television specials
* Winter festivals
* Lighting of the Macy's Great Tree
* National Adoption Day
* Black Friday
* Cyber Black Friday
* National Day of Listening
* Native American Heritage Day
* Small Business Saturday
* Cyber Monday
* Giving Tuesday
* Thanksgivukkah

|

Parades|

* Novant Health (Charlotte)
* Chicago
* America's (Detroit)
* Oktoberfest (Kitchener-Waterloo)
* Hollywood Christmas (Los Angeles)
* Macy's (New York City)
* 6abc-Dunkin' Donuts (Philadelphia)
* Celebrate the Season (Pittsburgh)
* America's Hometown (Plymouth)

Protests|

* National Day of Mourning
* Unthanksgiving Day
* Buy Nothing Day

Sports|

| Football|

* NFL on Thanksgiving Day
* CFL Thanksgiving Classic
* Turkey Day Classic

|

Turkey trots|

* Berwick Run for the Diamonds
* Buffalo Turkey Trot
* Dallas Turkey Trot
* Feaster Five Road Race
* Manchester Road Race

Others|

* National Dog Show
* Pumpkin chucking / Pumpkin shoot
* Turkey bowling
* Turkey Night Grand Prix

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