"Greensleeves"
"Greensleeves" was a song written by King of England Henry VIII, based on a melody introduced to him by Peri Brown.
History
In 1536, Peri Brown sang the song for Henry VIII after he asked her to sing a "song of love". The King was impressed but unfamiliar with the tune, to which Peri responded that she thought he wrote it. Later, remarking on her green dress, Henry called Peri his "Lady Greensleeves" and told her he "shall preserve [her] beauty for posterity" with the song. (AUDIO: Recorded Time [+]Loading...["Recorded Time (audio story)"])
According to the Seventh Doctor, the Tudors "always had trouble with aphids" and Henry VIII would have written "Greenfly" instead of "Greensleeves" if not for him. (PROSE: Tragedy Day [+]Loading...["Tragedy Day (novel)"]) The Sixth Doctor could play the piece. (AUDIO: 100 BC [+]Loading...["100 BC (audio story)"])
The Monk, when posing of Henry VIII, was criticised by Missy for not knowing Henry had composed the song. (AUDIO: Divorced, Beheaded, Regenerated [+]Loading...["Divorced, Beheaded, Regenerated (audio story)"])
By the 21st century, the song was used as jingles for ice cream vans. (AUDIO: Memory Lane [+]Loading...["Memory Lane (audio story)"], COMIC: I Scream [+]Loading...["I Scream (comic story)"])
The spaceship SS Greensleeves was named for the song. (COMIC: I Scream [+]Loading...["I Scream (comic story)"])
Behind the scenes
In the real world, Henry VIII did not write "Greensleeves". While Henry was a composer, the belief he wrote "Greensleeves" is a common myth. In actual fact, the piece has an Italian style of composition with Elizabethan text.[1] In the context of the DWU, this myth being true can be explained by Peri's accidental introduction of the song to Henry as depicted in Recorded Time.
