In the 1860s, when the American Civil War breaks out with the racist slave trade at stake, North America had already turned into an unprecedented cultural melting pot. In any case, the movement of populations to the “New World” (sometimes forcibly and sometimes voluntarily) and the multinational settlement and colonization was a constant condition that started from the 16th century and defined the history of the continent. In essence, the now post-Civil War presidential confederation of states, the United States of America, is a microcosm of the globe: a “successful Babel”. Naturally, a unique syncretism also dominates in the field of music. The genesis of discography builds a condition that favors conversation and osmosis between the innumerable ethno-cultural groups that make up the population. These processes will lead to the reinterpretation, updating and renewal of old musical trends that arrive in the United States, and, at the same time, to their re-exportation to the “old worlds”, thus setting up a uniquely multi-layered network. Richard Spottswood’s now monumental multi-volume work “Ethnic Music on Records” vividly reflects the extraordinary record production in the USA. This “convergence” of geographical coordinates is often accompanied by another one, the “convergence” of internal cultural “coordinates”. These are the fields of scholar and popular music, which enter into a creative dialogue in a variety of ways, and often introduce in-between and/or new “places”. The contribution of forcibly transported slaves from the African continent to the musical scene of America, and especially their role in the formation of the genres that are now considered as part of the “national music of the USA”, was more than crucial. Folk, country, bluegrass, gospel, blues, soul, jazz, fox trot, rock ‘n roll, charleston, minstrel show, but also symphonic music, waltz, tango, music for the cinema, Italian, Russian, Greek, Hebrew, Spanish-speaking and other idioms are recorded and flood the global record market. In this endless body of recordings, we come across instances where Greek-speaking musicians arrange American songs. This appropriation is twofold: on the one hand are the lyrics, which are now in Greek (often, in fact, they has nothing to do with the original ones), and, on the other hand, the performance practices: different instrumentation, different singing style, often differences in melodic and rhythmic forms and in the harmonies. Greek musicians adapt what they hear to their own condition and aesthetics, based on their own capabilities and needs.

This is an adaptation with Greek lyrics of the American song "Silver threads among the gold", set to music by Hart Pease Danks and lyrics by Eben Eugene Rexford.

The musical score was published in 1874, in New York, by Charles Harris.

One of the earliest recordings of the song took place in Philadelphia, PA, on October 27, 1903, by Richard José for Victor (B-597 - 2556). Many recordings followed in American discography, such as those of Henry Burr, John McCormack, Elsie Baker, Bing Crosby and others.

The song was also successful outside the USA. It has been recorded and arranged many times in historical discography, in various forms, languages and locations. For the performances, see here, here, here, here and in the database that emerged from Alan Kelly’s research. For example:

- William Henry Squire, London, February 6, 1914 (HMV al 7793 f - 07879)
- "Sommersol til sidste stund!", Carsten Woll, New York, April 30, 1919 (Edison 6755  - 78011), in Norwegian
- "Družko drahá, šij svou chýlím", František A. Pangrác, Camden, New Jersey, June 28, 1920 (Victor B-24190 - 73183), in Czech
- "Silvertråder", Grace Eklund Carlson, New York, December 12, 1921 (Victor B-25866 - 73179), in Swedish
- "Zilver tusschen het goud", Kees Pruis, Berlin, 1928 (Homocord 5873 - 5873) in Dutch
- "Armas vanhaksi jo käyn", Hannes Saari ja Sekakuoro, New York, May 1, 1929 (Columbia 116573 - 3115-F), in Finnish
- "Młodosc i srebrne włosy", Paweł Faut, Chicago, July 23, 1929 (Victor BVE-55476 - V-16081), in Polish
- "Tak for gode som for onde år", Valdemar Davids - Elo Magnussen og hans orkester, Copenhagen, ca. 1946 (Polyphon hdk 2473 - X 51160 B), in Danish
- "Silberfäden", Vico Torriani, possibly Switzerland, 1949 (Elite Special 4343 -8927), in German
- "Varför skola männ'skor strida", Bertil Boo, Stockholm, 1950 (Sonora Elite 8395 SS - 7545), in Swedish

The song's music was set to lyrics by songwriter, trade unionist and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Joe Hill (Gävle, Sweden, October 7, 1879  — Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, November 19, 1915), creating the political song "The old toiler's message", which was included in the edition Little Red Songbook of the IWW from August 1913.

The presence of the song in American cinema is noteworthy:

- in the 1911 short film of the same name, "Silver threads among the gold", where the song is a key point of reference
- in the 1915 film of the same name, "Silver threads among the gold", where, according to the website www.imdb.com, the star Richard José sang the song live during the screenings of the film
- in the Marx Brothers film "Animal Crackers" (1930), where Chico Marx plays a cover of the song on the piano (watch the scene here)

Lyrics of the Greek version can be found in the song "Tragoudi tis Prosopidoforou" Chatzipantazis and Maraka, 1977, 3: 463-464) from the first scene of the third act of the first Greek theatrical revue "Ligo ap' ola", written by Mikios (Michail) Lamprou, music by Iosif Kaisaris and lyrics of songs by Lampros Asteris. The revue was staged on August 30, 1894 at the "Paradeisos" theater by the Dimitris Kotopoulis troupe "Proodos".

According to the data collected so far, this is the only recording of the song in Greek historical discography.

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis