Enduring American Song Hits

In the music industry, ever since around 1890, we have seen the concept of "hit songs"; those that sell the most copies or in today's environment, sell the most CDs or get the most radio play. In most cases, "hit" songs come and go. Like a spring snow, they come and are soon gone and forgotten. Some are like a flash in the pan, a very short lived phenomenon, others hang on a little longer, but few endure over a span of years. Fewer yet stay in the popular repertoire for decades.

This month we begin a two part look at enduring hits; classic American songs that have enjoyed continuous popularity for decades, and now, many for over a century! These are songs that are immediately recognized by a large part of the population. Songs that many people could sing with little or no coaching that somehow have become embedded in our culture and have transcended the times in which they were written.

This month (January, 2002), we will begin with a sampling of some of the most memorable songs from the period 1890 - 1910. We will offer many new songs and point you to the many other hits we have already published. Next month, we will look at the period from 1910 to 1920, a period where lasting hits exploded on the scene in numbers never before or since seen in American popular music. We have also added a new "in search of" article that explores the concept of hit songs in more depth and from a contemporary 1910 perspective.

As with most of our features, this month's is covered on two separate pages to speed your downloads and to avoid a mile-long page. Be sure to see them BOTH to fully enjoy all of this month's music!