THE ACADEMY STORE
Sentimental Journeys
Songs Grandma Used To Sing
The popularity of our Lost Verses CD suggests that there are many
who enjoy hearing the songs of Tin Pan Alley as they were originally written.
As we've often pointed out in our articles, one of the principal forms
of entertainment at the turn of the 20th century was gathering around
the piano in the parlor and singing. Here, we've chosen a number of tunes
that would have been sung in those days. Some are very recognizable. Others
haven't been heard in almost 100 years
About the Sentimental Journeys Songs
1. Take Me To the Land of Jazz (m. Pete
Wendling, w. Edgar Leslie, Bert Kalmar-1919)
One of the lesser known songs written by these three who also wrote
Oh What a Pal Was Mary in this same year. Edgar Leslie
is best known for his lyrics to the tune For Me and My Gal,
written in 1917. Bert Kalmar would later team with Harry Ruby and
go on to write lyrics for such songs as Who's Sorry Now,
with Ted Snyder in 1923, and Three Little Words in
1930. Ruby and Kalmar also became the principal songwriting team
for the Marx Brothers. Pete Wendling was a prolific piano roll maker
who also wrote the music for Take Your Girlie to the Movies
(1919), which is on the Lost Verses CD. Ruby and Kalmar
also wrote the lyrics to that tune. In 1918, Wendling wrote Oh
How I Wish I Could Sleep Until My Daddy Comes Home (lyrics
by Sam Lewis and Joe Young), that appears on Volume 1 of our Songs
of the Great War CD.
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2.
April Showers (m. Louis Silvers, w. Buddy DeSylva-1921)
Written for the Broadway musical Bombo. As we pointed
out in our 2002
feature on Al Jolson, this is one of America's most enduring
songs. Jolson sang it in every performance and in almost every way
imaginable. |
3.
Look For the Silver Lining (m. Jerome Kern,
w. Buddy DeSylva-1919)
Written in for the unsuccessful musical Zip, Goes a Million,
in 1920 it was published and reused in the musical Sally,
where it was popularized by Marilyn Miller. The song was later covered
several times, most notably by Judy Garland, whose version became,
and remains, well-known. The 1949 biopic of Miller's life carries
this title. The song was also the inspiration for the anthem of
the International Ladies Garment Worker's Union "Look For the
Union Label". |
4.
Pick Me Up and Lay Me Down In Dear Old Dixieland (m. Harry
Ruby, w. Bert Kalmar-1922)
As mentioned above, Ruby and Kalmar teamed up in 1920 and went
on to write many songs. This is one of their first hits. |
5.
Toot, Toot, Tootsie Goodbye (w/m. Ernie Erdman, Dan Russo,
Gus Kahn-1921)
Another of the songs from Bombo most associated
with Al Jolson. Although covered by many artists over the years,
there's no doubt that whenever it's heard, Jolson's face immediately
springs to mind |
6.Whose
Baby Are You? (m. Jerome Kern, w. Anne Caldwell-1920)
Written for Charles Dillingham's production The Night Boat,
a musical farce based on the night boat from New York to Albany,
which could be a relaxing scenic tour, but more often it meant an
evening of clandestine romance, safely away from prying wives, husbands
or in-laws. Sung as a duet in the original play, it is reprised
here by Rich and Peggy Wooden of Anderson, MO, who some may recall
also teamed with Rich on Irving Berlin's They Were All Out
of Step But Jim on our Songs of the Great War by Irving
Berlin CD. |
7.
I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles (m. John Kellette, w. Jaan Kenbrovin,
-1919)
Introduced in The Passing Show of 1918, it was first
sung by Helen Carrington. When the song was written, James Kendis,
James Brockman, and Nat Vincent all had separate contracts with
publishers, which led them to use the pseudonym "Jaan Kenbrovin"
for credit on this song. James Kendis and James Brockman were partners
in the Kendis-Brockman Music Company, which first published the
song. Publishing rights were transferred later that year to Jerome
H. Remick & Co. The writer Ring Lardner parodied the lyric during
the Black Sox scandal of 1919, when he began to suspect that players
on the Chicago White Sox team were deliberately losing the World
Series to the Cincinnati Reds. His version began "I'm forever
blowing ballgames". |
8.
I Used To Love You But It's All Over Now (m. Albert Von Tilzer,
w. Lew Brown-1920)
Albert Von Tilzer started his career as a song plugger and then
joined his older brother, Harry, at the Von Tilzer Music Publishing
Company. He is, of course, best known for Take Me Out To the
Ballgame, written in 1908 with Jack Norworth. Lew Brown
was born in Russia in 1893 and came to America in 1898. In the 20s,
he would team up with Buddy DeSylva and Ray Henderson, going on
to co-write such recognizable tunes as The Best Things In
Life Are Free and Button Up Your Overcoat. |
9.
After You've Gone (m. Turner Layton w. Henry Creamer-1918)
Another of the standards made popular by Al Jolson. Creamer and
Layton teamed as a Vaudeville act after World War I. Along with
such other black composers as Shelton Brooks (Some of These
Days and Darktown Strutters Ball),
W.C. Handy (St. Louis Blues), and James P. Johnson
(The Charleston), they made a tremendous contribution
to American popular song. Another of their well -known works is
Way Down Yonder In New Orleans, written in 1922. |
10.
If I Had You (w/m Irving Berlin-1914)
Copyrighted May 1, 1914, this is one of Berlin's early ballads.
As we pointed out in our article Early Berlin - Songs of a Young
Master, Berlin's early inspiration came from his days as a "busker",
singing on the street and as a singing waiter in The Pelham café.
He didn't really begin to write ballads until the death of his first
wife, Dorothy Goetz, in 1912. It was then he wrote When I
Lost You, which is featured on volume 1 of our Early
Berlin CD. This one demonstrates Berlin's penchant for creating
words "automo-bubbles" in order to obtain a rhyme. |
11.
Everything Is Peaches Down in Georgia (m. Geo. Meyer, Milt Ager,
w. Grant Clarke-1918)
George W. Meyer was a very prolific composer, penning such tunes
as For Me and My Gal and Where Did Robinson
Crusoe Go With Friday On Saturday Night, a novelty tune
written for Al Jolson. Milton Ager would team with Jack Yellen in
1919. They're first song was a beautiful ballad entitled I'm
Waiting For Ships That Never Come In. In the 20s, they would
turn their attentions to writing novelty tunes such as Crazy
Words, Crazy Tune, Hard Hearted Hannah, and
Vo-Do-De-O Blues. Grant Clarke was the lyricist Am
I Blue, written with Harry Akst in 1929, which Ethel Waters
sang in the 1929 movie On With the Show, and Fanny
Brice's great Second Hand Rose, written in 1921 with
James F. Hanley. |
12.
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows (m. Harry Carroll, w. Joe McCarthy-1918)
Published in 1917, the song was introduced in the Broadway production
of Oh Look, which opened in March 1918. It was sung
in the show by The Dolly Sisters. Although the music is credited
to Carroll, the melody actually comes from Fantasie-Impromtu
by Chopin. The biggest hit version was sung by Charles Harrison
in July 1918. It has been featured in many movies, including the
1941 film Ziegfeld Girl where it was sung by Judy
Garland, and in the 1945 movie The Dolly Sisters,
where it was sung by John Payne. Joseph McCarthy was also the lyricist
for You Made Me Love You, which he wrote with James
Monaco in 1913. |
13.
Tuck Me To Sleep In My Old 'Tucky Home (m. Geo.
Meyer, w. Sam Lewis, Joe Young-1918)
Another great tune by Meyer. Lewis and Young would team up and
write the lyrics to such memorable tunes as How Ya Gonna Keep
'Em Down on the Farm, which they wrote with Walter Donaldson
in 1918. They were Al Jolson's favorite lyricists, penning such
Jolson tunes as I'm Sitting On Top of the World, Rock-a-Bye
Your Baby With a Dixie Melody, and My Mammy. |
14.
The Band Played On (m. Charles B. Ward, w. John
F. Palmer-1895)
This song was first performed by the composer, Charles Ward in
his own vaudeville act in 1895 at Hammerstein's Harlem Opera House.
Long a favorite, its lilting waltz melody and chorus are the kind
of tunes that stick in your head and make for a lasting hit. Again,
we have a song where we recall the chorus, but the fascinating verses
are often not heard. As with all lasting hits, this one appeared
in several films including a performance by James Cagney and Rita
Hayworth in The Strawberry Blonde in 1941 and Dennis
Morgan in Cattle Town in 1951. Perhaps its biggest
hit recording was the 1941 version by Guy Lombardo and his Orchestra
on Decca. This song enjoys the status of being the first song ever
promoted by newspaper, the New York World. It sold over one million
copies then, and millions since. Clearly, the publishers were learning
how to "hype" their wares and generate interest and sales by this
time. |
15.
Gee! But I Hate To Go Home Alone (m. James F. Hanley, w. Joe
Goodwin-1922)
Much of Hanley's work was composed specifically for Broadway.
As mentioned above, Hanley composed Second Hand Rose
for Fannie Brice in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1921.
Another of his well-known tunes was Zing Went the Strings
of My Heart in 1935. Joe Goodwin was born in Worcester,
Massachusetts on June 8, 1889. He began his career as a monologist
in vaudeville and a manager and staff writer for various music publishers.
During World War I, Goodwin wrote shows for the 81st Wildcats touring
with the USO. He contributed songs for films including the Hollywood
Revue and for various London stage revues. His other most
recognizable song was When You're Smiling, written
with Mark Fisher and Larry Shay in 1928. |
16.
Give My Regards To Broadway (w/m George
M. Cohan-1904)
This great favorite was introduced by Cohan himself in his production
of Little Johnny Jones, his very first musical play. Sung
many times over in film, on record and TV, the song is one of those
enduring favorites that never gets old or outdated. The music and
melody seem to fit any era and transcend fads and styles to stand
as an example of the permanence of a well written song. From its
introduction, the song has been heard almost continuously. |
17.
Grandfather's Clock (w/m Henry C. Work-1876)
One of the songs mentioned in our 2004 article Songs
Our Teachers Taught Us. Often called My Grandfather's
Clock, most renditions that can be found on the Internet
are up tempo and thought of as a children's song. Here, we've provided
an accompaniment that captures the true sentiment of the lyrics
as intended by the composer |
18.
Ain't We Got Fun (m. Richard Whiting, w. Gus
Kahn, Ray Egan-1921)
This song and some others from this period sing of financial hard
times for a couple who basically lose everything they have yet they
still manage to find something to sing about to cope with their
troubles. Few have ever heard the verses of that explain the story
behind the chorus we all know so well. It was first performed in
the revue Satires of 1920, and then moved on to Vaudeville
and recordings. it appears in some of the major literature of the
20s, including The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
and in Dorothy Parker's award-winning short story of 1929, Big
Blonde. |
19.
Beautiful Dreamer (w/m Stephen Foster-1862)
This song, though simple, is clearly a masterpiece, perhaps proving
the old saw that "less is more". It seems to take you to
another place, a wonderful one, as you allow the music to waft over
you. Foster died the year this piece was published making it one
of his last, but it is arguably his most beautiful. |
20.The
Yankee Doodle Boy (w/m George M. Cohan-1904)
Another tune from Little Johnny Jones, the title
of this one is most often thought of as Yankee Doodle Dandy,
since it was sung by James Cagney portraying Cohan in the movie
of that name. This piece stirred up mixed reactions from many critics
and theatregoers. In spite of recent successes in the Spanish American
War, the people were not used to this blatantly ostentatious display
of unbounded patriotism. Many came initially just to see what all
the fuss was about. By the end of the Great War, some fourteen years
later, this song along with You're a Grand Old Flag,
written in 1906, saw a fervent revival. |
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