Great American Songbook
The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant early-20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes.
Definition[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Rodgers_and_Hart_NYWTS.jpg/220px-Rodgers_and_Hart_NYWTS.jpg)
According to the Great American Songbook Foundation:
The "Great American Songbook" is the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century that have stood the test of time in their life and legacy. Often referred to as "American Standards", the songs published during the Golden Age of this genre include those popular and enduring tunes from the 1920s to the 1950s that were created for Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musical film.[1]
Culture writer Martin Chilton defines the term "Great American Songbook" as follows: "Tunes of Broadway musical theatre, Hollywood movie musicals and Tin Pan Alley (the hub of songwriting that was the music publishers' row on New York's West 28th Street)". Chilton adds that these songs "became the core repertoire of jazz musicians" during the period that "stretched roughly from 1920 to 1960".[2]
Although several collections of music have been published under the "Great American Songbook" title, the term does not refer to any actual book or specific list of songs. The Great American Songbook includes standards by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, and Richard Rodgers, among others.[3][4][5][6][7]
In Alec Wilder's 1972 study, American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900–1950, the songwriter and critic lists and ranks the artists he believes belong to the Great American Songbook canon. A composer, Wilder emphasized analysis of composers and their creative efforts in this work.[8]
Radio personality and Songbook devotee Jonathan Schwartz and singer Tony Bennett have both described this genre as "America's classical music".[9][10]
List of songs[]
Contents |
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A · B · C · D · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · S · T · U · W · Y · Z |
Year | Song title | Composer(s) | Lyricist(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1933 | "42nd Street" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
1944 | "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
1957 | "An Affair to Remember (Our Love Affair)" | Harry Warren | Leo McCarey and Harold Adamson | |
1929 | "Ain't Misbehavin'" | Fats Waller | Andy Razaf | |
1927 | "Ain't She Sweet" | Milton Ager | Jack Yellen | [11] |
1960 | "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Sammy Cahn | |
1921 | "Ain't We Got Fun" | Richard A. Whiting | Raymond B. Egan and Gus Kahn | |
1924 | "Alabamy Bound" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Bud Green | [11][12] |
1911 | "Alexander's Ragtime Band" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1921 | "All by Myself" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1934 | "All I Do Is Dream of You" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | [13] |
1954 | "All of You" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1939 | "All or Nothing at All" | Arthur Altman | Jack Lawrence | |
1939 | "All the Things You Are" | Jerome Kern | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1957 | "All the Way" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Sammy Cahn | |
1934 | "All Through the Night" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1947 | "Almost Like Being in Love" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | [14] |
1932 | "Alone Together" | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | [13][15] |
1925 | "Always" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1934 | "Anything Goes" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1932 | "April In Paris" | Vernon Duke | Yip Harburg | |
1957 | "April Love" | Sammy Fain | Paul Francis Webster | |
1956 | "Around the World." | Victor Young | Harold Adamson | [11] |
1931 | "As Time Goes By" | Herman Hupfeld | Herman Hupfeld | |
1941 | "At Last" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
1934 | "Autumn In New York" | Vernon Duke | Vernon Duke | [13] |
1949 | "Baby, It's Cold Outside" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | [16][17] |
1949 | "Bali Ha'i" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1935 | "Begin the Beguine" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1959 | "The Best Is Yet to Come" | Cy Coleman | Carolyn Leigh | |
1927 | "The Best Things in Life Are Free" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown | |
1940 | "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1930 | "Beyond the Blue Horizon" | Richard A. Whiting | Leo Robin | |
1924 | "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)" | Milton Ager | Jack Yellen | |
1962 | "Big Spender" | Cy Coleman | Dorothy Fields | |
1926 | "The Birth of the Blues" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown | |
1934 | "Blue Moon" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1926 | "Blue Room" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1926 | "Blue Skies" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1941 | "Blues in the Night" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
1930 | "Body and Soul" | Johnny Green | Edward Heyman | |
1941 | "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" | Don Raye | Hughie Prince | |
1933 | "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
1944 | "The Boy Next Door" | Hugh Martin | Ralph Blane | |
1926 | "Breezin' Along with the Breeze" | Haven Gillespie | Haven Gillespie, Seymour Simons, and Richard Whiting | |
1932 | "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" | Jay Gorney | Yip Harburg | |
1947 | "But Beautiful" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | [13] |
1930 | "But Not for Me" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
1926 | "Bye Bye Blackbird" | Ray Henderson | Mort Dixon | |
1962 | "Call Me Irresponsible" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Sammy Cahn | |
1933 | "(The) Carioca" | Vincent Youmans | Edward Eliscu and Gus Kahn | |
1922 | "Carolina in the Morning" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
1941 | "Chattanooga Choo Choo" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
1935 | "Cheek to Cheek" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1945 | "The Christmas Song" | Mel Tormé | Robert Wells | |
1959 | "Climb Every Mountain" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1958 | "Come Fly with Me" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Sammy Cahn | |
1946 | "Come Rain or Come Shine" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
1931 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | |
1930 | "Dancing on the Ceiling" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1939 | "Darn That Dream" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Eddie DeLange | |
1939 | "Day In, Day Out" | Rube Bloom | Johnny Mercer | |
1963 | "Days of Wine and Roses" | Henry Mancini | Johnny Mercer | |
1949 | "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" | Jule Styne | Leo Robin | |
1932 | "Don't Blame Me" | Jimmy McHugh | Dorothy Fields | [13][15] |
1940 | "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" | Duke Ellington | Bob Russell | |
1964 | "Don't Rain on My Parade" | Jule Styne | Bob Merrill | |
1944 | "Dream" | Johnny Mercer | Johnny Mercer | [6][17] |
1933 | "Easter Parade" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1959 | "Edelweiss" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1928 | "Embraceable You" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
1959 | "Everything's Coming Up Roses" | Jule Styne | Stephen Sondheim | |
1944 | "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1930 | "Exactly Like You" | Jimmy McHugh | Dorothy Fields | |
1938 | "Falling In Love With Love" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1924 | "Fascinating Rhythm" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
1936 | "A Fine Romance" | Jerome Kern | Dorothy Fields | [5][18][6][7][17] |
1954 | "Fly Me to the Moon" | Bart Howard | Bart Howard | |
1937 | "A Foggy Day" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | [18][3][5][6][7][17] |
1937 | "The Folks Who Live On the Hill" | Jerome Kern | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1940 | "Fools Rush In" | Rube Bloom | Johnny Mercer | |
1931 | "For All We Know" | J. Fred Coots | Sam M. Lewis | |
1945 | "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" | William "Pat" Best | Ivory "Deek" Watson | |
1950 | "From This Moment On" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1930 | "Georgia on My Mind" | Hoagy Carmichael | Stuart Gorrell | [19] |
1930 | "Get Happy" | Harold Arlen | Ted Koehler | |
1951 | "Getting to Know You" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein | |
1929 | "Glad Rag Doll" | Milton Ager | Jack Yellen | |
1936 | "Glad to Be Unhappy" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1938 | "God Bless America" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1933 | "The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
1939 | "Good Morning" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
1931 | "Guilty" | Richard A. Whiting | Gus Kahn | |
1930 | "Happy Days Are Here Again" | Milton Ager | Jack Yellen | |
1949 | "Happy Talk" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1924 | "Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah)" | Milton Ager | Jack Yellen, Bob Bigelow, and Charles Bates | |
1937 | "Have You Met Miss Jones?" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1944 | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | Hugh Martin | Ralph Blane | |
1938 | "Heart and Soul" | Hoagy Carmichael | Frank Loesser | [14] |
1933 | "Heat Wave" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1964 | "Hello, Dolly!" | Jerry Herman | Jerry Herman | |
1951 | "Hello, Young Lovers" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1953 | "Here's That Rainy Day" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
1960 | "Hey, Look Me Over" | Cy Coleman | Carolyn Leigh | |
1929 | "Honey" | Haven Gillespie | Haven Gillespie, Seymour Simons, and Richard Whiting | |
1929 | "Honeysuckle Rose" | Fats Waller | Andy Razaf | [17] |
1937 | "Hooray for Hollywood" | Richard A. Whiting | Johnny Mercer | |
1941 | "How About You?" | Burton Lane | Ralph Freed | |
1932 | "How Deep Is the Ocean" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1936 | "I Can't Escape from You" | Richard A. Whiting | Leo Robin | |
1936 | "I Can't Get Started" | Vernon Duke | Ira Gershwin | |
1928 | "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" | Jimmy McHugh | Dorothy Fields | |
1939 | "I Concentrate on You" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1956 | "I Could Have Danced All Night" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
1940 | "I Could Write a Book" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1939 | "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1932 | "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You" | Victor Young | Ned Washington and Bing Crosby | |
1958 | "I Enjoy Being a Girl" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1944 | "I Fall in Love Too Easily" | Jule Styne | Sammy Cahn | |
1934 | "I Get a Kick Out of You" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1934 | "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
1930 | "I Got Rhythm" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
1932 | "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues" | Harold Arlen | Ted Koehler | |
1944 | "I Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" | Jule Styne | Sammy Cahn | [11] |
1929 | "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan" | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | |
1942 | "I Had the Craziest Dream" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
1951 | "I Have Dreamed" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1933 | "I Like The Likes Of You" | Vernon Duke | Yip Harburg | |
1934 | "I Only Have Eyes for You" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
1941 | "I Remember You" | Victor Schertzinger | Johnny Mercer | |
1951 | "I Talk to the Trees" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
1939 | "I Thought About You" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Mercer | |
1959 | "I Wanna Be Around" | Johnny Mercer | Johnny Mercer and Sadie Vimmerstadt | |
1928 | "I Wanna Be Loved by You" | Herbert Stothart | Bert Kalmar | |
1925 | "I Want to Be Happy" | Vincent Youmans | Irving Caesar | |
1960 | "If Ever I Would Leave You" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
1947 | "If I Loved You" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1939 | "If I Only Had a Brain" | Harold Arlen | Yip Harburg | |
1933 | "If I Were a Bell" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | |
1966 | "If My Friends Could See Me Now" | Cy Coleman | Dorothy Fields | |
1943 | "I'll Be Home for Christmas" | Walter Kent | Kim Gannon | |
1938 | "I'll Be Seeing You" | Sammy Fain | Irving Kahal | |
1924 | "I'll See You in My Dreams" | Isham Jones | Gus Kahn | [11][20][21] |
1944 | "I'm Beginning to See the Light" | Duke Ellington | Don George | [14][6][19][17] |
1935 | "I'm in the Mood for Love" | Jimmy McHugh | Dorothy Fields | |
1921 | "I'm Just Wild About Harry" | Eubie Blake | Noble Sissle | |
1925 | "I'm Sitting on Top of the World" | Ray Henderson | Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young | |
1940 | "Imagination" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
1935 | "In a Sentimental Mood" | Duke Ellington | Manny Kurtz | |
1951 | "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" | Hoagy Carmichael | Johnny Mercer | |
1937 | "In the Still of the Night" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1955 | "Innamorata" | Harry Warren | Jack Brooks | |
1932 | "Isn't It Romantic?" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1944 | "It Could Happen to You" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
1931 | "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" | Duke Ellington | Irving Mills | |
1924 | "It Had to Be You" | Isham Jones | Gus Kahn | |
1945 | "It Might as Well Be Spring" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1940 | "It Never Entered My Mind" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1936 | "It's De-Lovely" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1935 | "It's Easy To Remember" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1933 | "It's Only a Paper Moon" | Harold Arlen | E.Y. Harburg and Billy Rose | |
1937 | "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1932 | "I've Got the World on a String" | Harold Arlen | Ted Koehler | |
1936 | "I've Got You Under My Skin" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1962 | "I've Got Your Number" | Cy Coleman | Carolyn Leigh | |
1956 | "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
1920 | "The Japanese Sandman" | Richard A. Whiting | Raymond B. Egan | |
1933 | "Jeepers Creepers" | Harry Warren | Johnny Mercer | |
1956 | "Just In Time" | Jule Styne | Betty Comden and Adolph Green | |
1935 | "Just One of Those Things" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1942 | "(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
1935 | "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" | Harry Ruby | Bert Kalmar and Oscar Hammerstein II | [11] |
1937 | "The Lady Is a Tramp" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1941 | "The Last Time I Saw Paris" | Jerome Kern | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1945 | "Laura" | David Raksin | Johnny Mercer | |
1934 | "Lazy River" | Sidney Arodin | Hoagy Carmichael | |
1945 | "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" | Jule Styne | Sammy Cahn | |
1928 | "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1936 | "Let's Face the Music and Dance" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1933 | "Let's Fall in Love" | Harold Arlen | Ted Koehler | |
1932 | "Let's Put Out the Lights (and Go to Sleep)" | Herman Hupfeld | Herman Hupfeld | |
1944 | "Like Someone in Love" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
1935 | "Little Girl Blue" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1930 | "Little White Lies" | Walter Donaldson | Walter Donaldson | [19] |
1944 | "Long Ago (and Far Away)" | Jerome Kern | Ira Gershwin | [5][18][6][7][17] |
1919 | "Look for the Silver Lining" | Jerome Kern | B.G. DeSylva | |
1923 | "Louisville Lou (That Vampin' Lady)" | Lew Pollack | Jack Yellen | |
1930 | "Love for Sale" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1955 | "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" | Sammy Fain | Paul Francis Webster | |
1938 | "Love is Here to Stay" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
1945 | "Love Letters" | Victor Young | Edward Heyman | |
1931 | "Love Letters in the Sand" | J. Fred Coots | Nick Kenny and Charles Kenny | |
1928 | "Love Me or Leave Me" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
1932 | "Lover" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1928 | "Lover, Come Back to Me" | Sigmund Romberg | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1933 | "Luck Be a Lady" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | |
1935 | "Lullaby of Broadway" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
1935 | "Lulu's Back In Town" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
1928 | "Makin' Whoopee" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
1953 | "The Man that Got Away" | Harold Arlen | Ira Gershwin | [18][5][6] |
1925 | "Manhattan" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1924 | "The Man I Love" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
1927 | "Me and My Shadow" | Al Jolson | Billy Rose | |
1954 | "Midnight Sun" | Lionel Hampton | Johnny Mercer | |
1932 | "Mimi" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1935 | "Miss Brown to You" | Richard A. Whiting | Leo Robin | |
1934 | "Miss Otis Regrets" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | [3][18][5][6][17] |
1954 | "Misty" | Erroll Garner | Johnny Burke | |
1930 | "Mood Indigo" | Duke Ellington | Irving Mills | |
1961 | "Moon River" | Henry Mancini | Johnny Mercer | |
1939 | "Moonlight Serenade" | Glenn Miller | Mitchell Parish | |
1929 | "More Than You Know" | Vincent Youmans | Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu | |
1945 | "The More I See You" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
1935 | "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1925 | "Mountain Greenery" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1930 | "My Baby Just Cares for Me" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
1927 | "My Blue Heaven" | Walter Donaldson | George A. Whiting | |
1949 | "My Dream Is Yours" | Harry Warren | Ralph Blane | [19][17][13] |
1959 | "My Favorite Things" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1949 | "My Foolish Heart" | Victor Young | Ned Washington | |
1937 | "My Funny Valentine" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1938 | "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1927 | "My Heart Stood Still" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1918 | "My Mammy" | Walter Donaldson | Joe Young and Sam M. Lewis | |
1935 | "My Romance" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1925 | "My Yiddishe Momme" | Lew Pollack | Jack Yellen | |
1928 | "Nagasaki" | Harry Warren | Mort Dixon | |
1938 | "The Nearness of You" | Hoagy Carmichael | Ned Washington | |
1931 | "Nevertheless" | Harry Ruby | Bert Kalmar | |
1944 | "New York, New York" | Leonard Bernstein | Betty Comden and Adolph Green | |
1932 | "Night and Day" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1931 | "Of Thee I Sing" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
1918 | "Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1943 | "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1927 | "Ol' Man River" | Jerome Kern | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1945 | "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" | Harry Warren | Johnny Mercer | |
1934 | "On the Good Ship Lollipop" | Richard A. Whiting | Sidney Clare | [19] |
1956 | "On the Street Where You Live" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
1930 | "On the Sunny Side of the Street" | Jimmy McHugh | Dorothy Fields | |
1943 | "One for My Baby" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
1939 | "Over the Rainbow" | Harold Arlen | E.Y. Harburg | |
1929 | "Pagan Love Song" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
1931 | "Paradise" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
1956 | "The Party's Over" | Jule Styne | Betty Comden and Adolph Green | |
1936 | "Pennies From Heaven" | Arthur Johnston | Johnny Burke | |
1964 | "People" | Jule Styne | Bob Merrill | |
1943 | "People Will Say We're in Love" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1936 | "Pick Yourself Up" | Jerome Kern | Dorothy Fields | |
1940 | "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
1942 | "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | |
1919 | "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | [18][3][5][6][19] |
1930 | "Puttin' on the Ritz" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1927 | "'S Wonderful" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
1934 | "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" | J. Fred Coots | Haven Gillespie | |
1953 | "Satin Doll" | Duke Ellington | Johnny Mercer | |
1944 | "Saturday Night (Is the Loneliest Night of the Week)" | Jule Styne | Sammy Cahn | |
1932 | "" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1944 | "Sentimental Journey" | Les Brown and Ben Homer | Bud Green | |
1935 | "September in the Rain" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
1942 | "Serenade In Blue" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
1965 | "The Shadow of Your Smile" | Johnny Mandel | Paul Francis Webster | |
1951 | "Shall We Dance?" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1929 | "She's (He's) Funny That Way" | Neil Moret | Richard A. Whiting | |
1929 | "A Ship Without a Sail" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | [18][19][17][6][7] |
1929 | "Singin' in the Rain" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
1941 | "Skylark" | Hoagy Carmichael | Johnny Mercer | |
1948 | "Slow Boat to China" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | |
1933 | "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" | Jerome Kern | Otto Harbach | |
1948 | "So in Love" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1949 | "Some Enchanted Evening" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1937 | "Someday My Prince Will Come" | Frank Churchill | Larry Morey | |
1926 | "Someone to Watch Over Me" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
1951 | "Something Wonderful" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1954 | "Something's Gotta Give" | Johnny Mercer | Johnny Mercer | |
1927 | "Sometimes I'm Happy" | Vincent Youmans | Irving Caesar | |
1932 | "The Song Is You" | Jerome Kern | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1928 | "Sonny Boy" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown | |
1932 | "Sophisticated Lady" | Duke Ellington | Irving Mills | |
1959 | "The Sound of Music" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1930 | "Spring Is Here" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1925 | "Squeeze Me" | Fats Waller | Andy Razaf | |
1922 | "Stairway to Paradise" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin and Buddy DeSylva | |
1956 | "Standing on the Corner" | Frank Loesser | Frank Loesser | |
1927 | "Stardust" | Hoagy Carmichael | Mitchell Parish | |
1934 | "Stars Fell on Alabama" | Frank Perkins | Mitchell Parish | |
1944 | "Stella by Starlight" | Victor Young | Ned Washington | |
1933 | "Stormy Weather" | Harold Arlen | Ted Koehler | |
1927 | "Strike Up the Band" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin and Millie Raush | |
1934 | "Summertime" | George Gershwin | DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin | |
1943 | "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1944 | "Swinging on a Star" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Johnny Burke | |
1939 | "Take the 'A' Train" | Billy Strayhorn | Joya Sherrill | |
1940 | "Taking a Chance on Love" | Vernon Duke | John La Touche and Ted Fetter | |
1924 | "Tea for Two" | Vincent Youmans | Irving Caesar | |
1933 | "Temptation" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
1962 | "Tender Is the Night" | Sammy Fain | Paul Francis Webster | |
1955 | "(Love Is) The Tender Trap" | Jimmy Van Heusen | Sammy Cahn | |
1957 | "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
1938 | "Thanks for the Memory" | Ralph Rainger | Leo Robin | |
1942 | "That Old Black Magic" | Harold Arlen | Johnny Mercer | |
1937 | "That Old Feeling" | Sammy Fain | Lew Brown | [13] |
1953 | "That's Amore" | Harry Warren | Jack Brooks | |
1932 | "That's Entertainment!" | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | |
1942 | "There Will Never Be Another You" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
1946 | "There's No Business Like Show Business" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1951 | "They Call the Wind Maria" | Frederick Loewe | Alan Jay Lerner | |
1937 | "They Can't Take That Away from Me" | George Gershwin | Ira Gershwin | |
1927 | "Thinking of You" | Harry Ruby | Bert Kalmar | |
1938 | "This Can't Be Love" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1946 | "This Heart of Mine" | Harry Warren | Arthur Freed | |
1927 | "Thou Swell" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1930 | "Three Little Words" | Harry Ruby | Bert Kalmar | |
1918 | "Till We Meet Again" | Richard A. Whiting | Raymond B. Egan | |
1947 | "Time After Time" | Jule Styne | Sammy Cahn | |
1930 | "Time on My Hands" | Vincent Youmans | Harold Adamson and Mack Gordon | [13] |
1948 | "Too Darn Hot" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1937 | "Too Marvelous for Words" | Richard A. Whiting | Johnny Mercer | |
1935 | "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1944 | "The Trolley Song" | Hugh Martin | Ralph Blane | |
1925 | "Ukulele Lady" | Richard A. Whiting | Gus Kahn | |
1951 | "Unforgettable" | Irving Gordon | Irving Gordon | |
1936 | "The Way You Look Tonight" | Jerome Kern | Dorothy Fields | |
1926 | "What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry?" | Walter Donaldson | Abe Lyman | |
1929 | "What Is This Thing Called Love?" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1923 | "What'll I Do" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1952 | "When I Fall in Love" | Victor Young | Edward Heyman | |
1912 | "When I Lost You" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1940 | "When You Wish Upon a Star" | Leigh Harline | Ned Washington | |
1937 | "Where or When" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1942 | "White Christmas" | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin | |
1923 | "Who's Sorry Now?" | Ted Snyder | Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar | |
1934 | "Winter Wonderland" | Felix Bernard | Richard Bernhard Smith | |
1957 | "Witchcraft" | Cy Coleman | Carolyn Leigh | |
1930 | "With a Song in My Heart" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1937 | "With Plenty of Money and You" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
1929 | "Without a Song" | Vincent Youmans | Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu | |
1949 | "A Wonderful Guy" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | [18][17][6][7] |
1925 | "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
1933 | "Yesterdays" | Jerome Kern | Otto Harbach | |
1934 | "You and the Night and the Music" | Arthur Schwartz | Howard Dietz | |
1935 | "You Are My Lucky Star" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
1932 | "You Are Too Beautiful" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1929 | "You Do Something to Me" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1934 | "You Go to My Head" | J. Fred Coots | Haven Gillespie | [22] |
1938 | "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" | Harry Warren | Johnny Mercer | |
1940 | "You Stepped Out of a Dream" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
1928 | "You Took Advantage of Me" | Richard Rodgers | Lorenz Hart | |
1929 | "You Were Meant for Me" | Nacio Herb Brown | Arthur Freed | |
1942 | "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter | |
1943 | "You'll Never Know" | Harry Warren | Mack Gordon | |
1947 | "You'll Never Walk Alone" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1949 | "Younger Than Springtime" | Richard Rodgers | Oscar Hammerstein II | |
1930 | "You're Driving Me Crazy" | Walter Donaldson | Gus Kahn | |
1933 | "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me" | Harry Warren | Al Dubin | |
1931 | "You're My Everything" | Harry Warren | Mort Dixon and Joe Young | |
1928 | "You're the Cream in My Coffee" | Ray Henderson | Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown | |
1934 | "You're the Top" | Cole Porter | Cole Porter |
Revivals[]
In 1970, rock musician Ringo Starr surprised the public by releasing an album of Songbook songs from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, Sentimental Journey. Reviews were mostly poor or even disdainful,[23] but the album reached number 22 on the US Billboard 200[24] and number 7 in the UK Albums Chart,[25] with sales of 500,000.[26]
It's a lot of songs that were my initiation to music. It's all the tracks that, when my mother and my father came home from the pub out [of] their heads, they'd sing all these songs.
— Ringo Starr[27]
Other pop singers who established themselves in the 1960s or later followed with albums reviving songs from the Great American Songbook, beginning with Harry Nilsson in 1973[28] and continuing into the 21st century.[A] Linda Ronstadt, Rod Stewart, and Bob Dylan made several such albums. Of Ronstadt's 1983 album, What's New, her first in a trilogy of standards albums recorded with arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle, Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote:
What's New isn't the first album by a rock singer to pay tribute to the golden age of pop, but is ... the best and most serious attempt to rehabilitate an idea of pop that Beatlemania and the mass marketing of rock LPs for teen-agers undid in the mid-'60s. During the decade prior to Beatlemania, most of the great band singers and crooners of the '40s and '50s codified a half-century of American pop standards on dozens of albums, many of them now long out-of-print.[29]
See also[]
- Great American Songbook Foundation
- Lounge music
- Show tunes
- Songbook
- Tin Pan Alley
- Traditional pop music
Notes[]
- ^ Including Willie Nelson with Stardust (1978),[30] Dr. John with In a Sentimental Mood (1989),[31] Brian Wilson with Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin (2010),[32] Paul McCartney with Kisses on the Bottom (2012),[33] Bob Dylan with Shadows in the Night (2015),[34][35] Fallen Angels (2016),[36] and Triplicate (2017),[37] and James Taylor with American Standard (2020).[38]
References[]
- ^ "A Great American Songbook Foundation". The Center For The Performing Arts.
- ^ Chilton, Martin (April 3, 2020). "Cover To Cover: The Story Of The Great American Songbook | uDiscover".
- ^ a b c d Miller, Michael (2008). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music History. Penguin. p. 175. ISBN 9781440636370.
- ^ "The Center for the Performing Arts". The Center For The Performing Arts.
- ^ a b c d e f g "After An Education In American Jazz, A Musician Tackles The Turkish Songbook". NPR.org.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Feinstein, Michael (February 11, 2015). "'The B Side,' by Ben Yagoda". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Friedwald, Will. "Jazz Vocalists". New York. June 14, 1993. p. 6A.
- ^ Wilder, Alec (1990). American Popular Song: The Great Innovators 1900–1950. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-501445-6.
- ^ Deborah Grace Winer (September 1, 2003). "Girl Singers: From nightclubs and concert halls to recordings, today's best vocalists put a new spin on old favorites". Town & Country. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2012.(subscription required)
- ^ Clodfelter, Tim (September 5, 2010). "Tony Bennett says a key to his continued success is being true to the audience". Winston-Salem Journal.
- ^ a b c d e f Polit, Katherine. "The Great American Songbook In The Classical Voice Studio". Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. May 2014. p. 73.
- ^ Murray, Steve. "Michael Feinstein: Crooners". CabaretScenes.org. May 23, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Purdy, Stephen. "Musical Theatre Song: A Comprehensive Course in Selection, Preparation, and Presentation for the Modern Performer". Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016. pt. 115.
- ^ a b c "The Great American Songbook – The Composers". Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ^ a b Purdy, Stephen. Musical Theatre Song: A Comprehensive Course in Selection, Preparation, and Presentation for the Modern Performer. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016. pt. 32.
- ^ "The Great American Songbook – The Composers". HalLeonard.com. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cole, Clay (2009). Sh-Boom!: The Explosion of Rock 'n' Roll, 1953–1968. Morgan James Publishing. ISBN 9781600377686.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Great Performances". "The Great American Songbook: Introduction". "PBS". March 11, 2003.
- ^ a b c d e f g "The Great American Songbook". The Johnny Mercer Foundation. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ Dicker, Shira. "Gotta Dance? Swing on Over". New York Times. December 22, 2011.
- ^ Venutolo, Anthony. ""Boardwalk Empire" recap: 'Make a promise to you, break another to myself'". "NJ.com". November 4, 2013.
- ^ "J. Fred Coots, songwriter: reference sources (web and print); selected songs; recordings, videos; miscellany". Greatamericansongbook.net. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ James Hall (March 20, 2020). "Ringo Starr's Sentimental Journey: how an 'embarrassing' solo album helped doom the Beatles". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
To many Beatles fans, Sentimental Journey was awkward... a novelty record. ...John Lennon dismissed it as 'embarrassing'. ...the critics maul[ed] it.
(subscription required) Robert Christgau. "Consumer Guide Album – Ringo Starr: Sentimental Journey [Apple, 1970]". Robertchristgau.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020.For over-fifties and Ringomaniacs: the reports that he did this collection of standards for his Mums are obviously true. C MINUS.
Shaffner, Nicholas (1980). The Boys From Liverpool. New York: Methuan. p. 162. ISBN 9780416306613. Retrieved July 22, 2020.Casting himself as the sort of Frank Sinatra-style singer his mother had always adored, Ringo recorded Sentimental Journey, an album of songs from the twenties, thirties, and forties. This was the last thing Beatlemaniacs wished to hear...
Greil Marcus (May 14, 1970). "Ringo Starr". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2020.Sentimental Journey may be horrendous, but at least it's classy. Or is it?
Georgiy Starostin. "Ringo Starr". The Tower of Babel. Retrieved July 22, 2020.A horrendous bunch of Hollywood tunes - the biggest imaginable blow to a Beatles' reputation. What an odd record to represent the very first true post-Beatles collection of material by any solo Beatle... the record is so grotesquely ridiculous that it isn't even pukey.
Jacob Shelton (March 27, 2020). "Ringo Starr Releases His First Ever Solo Album in 1970: How Did That Go?". Groovy History. Retrieved July 22, 2020.[Sentimental Journey] received scathing reviews. Starr’s singing was mocked as was the maudlin tone of the album.
- ^ "Chart History: Ringo Starr". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ "Ringo Starr". Official Charts. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ Nick Deriso (March 27, 2015). "Why Ringo Starr Began His Solo Career With 'Sentimental Journey'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Townsquare Media. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
- ^ James Hall (March 20, 2020). "Ringo Starr's Sentimental Journey: how an 'embarrassing' solo album helped doom the Beatles". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved July 22, 2020.(subscription required)
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night". AllMusic.
- ^ Stephen Holden; Dargis, Manohla (September 4, 1983). "Linda Ronstadt Celebrates The Golden Age of Pop". The New York Times. Retrieved May 10, 2007.(subscription required)
- ^ Deusner, Stephen (August 15, 2008). "Willie Nelson Stardust: Legacy Edition". Pitchfork Media. Pitchfork Media Inc. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
- ^ "Dr. John: In a Sentimental Mood". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ "Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin by Brian Wilson". Metacritic.com.
- ^ Hermes, Will (February 7, 2012). "Kisses on the Bottom | Album Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
- ^ Turner, Gustavo (January 24, 2015). "The secret Sinatra past of Bob Dylan's new album". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (January 29, 2015). "Shadows in the Night review – an unalloyed pleasure". The Guardian. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ Brown, Helen (May 13, 2016). "Bob Dylan, Fallen Angels, review -'inhabiting classics with weathered ease'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ "Bob Dylan's First Three-Disc Album — Triplicate — Set For March 31 Release". bobdylan.com. January 31, 2017. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
- ^ Monger, Timothy. "James Taylor – American Standard". AllMusic.
Further reading[]
- Bloom, Ken (2005). The American Songbook: The Singers, the Songwriters, and the Songs. New York: Black Dog & Levental Publishers. ISBN 1-579-12448-8.
- Furia, Philip (1992). Poets of Tin Pan Alley. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-195-07473-4.
- Furia, Philip (2006). (with Michael Lasser) America's Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Broadway, Hollywood, and Tin Pan Alley. Routledge. ISBN 0415990521.
- Furia, Philip (2010). (with Laurie Patterson) The Songs of Hollywood. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195337082.
- Furia, Philip (2015). (with Laurie Patterson) The American Song Book: The Tin Pan Alley Era. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199391882.
- Morath, Max (2002). The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Popular Standards. Penguin-Perigee Trade. ISBN 978-0-399-52744-9.
- Yagoda, Ben (2015). The B-Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song. New York: Riverhead Books. ISBN 978-1-594-48849-8.
- Zinsser, William (2001). Easy to Remember: The Great American Songwriters and Their Songs. Boston: David R. Godine. ISBN 1-567-92147-7.
External links[]
- Martini in the Morning radio program featuring the Great American Songbook
- PBS Special on the Great American Songbook
- Popular Songwriters and The Great American Songbook
- The American Songbook Preservation Society
- The Great American Songbook Foundation
- The Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook
- American songs
- Jazz standards
- 1920s in American music
- 1930s in American music
- 1940s in American music
- 1950s in American music
- 1960s in American music
- Nostalgia in the United States