Musical history

If you’re of a certain age and remember what’s now called The Great American Songbook with pleasure, you might enjoy a new book called “The B-Side: The Death of Tin Pan Alley and the Rebirth of the Great American Song.” Written by Ben Yagoda, it’s a brief history of the popular American song and the industry which grew to support its dissemination from sheet music to vinyl.

It’s newly published and has gotten several (Boston Globe) mixed (NPR) reviews (WaPo). I agree with the critics who say he’s too short with his praise for the music which followed that era in the 1950s and beyond, but he’s an enthusiast for the old stuff, so I’m not surprised. Had he gone on to discuss the later music and musicians with the same ardor he did for the earlier ones the book might have balanced out better. At 263 pages, there was room to expand.

Nonetheless it’s a good read if you want to know part of the history of 20th-century American popular culture and its musical underpinnings.

Here’s one of the era’s lesser-known songs, sung by its composer Harold Arlen.

2 Comments

  1. I know that song. I can sing much of the Great American Songbook and recognize almost all of it.

    For a musical surprise, check out this site:

    https://www.cheek2cheek.com/

    Somebody posted a YouTube link of Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett singing It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) – she’s really great, not like you expect.

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