NRR Project: ‘Brother,
Can You Spare a Dime?’
Music: Jay Gorney;
Lyrics: E.Y. Harburg
Performed by Bing
Crosby with Lenny Hayton and his Orchestra; 3:12
Performed by Rudy
Vallee; 3:40
Recorded 1932
This song is truly what NPR declared to be “the anthem of the Great Depression.”
It first appeared in the October 1932 Broadway show Americana. It became a hit overnight, and by the end of the year both Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee recorded it with great success – thus the double listing of performances.
The composer, Jay Gorney, born Abraham Jacob Gornetzky, was a refugee from Russia when he was 10. He is best remembered as the discoverer of Shirely Temple. “Brother”’s tune is based on a lullaby he heard as a child, a minor-key ballad that emphasizes the pathos expressed in the words. And what words! They tell a story, convey a complex mood, and serve as a call to action, all at the same time. They were the marvelous work of E.Y. Harburg.
And so I followed
the mob,
When there was earth
to plow,
Or guns to bear, I
was always there,
Right on the job.
They used to tell me
I was building a dream,
With peace and glory
ahead.
Why should I be
standing in line
Just waiting for
bread?
Once I built a
railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a
railroad; Now it's done.
Brother, can you
spare a dime?
Once I built a tower
up to the sun, brick and rivet and lime.
Once I built a
tower, now it's done.
Brother, can you
spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits,
gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodle
dum.
Half a million boots
went sloggin' through Hell,
And I was the kid
with the drum!
Say don’t you
remember?
They called me Al.
It was Al all the time.
Why don't you
remember?
I'm your pal.
Buddy, can you spare
a dime?
In the aftermath of the Wall Street crash, various unrealistically cheery songs made their way into the popular consciousness – “Happy Days Are Here Again,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries.” “Brother” was different – it faces the overwhelming problem of having nothing to eat, outlining the singer’s recitation of his willing participation in the World War and business schemes, only to find no financial security at all.
The lyrics take advantage of past and present tense. “Once” the singer went to war, built things; now, he stands in the breadline. “Buddy, can you spare a dime?” is a roughly expressed plea, embarrassing and shamed. The words are few, well chosen, and powerful. “Made it race against time” is an implied lament that can’t be answered.
Lyricist Edgar Yipsel “Yip” Harburg was born Isidore Hochberg in New Tork, the son of immigrants. A boyhood friend of Ira Gershwin, he began to write light verse while he served as the co-owner of an appliance company. In the crash of 1929, he lost his company and turned to writing lyrics. After the “Brother” breakthrough, and after Harburg ran away with Gorney’s wife, he wrote the lyrics for such songs as “April in Paris,” “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” and “Over the Rainbow.”
Harburg and Gorney were socialists, and Harburg was especially militant in his beliefs, to the extent that he was blacklisted by Hollywood for his leftist views from 1951 to 1962. There is definitely an emphasis on the plight of the little guy here; in fact, many radio stations banned it, feeling it was too depressing for the general public.
Both the Bing Crosby and the Rudy Vallee performances of the songs are referenced here. Crosby’s version is more heartfelt and sorrowful, Vallee’s more upbeat, in strict 4/4 time, presented as an almost danceable tune. Vallee includes a spoken introduction, describing it as “A song that has taken its audiences by storm, which may be explained by its theme, which is both poignant and different.” It would be a long time before such hard-hitting material was heard again on the airwaves.
The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next up: Rosina Cohen’s oral narrative.
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