NRR Project: 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?' (1932)

 

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.

 They used to tell me I was building a dream,

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.

NRR Project: Schnabel plays the Beethoven sonatas

 

NRR Project: Beethoven – Complete Sonatas

Performed by Artur Schnabel

Recorded 1931

I could not hope to surpass the explanatory essay written by James Irsay about this project – you canread it here.

Suffice it to say that, despite the severe technical limitations of the 78 rpm record, the HMV recording company sought to get well-off listeners to subscribe to a project that would commemorate a classical composer. This they did, with a complete recording of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, all performed by Schnabel, then the pre-eminent pianist of his day.

Listening to those recordings, it is remarkable how lively and playful Schnabel’s interpretation is. He moves at times with blindingly fast tempi, but does not neglect to illuminate the music by maintaining a clear, open sound.

The success of Schnabel’s project meant that many other classical artists began to find satisfaction in recording huge swathes of the classical repertoire.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next up: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

NRR Project: The Boswell Sisters sing 'It's the Girl' (1931)

NRR Project: ‘It’s the Girl’

Composed by David Oppenheim and Abel Baer

Performed by the Boswell Sisters with the Dorsey Brothers

Recorded July 8, 1931

3:16

Everybody remembers the singing trio the Andrews Sisters, but far fewer people know the group that inspired them, and countess other trios in the jazz era.

The Boswell Sisters, Martha, Connee, and Vet, grew up in New Orleans, where they were trained in classical music and exposed to contemporary music-making from both the white and Black populations of the area. The three started off performing together in vaudeville, then got noticed by the radio and recordings industries. Their repertoire soon consisted of jazz and popular songs styled as jazz. Their unique sound propelled them to popularity. Soon their unique harmonies were heard across the country.

What the Boswells were so good at was in arranging close-harmony tunes that really swung. Due to their musical prowess, they were able to rewrite and -arrange the tunes they were given to work with, turning them into streamlined ear candy that was undeniably catchy. (Some songwriters and some listeners didn’t enjoy this.) They chose and worked with some of the best instrumental accompanists of the day.

“It’s the Girl” is a typical Boswell treatment. (For comparison, listen to “When I Take My Sugar to Tea” and “The Object of My Affection.”) The opening I fast-paced, with swooping vocals, full stops, and untamed vocalizing moving in and among the melodic and harmonic lines. The song then slows down to a legato pace, letting the soloist style the bridge/intro. Then all three leap back in at double time, coming to a screeching halt at the song’s finish line.

The trio broke up in 1936. Connee would go on to have a notable solo career, but the heyday of the group was over. Fortunately, we have a decade of recordings of theirs to enjoy and analyze.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next up: Arthur Schnabel plays the complete Beethoven piano sonatas.

NRR Project: Early stereo (1931)

NRR Project: Bell Laboratories experimental stereo recordings – Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stowkowski, conductor (1931-1932)

Here is a highly technical entry into the series. To really understand it, to need to read the explanatory essay by Larry Huffman, which you can read here.

It seems that the desire for stereophonic sound came much earlier in the history of recording than is generally thought. Here we have an example of extensive research and experimentation with stereo recording. You can find some samples of the results of these recordings on line, and they certainly sound much closer to what we enjoy today than the old monoaural recordings of the period.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next up: It’s the Girl.

 

NRR Project: Will Rogers speaks -- 'Bacon, Beans, and Limousines' (1931)

 

NRR Project: ‘Bacon, Beans, and Limousines’

Written and performed by Will Rogers

Broadcast October 18, 1931

10:35

One hundred years ago, the most popular entertainer in America was Will Rogers. Few people today know how pervasive his presence was. He dominated all media, including films, radio, newspapers, and the stage.

Rogers (1879-1935) is the American humorist best known for saying, “I never met a man I didn’t like,” which was not strictly true. (He was mean once to H. Allen Smith when Smith tried to interview him at Cheyenne Frontier Days. So there.) He was a cowboy philosopher, a fount of common sense during a crazy time in American history.

He was born in Oklahoma, and grew up on a ranch. He dropped out of school after the 10^th grade, and began performing as a rider and a trick roper in rodeos. Gradually, around 1905, he transitioned into vaudeville, where he spun his lariat and interjected jokes and observations if his trick didn’t come off. He started working in more prestigious New York shows. Soon his humorous remarks began to supersede the rope tricks, and he was making money as a comic monologist.

From that role he branched out into other disciplines. He appeared on Broadway. He made 48 silent films, and 21 sound features. He was a top box office draw. It was only natural that the government turned to him to broadcast on behalf of President Hoover’s Organization on Unemployment Relief. He stepped up to the microphone and delivered his take on the trouble he found America in.

It was during this address that he famously stated, “We’ll hold the distinction of being the only nation in the history of the world that ever went to the poor house in an automobile.” In his address, Rogers makes note of the unequal distribution of wealth, and argued for full employment (he was a Democrat). Such candor, couched in humor, had not been heard over the airwaves before, and it proved incredibly popular with the listening audience.

Rogers would continue to make his sharp and funny observations until he died tragically young in a plane crash in 1935.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next up: Stokowski in stereo.

NRR Project: 'Minnie the Moocher' (1931)

NRR Project: ‘Minnie the Moocher’

Composed by Cab Calloway, Irving Mills, Clarence Gaskill

Performed by Cab Calloway and his Orchestra

Recorded March 3, 1931

3:00

It was the first record by an African-American to sell a million copies. It cemented the reputation and bolstered the career of the flamboyant and tuneful Cab Calloway.

Calloway (1907-1994) was one of the breakout stars of the Harlem Renaissance. He started off by working in Chicago clubs as a singer, a drummer, and a master of ceremonies. Eventually he moved to New York, where Louis Armstrong recommended him as a singer of “Ain’t Misbehavin’” in a musical revue. This caused another band to hire him on as bandleader.

As Cab Calloway and His Band, they soon got a highly desirable gig as the band at the Cotton Club when Duke Ellington was on tour. Soon, however, they had the job full time. Calloway was a relentlessly engaging performer – he had energy, inventiveness, charisma. Then, in 1931, he recorded his signature song, “Minnie the Moocher.”

The song is based on an earlier number, “Willie the Weeper,” about a drug-addicted chimney sweep that made its rounds in vaudeville in the early 1900’s. Calloway probably cribbed most directly from Frankie “Half-Pint” Jaxon’s 1927 recording of the song.

But Calloway turbocharged the material. He tells the story of Minnie the Moocher, a “low-down hoochy-coocher” with a boyfriend who was into cocaine, and who taught her “how to kick the gong around” (smoke opium). She takes drugs, and flies off to a world of fantasy. She meets the King of Sweden, who gives her everything “she was needin,’” setting her up with a home, a car, horses and fancy meals, and a million dollars in nickels and dimes. In doing so, he created a contemporary folk figure – many sequel and answer-songs on the topic were composed in the wake of this song’s success.

Perhaps the most infectious part of the song is the call-and-response chorus. “Hi-de-hi-de-hi,” sings Calloway, and everyone repeats him. "Ho-de-ho-de-ho!" Back and forth goes the melody. As the song continues, the choruses become longer and more complicated, until Calloway is scatting beyond the ability of the audience to keep up.

The song was the big hit of 1931. Soon Calloway was known as the “Hi-De-Ho Man.” He appeared in Betty Boop cartoons, singing the song. Calloway would perform for another 50 years, but “Minnie” was always on the set list. It is worth today to look up video of Calloway’s performances, to see his wild dancing and extravagant gestures. He was the quintessential showman.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next up: Bacon, Beans and Limousines.

NRR Project: 'Suncook Town Tragedy' (1930)

NRR Project: ‘Suncook Town Tragedy’

Sung by Mabel Wilson Tatro

Recorded July 1930

2:12

Oh, boy, a murder ballad! Ever since I was overexposed to “Tom Dooley” as a child, they have been a favorite of mine.

Murder ballads are exactly that – songs that outline a ghastly, true crime and its inevitable punishment.

These kinds of songs have been around for hundreds of years, most of them organic creations by amateurs that wind up as enduring folk songs. “Knoxville Girl,” “Pretty Polly,” “Ballad of Little Romy” -- they serve as the sensationalistic billboards of the time, drawing in listeners riveted by their horrifying details.

Such is the case with “Suncook Town Tragedy,” which is based on an actual murder in 1875 New Hampshire. It’s sung here by Mabel Wilson Tatro, who relates it acapella. It tells of the story of the killing of a 17-year-old girl and of the criminal’s comeuppance afterward.

This excellent example of the genre was collected by Helen Hartness Flanders, a Vermonter who for 30 years, from 1930 to 1960, traveled across New England collecting songs and stories that otherwise would have been lost to memory. This NRR selection serves as an example of her findings, and commemorates the more than 4,000 recordings she preserved for mankind.

The National Recording Registry Project tracks one writer’s expedition through all the recordings in the National Recording Registry in chronological order. Next up: Minnie the Moocher.