New World Records NEW WORLD RECORDS 701 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10036; (212) 302-0460; (212) 944-1922 fax email: [email protected] www.newworldrecords.org Come Josephine in my Flying Machine: Inventions and Topics in Popular Song 1910-1929 New World NW 233 he creation of popular music in America has inventions, devices, gadgets, and diversions of all T been closely tied to the ways the music was kinds. There were “The Railroad” (1828), “The performed, the growing and changing composi- Lighthouse” (1841), the “Atlantic Telegraph Polka” tion of the audience, and the emergence of high- (1868), “Velocipedia” (1868), “At the Roller Skat- ly commercial entertainment enterprises. The ing Rink” (1884), and “Snap Shot Girl” (1899). adaptation of certain mechanical, optical, and Telephone songs were particularly numerous: electrical devices to the needs of entertainment “The Telephone Polka” (1877), “The Telephone has also influenced popular music. The marked Wonder” (1884), “Kissing Papa Through the local or regional character of much of our music Telephone” (1889), and “My Own Little Tele- in the nineteenth century either faded or became phone Belle”(1903), to cite a few. part of the mainstream. In America, moreover, the Similarly social issues, political campaigns, and development of popular song has been affected events have inspired numbers such as “The by diverse ethnic and social forces that have Bloomer Girl Quick Step” (1851), the temperance made this music not only rich in content and song “A Cup of Cold Water” (1873),“Blaine from quality but also an influence throughout the Maine” (1884), “The Johnstown Flood” (1889), world. In the end, the whole became more and “Meet Me in St.Louis, Louis”(1904). important than the parts. The appeal and influence of the earlier topical Although love songs and sentimental ballads songs is often difficult to assess, but the great have accounted for most popular music, the number of them is certainly significant, and topi- topical song has always been important in cal material has remained prominent in American America. Stephen Collins Foster wrote durable music.Although the commercialism of the music pieces about horse races, a dog, and imaginary business often seemed oppressive to creative southern homes. James Bland, another gifted freedom (because of the requirements in plug- writer, used golden slippers, tapioca, and silver ging a song, or because the companies wished to trumpets as subjects. In the present century retain an artist’s recording character), a surpris- Irving Berlin used the telephone, a mythical rag- ing number of good topical songs were not only time band, violins, pianos, and girls on magazine written but welcomed by the publishers, per- covers as inspiration. formers, and public. A song had to be easily Early published music clearly reflects the sung, played, and remembered while retaining American’s preoccupation with things—with just the right amount of difference or incorporat- 1 ing some melodic or lyric hook to set it apart.The Two” (1934), “Chattanooga Choo Choo” (1941), sixteen topical songs here represent but a small and “The Old Piano Roll Blues” (1950).There were sampling of the output between 1900 and 1930. also big-band favorites such as Billy Strayhorn’s Songs about new inventions became less numer- wonderful “Take the A Train” (1941), with words ous after 1930, probably because fewer gadgets of that nobody seems to recall. There was even a great importance were introduced, especially witty put-down of the world of things with its inventions that seemed useful in courtship. In ugliness and dangers in “Civilization” (1947), a this, however, song titles are no accurate barome- fast-paced indictment of a materialistic society ter. Although there may be no song devoted sole- gone mad with taxicabs and A-bombs. ly to the refrigerator, the line “I’ll stock my heart with icy frigid air” in “I’m Through with Love” CARL H. SCHEELE is in charge of the Division of Postal History at (1931) was an obvious pun, and the more explicit the Smithsonian Institution. He has written many articles and two phrase “picking on a wishbone from the books on postal history, A Short History of the Mail Service and Frigidaire” appeared cleverly in “Two Sleepy Neither Snow nor Rain:The Story of the United States Mails. In 1969 he became the first chairman of the Department of Applied Arts of the People” (1938). But the older inventions and National Museum of History and Technology. In 1974 he became things, along with a few new ones, did hold the chairman of “A Nation of Nations,” a Bicentennial exhibit project of attention of songwriters. There were, to name a the museum, and contributed three chapters to A Nation of Nations (New York: Harper & Row, 1976), the book based on the project. few, “Flying Down to Rio” (1933), “Cocktails for Side One the tune on a grand piano while a vaudeville during the first twenty Band 1 musical staff with superimposed years of this century. His recording Oceana Roll drawings of dancing gobs, fish, and career began with Victor in 1907, (Roger Lewis and Lucien Denni) tables and chairs frames the whole. and he continued to be heard until References to England and Spain in 1917 on records produced by Eddie Morton, vocal; studio orchestra. Roger Lewis’ lyrics are significant. Columbia, Edison, Zonophone, Recorded July 12, 1911, in New York. Spain had been beaten by America Emerson, and other firms as well as Originally issued on Victor 16908. in the short war of 1898 and Victor. This body of work includes stripped of important parts of her a number of good ragtime pieces— President Theodore Roosevelt colonial empire. The thought of ”Wild Cherries Rag,”“That Peculiar sent a large part of the United even a peaceful visit by the Rag”—plus some popular comic States Navy on a world cruise from American fleet to Spanish waters rousers like Harry Von Tilzer’s December, 1907, to February, 1909, would be especially galling to the “Don’t Take Me Home,” which Mor- to emphasize to the powerful recent losers; but the jingoistic ton recorded for Columbia in 1909. nations—especially Japan, which implications in the lyrics, which are Morton’s version of “Oceana Roll” had objected to an order of the San otherwise breezy and concerned was coupled with “Alexander’s Francisco School Board to segregate with ragtime being played on an Ragtime Band” (sung by Arthur children of Oriental origin—that unlikely seagoing piano, reveal, if Collins and Byron G. Harlan) and the United States naval forces fleetingly, the great expansionist remained available in shops until at ranked second only to those of confidence so often evident in least 1920.The unusually long-lived Great Britain (Japan’s ranked fifth). America before World War I. popularity of Irving Berlin’s song For Roosevelt’s purposes, the cruise The composer, Lucien Denni, was undoubtedly helped Denni’s num- turned out to be very effective. born in Nancy, France, in 1886. It ber, but “Oceana Roll” had staying Moreover, the glories of this “New remains a surprise to many students power of its own. It was given one Navy,” capable of steaming any- of ragtime that a non-native could last prominent and fond public where and frightening almost any- produce a competently written notice by Charlie Chaplin, who in a one, captured the imagination of song of this type. But the raggy subtitle in the charming cabin those at home. quality is there, and the song, with scene of the film The Gold Rush The cover of the sheet music to its appeal in both the tune and the (1925) informs the girl of his “Oceana Roll” depicts (somewhat words, which refer directly to rag- dreams that he will dance the inaccurately) the U.S.S. Alabama— time and syncopation, was a hit “Oceana Roll.” Chaplin, with a fork commissioned in 1900 and techni- right from the start. in each hand, then spears two cally classified as a battleship—with Eddie Morton (1870-1938) was a baked potatoes and proceeds to its black smoke “floating up to native of Philadelphia who dance a manual ballet on a dinner heaven.” A sailor sits banging out achieved considerable fame in plate, deftly and gracefully manipu- 2 lating the potato feet (a routine, as other songs with the possible The impact of the popular maga- it turns out, lifted from a Fatty exception of “The Love Nest,” from zine on American taste before 1920 Arbuckle picture). It is probable Mary (1920), a superb number with was equivalent to similar later influ- that movie-house piano players pro- words by Otto Harbach. “Hello, ences imposed by the theater, vided an accurate accompaniment Frisco,” the biggest hit from the motion pictures, radio, and televi- by rendering “Oceana Roll.” Ziegfeld Follies of 1915, eventually sion. Magazines such as the Sat- became a standard and was the urday Evening Post and the Ladies’ Band 2 inspiration for the 1943 motion-pic- Home Journal circulated to more ture musical Hello, Frisco, Hello, a than a million subscribers well Hello, Frisco World War II hummer starring Alice before America’s entry into World (Gene Buck and Louis A. Hirsch) Faye, John Payne, and Jack Oakie. War I. The magazine of the second The song’s success owed more half of the nineteenth century had Elida Morris and Sam Ash, vocals; studio than a little to Gene Buck’s lyrics. been transformed into a powerful orchestra. Recorded June 30, 1915, in The words create a near-perfect molder of opinion. It attracted New York. Originally issued on illusion of placing a transcontinen- authors as well known but dissimi- Columbia A-1801.