Gershwin, Lyrics and Other Wonders

Hello Everyone and Welcome to my new place on the internet.

 
Introduction...

This is an introduction to my blog and what its all about, but before I go on, I'd simply like to thank everyone who has taken the time to stop by and sample this work in progress.  Thank you so much!

 Gathering from its title, you may have some idea of what this blog is about.  My site is all about words...words as lyrics and the power of lyrics to transform the individual through their ideas.  My intention is that Original Lyrics-->Classic Pop Style will become an online journey into not only a deeper study of lyrics, but that it will also be my own personal tribute to an era of songwriting that to this day remains unmatched for the timeless quality of the songs it produced.   In addition, from time to time I will be including some of my own original song lyrics that I have written in the style of the American Classic Pop songs.  

I would also like to offer personal reflections on the various lyrics penned by lyricists who I have come to admire and draw inspiration from.  Part of what I write here will also be background stories on various classic pop songs, along with my own personal anecdotes on lyrics, songs and music.

Some visiting this site may already be familiar with classic pop songs.  But for those visitors who may not be familiar with them,  American classic pop songs are, simply put, among the most well-crafted, timeless and beautiful songs ever written.

"The songs of classic pop may also be said to possess certain ineffable qualities, including but not limited to an ease and memorability of melody, along with wit and charm of lyric."--Wiki

The genre of classic pop predates the advent of rock and roll by nearly half a century.  Starting around the time of World War I and up until the 1950's, classic pop drew material from the early songwriters of Tin Pan Alley, then songs created for the stage (George White's "Scandals", Ziegfield's "Follies'), for Broadway and film. Some of the songwriters who originally got their start, having become well-known stage composers, eventually headed out to Hollywood to write for film.  Scoring for film then was financially lucrative and a big enticement to Broadway composers back East.

  Examining songs from film here is one example of one of the most beautiful songs ever written for a film.  It is a 1950 song entitled "Invitation"  with music by Bronislau Kaper and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster.  A truly fascinating song, this hauntingly beautiful melody was equally matched by beautiful, mysterious lyrics...lyrics which seem to tell of a romance not in the present, but somewhere in the future.  The lyrics of this enchanting melody anticipate a romance yet to come.  The song has an almost surreal, dreamy feel to it. Listening to it, the vibes that I get from this song are distinctly different than what I usually get from other songs. The song somehow has a special quality to it that sets is apart from most other film songs.  And in my opinion, the only way to fully appreciate this special song as a vocal, is simply to listen to Rosemary Clooney's rendition of "Invitation".  The richness and mature sound that Rosemary brings to "Invitation", along with Nelson Riddle's perfect arrangement, makes this the best vocal rendition of "Invitation" that I personally, have heard. 

 Well-known songwriters such as Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George & Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, Vincent Youmans, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, Billy Strayhorn, Jule Styne, Bert Kalmar & Harry Ruby, Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart and Hammerstein, Duke Ellington and Count Basie are incredibly among just a small sampling of the many composers and lyricists who contributed to this golden era of songwriting. The question is sometimes raised about female songwriters of this golden era of songwriting.  Why do we always hear about male songwriters but hardly ever about female songwriters?  This is a good question.  Although women were in the distinct minority during this era, there are in fact a few who are included in the golden era of the classic pop songs.   Ann Ronell wrote the well-known standard some of you may have heard of "Willow Weep For Me", and lyricist Dorothy Fields wrote "I'm In The Mood For Love".   In addition, Kay Swift  gave us the song, "Can This Be Love".  Until the age of rock and roll, songwriting did remain for the most part, a male-dominated field.  This isn't surprising for the times however.  This was also a time when most orchestras nationwide were male-dominated.  Still, it remains a mystery as to why more talented women didn't assert themselves more and push themselves into this male-dominated "songwriters club".

One of the reasons why classic pop songs remain popular even among some contemporary performers of today--artist such as Linda Ronstadt, Harry Connick Jr., Rod Stewart, Queen Latifah and Diana Krall--just to name a few--is simply because of the way these songs from the past were written. In an interview Linda Ronstadt once compared the strength and quality of Gershwin melodies to being like steel legs that could lift themselves up and walk on their own without accompaniment.  And she was absolutely right!  Gershwin melodies are so strong, that a performer would have to be pretty lousy to mess up a Gershwin song.  Even a performer at a microphone with a big fish hanging out of his mouth would sound good singing "S'Wonderful".  That's how good a Gershwin song is.  A professional singer would have to be a real Shmuck to mess up Gershwin--and should probably get out of the business.

 Gershwins, Lyrics, and Other Wonders...


When composer/songwriter George Gershwin died suddenly in 1937, his brother and lyricist, Ira Gershwin was left with the task of completing the song that the two of them had been working on together for the film, The Goldwyn Follies.  The song is "Love Is Here To Stay".  Over the years, many people have described "Love Is Here To Stay" as being Ira Gershwin's tribute to his brother George.  And it is certainly that.  But I feel it is so much more.  Since the time of the Gershwin song hit "Swanee" which launched George's songwriting career, "Love Is Here To Stay" is the most significant bookend of this great composer/songwriter's career.  I feel this way about "Love Is Here To Stay" not because of what financial success the song has had, but something more than that.  The wisdom of this song, with its deeper meaning and relevance even for us today, is so clear and was written with such beauty and with so much heart and soul, that this song is one of the most important songs of the Gershwin Brother's life-long collaboration, and certainly one of the most meaningful songs ever written by any songwriter.  It is a definitive song which reflects upon the distractions and troubles of this world in which we live, yet concludes this life with a universal message of something deeper and more meaningful than the "passing fancies" of the crazy world around us.  That message is the affirmation of eternal, undiminished love. The song also seems a fitting tribute to an amazing artistic collaboration between the two brothers.  Every time I listen to a vocal rendition of "Love Is Here To Stay" I am compelled to reflect upon its meaning...the words of Ira spoken so gently in this song. 

Anyone who knows or who has learned about the Gershwin brothers, is probably aware of their relationship.  Ira Gershwin adored his younger brother George. Quiet and being somewhat shy, Ira was content to remain in the background and simply watch his brother George bask in the spotlight--something that George did naturally and willingly.  George was a very extroverted, natural showman and a very skilled pianist.  Nowhere was this more apparent than at parties the brothers attended, where George would be seated at the piano before anyone could blink an eye, and have the whole room of people suddenly gravitate towards him surrounding the piano.  At one such party at West 8th Street in Greenwich Village, at the home of Lou & Emily Paley (friends of the Gershwins), playwright S.N. Behrman reflects...

"I know nothing, technically, about music.  But when I heard him, I found that I had intuition of my own, as a listener.  I felt when on the instant he sat down to play, the newness, the humor--above all, the rush of the great heady surf of vitality.  The room became freshly oxygenated; everybody felt it, everybody breathed it.  I knew from the first Saturday night at the Paleys' that I was having the best time I'd ever had in my life." S. N. Behrman from Fascinating rhythm: the collaboration of George and Ira Gershwin By Deena Rosenberg

I've always believed that great songwriters teach as much as they entertain.  Through setting an example of what  can be accomplished in writing, they teach others.  And no one quite taught like the Gershwin brothers.

In song, lyrics are often thought of as occupying the subordinate place with the music having top billing. Songwriters used to joke that the music (of a song) is the husband, while the lyrics are the wife.  Kinda sexist, don't you think?  But this is due, in part, to the obvious fact that instrumental renditions of a successful song do not rely upon the lyrics of the song in performances, and can be financially lucrative apart from the lyrics.  Some may think it's because people don't pay as much attention to the lyrics as they do the music and they might therefore be led to assume that the lyrics of a song are not as important as the melody.  However, as seen in the Gershwin song "Love Is Here To Stay", you can see the important role lyrics can play in songs.  The days of "moon", "spoon" & "June" have long since been over (not that I don't appreciate them).  And even with the intelligence and sophistication in lyrics that has come out since, there is still this lingering perception of the melody being the true "substance" of the song while the lyrics play second fiddle.  Some songwriters have internalized this perception of lyrics to the point of caring so little for the lyrics of a song, that they write lyrics that seem like total nonsense--so long as the melody is marketable.  The best example however, of a good, even great, song, is a song where both the music and lyrics stand out and compliment one another--sort of like a good marriage.  These are the type of songs...the sort of lyrics that I'm drawn to--lyrics that dig down deep and bring to the surface whatever beauty or  emotion that is there.  And in such lyrics, there is no place for "political correctness" which represses creativity.

Political correctness be damned-type lyrics are most often associated with songs in and beyond the era of rock and roll.  Such bold lyrics can be found in musica  genre including rock, folk, soul, heavy metal and in Hip-Hop and rap.  Songs from the classic pop era were most often know for their wit, charm, romance and sweetness as these songs were created for stage and film.   At times when the lyrics of these songs squarely took on taboo issues (as in the case of the Rodgers & Hammerstein song "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught" from the musical South Pacific) they were met with resistance or efforts to either change or eliminate them. 

Critics of this South Pacific song wanted Richard Rodgers to remove the song from the show.  He adamently refused to do so.  And the show continued to be successful despite critic's grievances against this important song. 

It can be said that "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught" was an early "theatrical protest song", which helped pave the way for future protest songs.  Having gone well beyond "moon",  "spoon" and "June", songs like "Love Is Here To Stay" and "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught" and others, demonstrate the impact that carefully considered song lyrics can have on people.  As in other artistic and non-artistic areas of communication, where thoughts and ideas can be expressed verbally, there is always going to be the challenge to defend freedom of expression, as well as the opportunity to raise the bar.  I believe that this is where you will find the true heart and soul of lyrics, music and the spirit within the creation of its songs. 


--DiamondHead