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"One of my very favorite music blogs ever..." - Singer/Songwriter Emma Wallace
"Fascinating... really GREAT!!! You'll learn things about those tunes we all LOVE to play and blow on... SOD is required reading for my advanced students. It's fun, too!" - Nick Mondello of AllAboutJazz.com
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"I had dinner the other night with some former WNEW staff members who spoke very highly of your work." - Joe Fay
A mellow classic from the Big Band era, this jazzy tune was introduced in the 1934 film Murder at the Vanities, in which it was sung by Carl Brisson. It would soon after become on of the Duke Ellington band's most recognizable numbers. It's lyric is a celebration of the repeal of Prohibition which occured the previous year.
Lyrics:
In some secluded rendezvous That overlooks the avenue With someone sharing a delightful chat Of this and that And cocktails for two
As we enjoy a cigarette To some exquisite chansonnette Two hands are sure to slyly meet beneath A serviette With cocktails for two
My head may go reeling But my heart will be obedient With intoxicating kisses For the principal ingredient
Most any afternoon at five We'll be so glad we're both alive Then maybe fortune will complete her plan That all began With cocktails for two
Recorded By:
Duke Ellington Spike Jones Tommy Dorsey Bing Crosby Billy May
One of the most recognizable standard jazz instrumentals of all time, this unique song instantly evokes just what it was meant to: The sordid side of New York City during the 1930s...yet it's still tinged with the beauty that paradoxically characterizes that city. Written originally as a tribute to saxophonist Johnny Hodges, t was introduced the Randy Brooks band in 1940, and became their theme song. Although an instrumental first and foremost, it has been recorded with vocals several times as well. It was used as the theme song to the 1980s TV series Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer.
Recorded By:
Mel Torme David Sanborn The Viscounts Duke Ellington Harry James
An early '30s Tin Pan Alley chestnut that soon became a popular jazz standard after being introduced by Joe Venuti and his orchestra. It has the kind of structure and chord progression that just latches on to you and doesn't let go, whether played mellow--as it usually is--or even upbeat. It was featured prominently in the Scorsese film The Aviator, and I've always wondered why Sinatra never included it on his Moonlight Sinatra album...
Lyrics:
It must have been moonglow, way up in the blue It must have been moonglow that led me straight to you I still hear you sayin', "Dear one, hold me fast" And I keep on prayin', "Oh Lord, please let this last"
We seemed to float right through the air Heavenly songs seemed to come from everywhere
And now when there's moonglow, way up in the blue I'll always remember, that moonglow gave me you
Recorded By:
Benny Goodman Tony Bennett & k.d. lang Artie Shaw Ethel Waters Louis Prima
For this Superbowl Sunday, I give you the unofficial anthem of America's true pastime and greatest sport. Norworth was inspired to write the song by a sign on the subway advertising New York Giants baseball at the Polo Grounds. Von Tilzer would later add lyrics, and the song became a hit on the vaudeville circuit, introduced by Norworth's then-wife Nora Bayes. Interestingly, it would not be played at an actual major league baseball game until the mid 1930s--ironically, right around the time that Norworth and Von Tilzer actually saw their first live game.
Lyrics:
Katie Casey was baseball mad, Had the fever and had it bad. Just to root for the home town crew, Ev'ry sou Katie blew. On a Saturday her young beau Called to see if she'd like to go To see a show, but Miss Kate said "No, I'll tell you what you can do:"
Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd; Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don't care if I never get back. Let me root, root, root for the home team, If they don't win, it's a shame. For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out, At the old ball game.
Recorded By:
Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly Bob Dylan Neil Sedaka & Jerry Lee Lewis Dr. John Esther Williams
According to lyricist Lorenz Hart's autobiography, this song was inspired by a visit to the historic Stockton Inn in New Jersey. Hart reportedly hated he melody and enjoyed taunting Rodgers by ad-libbing raunchy verses for it. Nevertheless, it is a true Rodgers & Hart charmer, written originally for their musical Billy Rose's Jumbo, but used instead for On Your Toes. It was introduced by Ray Bolger and Doris Carson.
Lyrics:
There's a small hotel With a wishing well... I wish that we were there, together.
There's a bridal suite, One room bright and neat... Complete for us to share, together.
Looking through the window, You can see that distant steeple. Not a sign of people -- who wants people?
When the steeple bell says, "Good night, sleep well," We'll thank the small hotel, together.
Recorded By:
Frank Sinatra Ella Fitzgerald Benny Goodman Della Reese Chet Baker
A profoundly moving duet ballad from Kern's Show Boat, usually credited as the first modern Broadway musical. It was introduced on stage by Norma Terris and Howard Marsh (pictured), and also performed to great effect by Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson in the 1951 MGM musical adaptation. It's lyrics, expressed by two people suddenly and spontaneously realizing they are in love with each other, are among the most moving in the Great American Songbook.
Lyrics:
Only make believe I love you, Only make believe that you love me. Others find peace of mind in pretending, Couldn't you? Couldn't I? Couldn't we? Make believe our lips are blending In a phantom kiss, or two, or three. Might as well make believe I love you, For to tell the truth I do
Your pardon I pray 'Twas too much to say The words that betray my heart.
We only pretend You do not offend In playing a lover's part. The game of just supposing Is the sweetest game I know. Our dreams are more romantic Than the world we see.
And if the things we dream about Don't happen to be so, That's just an unimportant technicality.
Though the cold and brutal fact is You and I have never met, We need not mind convention's P's and Q's If we put our thoughts in practice We can banish all regret Imagining most anything we choose.
Only make believe I love you, Only make believe that you love me. Others find peace of mind in pretending, Couldn't you? Couldn't I? Couldn't we? Make believe our lips are blending In a phantom kiss, or two, or three. Might as well make believe I love you, For to tell the truth I do
Recorded By:
Frank Sinatra Jo Stafford Barbra Streisand Peggy Lee & Patrice Munsel Deanna Durbin
She was considered by many to be among the greatest rhythm and blues singers of all time. Her career was marked by dramatic highs and lows, with the latter largely the result of the heroin addiction that consumed years of her life. First achieving success as a teenager in 1954 with the bawdy song "The Wallflower (Dance with Me Henry)", Etta James went on to record a string of hits with Chess Records in the 1960s before disappearing from public view due to her drug problem.
She reemerged in the 1970s and recorded sporadically from then on, developing her style into a unique blend of straightforward blues, R&B and rock. The influence of gospel was also evident in her soulful delivery, and she was particularly noted for her ability to modulate with ease between soft, tender crooning and traditional blues shouting. Her work has been described as a bridge between blues and rock 'n' roll, and she has influenced such performers as The Rolling Stones and Janis Joplin.
Etta James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles--her mother Dorothy was only 14 years old at the time. The identity of her father is uncertain, although she occasionally speculated that he might have been the billiards legend Minnesota Fats. After her mother proved unable to care for her, James was raised by her landlady, Lula Rogers, in the South Central section of L.A. As was the case with many rhythm-and-blues performers, in her youth James sang gospel hymns in her local church choir. James was exceptional, however, performing on gospel radio broadcasts while only five years of age.
In the early 1950s, a teenage Jamesetta Hawkins--by then a self-described juvenile delinquent--joined two other girls to form a singing group called the Creolettes. In 1954 they came to the attention of influential R&B bandleader Johnny Otis, who took them on tour with him, changing the group's name to the Peaches and its lead singer's name to Etta James. Otis got them signed to Modern Records, and before the year was out they had recorded their first single. Written by James and Otis, with James on lead vocals, the song was originally entitled "Roll with Me, Henry". At the request of Modern Records, the title was toned down to "The Wallflower (Dance with Me Henry" despite the fact that the words in the original title remained in the song. The record was a success, reaching number two on the R&B chart.
James spent time in the late 1950s as an opening act at concerts and as a backup singer. She toured with Little Richard, and backup credits from this period include records by the likes of Marvin Gaye and Chuck Berry. She also met one of her idols, Billie Holiday, who prophetically warned her of the potentially self-destructive side of being an entertainer. "Maybe she saw the wildness in my eyes, maybe she saw all the trouble waiting for me," James speculated in a 1995 Jet magazine interview.
At the end of the 1950s, James struck out on her own, moving to Chicago and signing a contract with the blues record label Chess. This period saw the artistic high point of James' output. Between 1960 and 1963 she accumulated 10 charted hits for Chess Records, including her iconic, bluesy rendition of "At Last", which reached number two on the R&B chart in 1961. Several of James' Chess singles from this period were nominated for Grammys, including "All I Could Do Was Cry" in 1960 and "Fool That I Am" in 1961.
Despite her impressive streak, however, James was unable to cross over from the R&B to the pop charts. This was ironic, given the fact that many mainstream vocalists, such as Diana Ross, had adapted elements of her style. Also ironic was that James' addiction to heroin began in 1959, just at the time her career was starting to take off at Chess Records. Her habit worsened through the 1960s, and her initial attempts to cure herself through methadone treatment only made matters worse. In the early 1970s, she sought rehabilitation, checking into a hospital. There she made great strides toward recovery, and finally returned to her music in 1973.
James 1970s comeback faltered slightly with the demise of Chess Records due to bankruptcy. One highpoint, however, included an invitation to appear as an opening act for The Rolling Stones on their 1978 American tour. She had been asked to appear by Stones guitarist Keith Richards, a devoted admirer.
She was artistically silent for much of the 1980s, but the crucial contribution she made to rock 'n' roll music, particularly in its earliest days, was recognized in 1993 with an induction to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. James published her autobiography, Rage to Survive, two years later, not long after finally winning her first Grammy, for the album Mystery Lady: The Songs of Billie Holiday. In recent years, her experiences at Chess were dramatized in the 2008 movie Cadillac Records, in which she was portrayed to great effect by contemporary R&B belter Beyonce Knowles.
Etta James lived out the final years of her life in Riverside, California with her husband Artis Mills. After battling leukemia, she died on Friday at a Riverside hospital in the arms of her 43-year-old son Donto. She was 73.
One of the signature tunes of Thomas "Fats" Waller, although this one was actually introduced by Louis Armstrong. It was later recorded by Waller himself, most notably as an instrumental-only piano piece, and associated so much with the performer that it was included decades later in the stage revue of his work, Ain't Misbehavin'. A fine example of the melodic delights produced by the irrepressible Mr. Waller.
Lyrics:
Keepin' out of mischief now, I really am in love and how. I'm through playin' with fire, It's you whom I desire
All the world can plainly see, You're the only one for me. I have told them in advance, They can't break up our romance.
Livin' up to all my vows, 'Cause I'm keepin' out mischief now.
Recorded By:
Lee Wiley Dinah Washington Barbra Streisand Dick Hyman Louis Armstrong
Along with "Hooray for Hollywood" and "There's No Business Like Show Business," this nostalgic classic has become a true anthem for the entire moviemaking business, particularly the golden age of the 1930-1950s. A large reason for this is its usage as the title and theme song of the unforgettable 1974 compilation tribute to MGM musicals, followed by sequels in 1976 and 1994. Originally, it was written by Schwartz & Dietz for the MGM musical The Band Wagon, in which it was performed by Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Nanette Fabray, Oscar Levant and India Adams (singing for Cyd Charisse).
Lyrics:
Everything that happens in life Can happen in a show You can make 'em laugh You can make 'em cry Anything Anything can go....
The clown with his pants falling down Or the dance that's a dream of romance Or the scene where the villain is mean That's entertainment!
The lights on the lady in tights Or the bride with the guy on the side Or the ball where she gives him her all That's entertainment!
The plot and the hot simply teeming with sex A gay divorcee who is after her ex It could be Oedipus Rex Where a chap kills his father And causes a lot of bother
The clerk who is thrown out of work By the boss who is thrown for a loss By the skirt who is doing him dirt The world is a stage, The stage is a world of entertainment. That's entertainment! That's entertainment!
The doubt while the jury is out Or the thrill when they're reading the will Or the chase for the man with the face That's entertainment!
The dame who is known as the flame Of the king of an underworld ring He's an ape Who won't let her escape That's entertainment!
It might be a fight like you see on the screen A swain getting slain for the love of a queen Some great Shakespearean scene Where a ghost and a prince meet And everyone ends in mincemeat.
The gag may be waving the flag That began with a mystical hand Hip hooray! The American way The world is a stage, The stage is a world of entertainment.
Recorded By:
Judy Garland Rufus Wainwright Liza Minnelli Fred Astaire Bing Crosby
One of the most popular and performed Christmas songs of all time, this beauty was written for Judy Garland to sing in the musical film Meet Me in St. Louis. The lyrics at the time were quite morose, but a 1957 version by Frank Sinatra modified the lyrics a bit, and these lyrics have been the more commonly heard ones to this day. A sad Christmas song, it was also composed during World War II, and so echoed the sentiments of many families who would be without certain members serving overseas during the holiday season. A touching, warm, and very real and human modern carol.
Lyrics:
(Original)
Have yourself a merry little Christmas, Let your heart be light, Next year all our troubles will be out of sight, So have yourself, a merry little Christmas time.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas Make the yule-tide gay Next year all our troubles will be miles away, Have yourself a merry little Christmas Day.
Once again as in olden days Happy golden days of yore Faithful friends who were near to us Will be dear to us once more Someday soon, we all will be together If the Fates allow Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
(Modern)
Have yourself a merry little christmas, Let your heart be light From now on, our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little christmas, Make the yule-tide gay, From now on, our troubles will be miles away
[Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas lyrics on http://www.elyricsworld.com]
Here were are as in olden days, Happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who are dear to us Gather near to us once more.
Through the years we all will be together If the fates allow Hang a shining star upon the highest bough. And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
Recorded By:
Jackie Gleason Connie Francis Ella Fitzgerald The Carpenters The Muppets
A very, very Merry Christmas from Standard of the Day...
One of the signature songs from Lerner & Loewe's great musical, My Fair Lady. It was introduced on stage by Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle, singing rapturously of her growing love for Prof. Higgins. It was reprised in the film version, with star Audrey Hepburn dubbed with the voice of vocalist Marni Nixon. A beautiful sampling of the type of material being put out during the golden age of the Hollywood musical.
Lyrics:
I could have danced all night! I could have danced all night! And still have begged for more.
I could have spread my wings, And done a thousand things I've never done before.
I'll never know what made it so exciting, Why all at once my heart took flight.
I only know when he Began to dance with me, I could have danced, danced danced all night!
Recorded By:
Sylvia Syms Dinah Shore Frank Sinatra Rosemary Clooney Petula Clark
In honor of my grandfather, who passed away on December 4, I give you the single most popular standard of all time, and one of his very favorite songs. Composed on an old upright piano at the Keuka Hotel on Keuka Lake in New York, this unusual melody was based by Carmichael on the idiosyncratic stylings of trumpeter Bix Beiderbecke. Carmichael himself was the first to record it, together with the Dorsey brothers. Parish joined Carmichael to come up with the lyrics two years later, making it "a love song about a love song," as Hoagy would characterize it. It was Isham Jones who turned it into a ballad in 1930, and from there it became one of the most recorded songs of all time. In fact, during the big band era, it was the most recorded pop songs, period--more than 1,500 versions are believed to exist.
With its gorgeous verse and a complex refrain, Stardust is the ultimate American standard, and I happily dedicate it to the memory of Anthony Salica.
Lyrics:
And now the purple dusk of twilight time steals across the meadows of my heart. High up in the sky, the little stars climb, always reminding me that we're apart. You wander down the lane and far away, leaving a smile that will not die. Love is now the stardust of yesterday; the music of the years gone by...
Sometime I wonder why I spend the lonely night Dreaming of a song. The melody haunts my reverie, And I am once again with you, When our love was new, and each kiss an inspiration. But that was long ago, and now my consolation Is in the stardust of a song.
Beside a garden wall where stars are bright, You are in my arms. The nightingale tells his fairytale, Of paradise where roses bloom. Though I dream in vain, In my heart you will remain, My stardust memory...the melody of love's refrain.
Recorded By:
Louis Armstrong Nat King Cole Artie Shaw John Coltrane Ella Fitzgerald
About a month ago, I got to thinking a lot about WNEW-AM, the legendary New York radio station that in many ways spawned my love for the great American standards. This month marked 19 years that the station has been off the air, since being unceremoniously replaced by Bloomberg Radio right around the time I started college. I was largely exposed to it because of my grandfather, Tony Salica, who had listened to it pretty much every day of his life from when it first went on the air in 1934. And so I got to planning a tribute to WNEW for Standard of the Day.
Less than two weeks ago, my grandfather passed away. Thus, what I had originally envisioned as an ode to a great radio station now becomes an ode to the man who shared it with me.
He was a man who rubbed shoulders with Frank Sinatra and Muhammad Ali. Who received toys from Babe Ruth as a kid. Who saw Billie Holiday in concert at the Apollo Theater. And speaking of Sinatra, my grandfather idolized the man, and his music will always remind me of him because of that. In fact, WNEW was known for years as the "station of Sinatra", which is a big part of why my grandfather loved it so much.
My grandfather's love of Sinatra was legendary within my family. He worshiped him with a level of adoration that's impossible to overstate--an admiration that bordered on filial love. And beyond Sinatra, he had a passion for his kind of music--the big bands of the '40s and the vocal pop that dominated "grown-up music" from the post-war era right up to the British Invasion. To say his love of that music rubbed off on me would be quite an understatement--it permeated my childhood, becoming a soothing background soundtrack to my life. I moved away from it as a teenager, gravitating toward alternative and classic rock, but came back to my roots as a mature adult.
My grandfather was a man who loved his family more than anything in the world. There was nothing that brought him greater delight than watching my sister and I grow up, and later his great-grandchildren Layla and Jack, who quite literally meant the world to him. For me, he was like a second father. He taught me how to be a man, and making him proud is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. Today, I cherish the sounds that he passed on to me, and happily pass them on to my own children.
The main conduit my grandfather had for his kind of music was, of course, WNEW. From 1934, it was the New York City radio station, listened to on a daily basis by him and the rest of the Depression/World War II generation. It remained the dominant station in the city for a good 30 years, until the youth culture of the 1960s changed the course of popular music, forcing WNEW to become a "nostalgia" station, catering more and more to a niche listenership of aging New Yorkers.
My grandparents happened to be among those aging New Yorkers, and not a day went by that they didn't listen to WNEW in their car, or on the little transistor radio my grandfather carried around with him everywhere. As kids, my sister and I would ride around with them on regular weekend excursions, meaning we were exposed to the sounds of WNEW all the time.
I look back fondly on those trips now, as a formative part of my life. We'd usually head over the Verrazano Bridge to Staten Island, visiting our Aunt Stella, the Staten Island Mall, Richmondtown Restoration (which we called "The Birds and the Bees"), or a combination of the three. And as we did so, WNEW would be heard in the background, the thrilling voices of Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme and so many others accompanying us as my grandfather got inevitably lost driving around those idyllic suburban Staten Island backroads.
There was the Make-Believe Ballroom, hosted by William B. Williams. Also, my grandfather's personal favorite show, hosted by the great Jonathan Schwartz. My grandfather loved listening to him talk, even if he didn't always understand what the hell he was talking about. And who could forget that classic station jingle... "Double-You..En-Ee-Double-You...Eleven-Three-Oh in New Yooork..."
But most of all there was Sinatra. His warm, cello-like voice filling that Persian blue 1976 Buick Century like a cool, refreshing breeze. My grandfather would revel in the Sinatra A-Z, a days-long celebration playing every single recording the man ever made. He had this uncanny ability to name a Sinatra song within the first couple notes of the arrangement, and he always knew every word.
Like Sinatra, I think we all just thought he would live forever. That’s why Sunday night, December 4 was still a shock, even though we knew he was very sick with ALS. He had been unconscious for a few hours when my mom called me to come down and see him. And ten minutes after I got there, he passed gently and quietly in his sleep. I can’t help but think he was waiting for me. As he lay there peacefully, I put my cellphone on his pillow and played Sinatra's "Put Your Dreams Away" on YouTube. I know he would've considered that the perfect sendoff, even if he never quite understood why I carried that stupid thing around with me all the time.
Through it all, the music was still intertwined with my grandfather, in death as in life. When the funeral parlor asked me to select some songs to use for a DVD montage of my grandfather's old photographs, let's just say I had no trouble at all. I wish he could watch that DVD with me, just like I wish he could've seen his great-granddaughter sing "Pennies from Heaven" at his service--verse and all. I suppose, however, that he's still been watching us after all, as is evidenced by the pennies we've been finding everywhere for the past couple of weeks.
My grandfather left me with a great many things, but most pertinent to this website, and to what I'm writing about today, he left me with a rich, deep love for the greatest American music ever made. It was the only type of music he ever took seriously, and although I try to be a bit more broad-minded in my own tastes, I will confess to a healthy dose of the musical snobbery he proudly engendered in me.
I can remember his profound sense of loss when WNEW-AM went off the air on December 11, 1992, after many years of dwindling ratings (ironically, the very years during which I was discovering the station.) Much of the staff and management immediately started up their own independent station, 1560 WQEW, but it only lasted for six years, going under mere months after Sinatra's own death--a telling sign of the times if ever there was one. It was the end of an era, and these days the sounds of the great American songbook are no longer heard on New York City airwaves.
My grandfather lived long enough to see his music get shifted into the "Easy Listening" bin and moved aside to make way for the amateur screeches and flimsy compositions of angry young boys in their parents' garages. He watched it fade, just as I watched him fade over the past few years. And now, my grandfather, like WNEW, is gone. But also like WNEW, it is only his physical presence that is truly gone, as the memories of both are kept alive in my heart, in my memories, and in Standard of the Day.
Because without Tony Salica and WNEW, this website would not exist. I never got the chance to show it to him, but I'm sure he would've loved my own little "Make-Believe Ballroom"...
A delightfully moving composition from the McHugh/Adamson team that also gave us such songs as "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night" and "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening". A favorite of the early Depression years, it was introduced by Gertrude Niesen (pictured) in 1937, and shortly followed by a slew of other artists. Its lilting melody and plaintive lyrics are typical of the era, and the song was admired so much by Frank Sinatra that in 1957 it became the only standard song to ever title one of his albums.
Lyrics:
Where are you Where have you gone without me I thought you cared about me Where are you
Where's my heart Where is the dream we started I can't believe we're parted Where are you
When we said good-bye love What had we to gain When I gave you my love Was it all in vain
All life through Must I go on pretending Where is my happy ending Where are you
Recorded By:
Aretha Franklin Johnny Mathis Jack Teagarden Sonny Rollins Dinah Washington
A tribute to the finest genre of popular music in history, pop's direct link to the classical tradition, and one of our nation's most important contributions to world culture, the Great American Songbook. Each day (more or less), I spotlight a different popular standard. And yes, I'm straight. So is your grandfather. He loves this music, too--just ask him!
By Arthur Johnston & Sam Coslow
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