1930-1940

I love Gershwin and Gershwin. They take a line that has always gone the EXACT same way and then decide to throw in a flat. Or a pitch pend of sorts. Or something that you DON'T expect and the next thing you know you are listening carefully to see where the line will go next. I'm not the biggest fan of "Who Cares?" from Of Thee I Sing (441 performances) but it does exactly that.

"The Song Is You" from Hammerstein & Kern's Music In the Air came about in 1932. I'm not a big fan of the tune, but it seems others are. Check it out for yourself!

Cole Porter's "You're The Top" from Anything Goes is one of those songs that is either a whopping success or a giant flop. If you can't sell a song, if you can't instantly get the audience into what you are saying like a salesperson, pass this one on by, please!

Babes in Arms appeared in 1937 and the song "Where or When" seems to be a preview of what is to come later from Richard Rodgers (though his partner in this song is Hart and not Hammerstein). For some reason I don't think of Rodgers coming onto the scene until the 1950s, but clearly I am wrong!