The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-27

caused the popularity of the coon song
| It's great vogue is quite recent-say some
thing more than a year
TROPICAL COON SONGS.
"Oh. yes, there are several varieties OF
coon songs. There is what might be called
the tropical variety-the red-hot-radiator
styles-such songs as She's the Warmest
Baby in the Bunch Honey, Youse the
Warmest Gal in Town. "A Hot Time in the
Old Town There is also a class Of negro
| lullabies, some of which are really very
charming such as 'Mammy's Little Pump
kin Colored Coon and 'Pickaninny Lullaby
Finally, there is style which takes its in
spiration from all sorts of everyday phrases
and subjects. Some of these are the follow
| ing: You Once Was Excess Baggage, Now
| You'se Only Common Freight When You
Come Round I Don't Like the Face You
Wear Mr.; Johnson, Don't Get Gay,
| Honey, You'se Ma Lady Love- Who's Got
Ma Money in This Gang, Oars Ragtime in
YES the coon song is great institution.
Man in the Moon Is a Coon Talk about
race difficulties, how is that for negro domi-
nation?"
from? The life of popular air must be
very short"
enterprising publishers who want their goods
pushed-but l never care to sing published
song. Most of my songs are either written
for me or are pick-ups. It's the hayward,
errant genius who is usually in the tolls of
poverty and hunger and thirst who does the
best work. These part with their produGts
make fortunes for publishers and fill name
less graves. The singer gets very little out
of the DEAL except possibly the permission
to print his picture on the back OF the COM
position.
A SOCIETY OF SINGERS.
'"There is now on foot plan to unite all
the singers together and form a society.
We will employ our own song-writers and
sing only works by our own men. The eff
fort is certainly worth making, considering
the tremendous profits that are made out
of songs. and at present it looks as though
it might succeed. However, it will be neces-
sary to improve the national copyright laws,
which really afford little protection to the
author. Any successful song can now be
parodied with impunity.
Now in England it's different, but most
of the English songs are not worth pro-
tecting. They have to use a great many
American songs. In fact. our songs are be-
ing sung in every country in the world.
The life Of the song Is very short: 1t
varies with the season and accidents affect
the length of its popularity. The average
is about. four months, and after this they
begin to go into decline"
SOME SUCCESSES.
"What are the great successes in the song
business?'
There were few of Stephen Adams's ef-
fusions chat had great run. Nancy Lee
was one of the most famous. Then came
"A Flower from My Angel Mothers Grave
BY the way, it's strange how we have al
ways to sing about mother. If we have
anything to say about the old man, it must
be terribly sentimental to make it go
In England there was once a song writ
ten about father, but that was in England.
It's always Break the News TO Mother
not TO father, Here's to the Health Of
Mother and Mother Was a Lady l sup
pose it's like the tradition al jokes in the an
tiduated topical songs-the mother-in-law
and the poker yarns. Now, everybody
laughs at poker joke, although he or she
may not know anything whatever about the
game. lis traditional to laugh at this kind
of humor.
The more recent popular successes are
My Sweetheart's the Man in the Moon of
which nearly 10000 copies were sold. After
the Ball and 'There'll BE a Hot Time in
the Old Town Tonight They say 100000
copies Of this latter song were sold right
here in Baltimore
what will be the next fashion in sougs?'
was the final question to the actor as he
hurried from his dressing room to go on the
Nobody can tell what we will be singing
tomorrow, but just watch my patriotic
racket he had finished his first soldier
song and the audience was applauding
rapturonsy.