The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-21
ORIGIN OF FAMOUS SONGS
CHANCE IDEAS THAT WE'RE wORTH
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.
Little Incidents I'm the street That In
crs to Write Popular Verses.

New York Sun.
Have you ever stopped to consider how
some OF our most popular songs came to be
writton?' said a music publisher. The
subject is most interesting Very few peo-
pie know exactly how some Of the biggest
hits were inspired.
Song writing to-day is quite an art.
There are more publishers and more sing
eTs than in former years. You've got TO
hustle or else you'n soon find out that you
are not in the swim. At a rough estimate
/ think hundreds of songs are turned out
every week in New York city alone. You've
got to be up to date in your ideas and the
song must be exceptionally clever before
a publisher will take the trouble even to
scan the manuscript.
of course you remember poor Charlie
Graham? No? He died a few months ago
in abject poverty. though he was one of the
most prolific of song writer's. He wrote
night ana day. and his compositions were
very much sought after by publishers. Gra-
ham composed If the Waters Could Speak
as They Flow Two Little Girls in Blue,
The Picture that Was Turned Toward the
Wall and other popular songs. He got
his idea for his song. If the Waters Could
Speak as They Flow, strangely. He was
bathing at the seashore, where he was
| uillnE an engagement, Tor GIdndih was
quite a singer himself. While the bathers
were splashing in the surf Graham, who
was ever on the alert for ideas, abruptly
turned to a friend and said:
Bob. if these waters could only speak
as they flow wouldn't they tell a lot of
funny things?
Charlie. that would make a fine title for a
song. wouldn't it2
When Graham went TO his room in his
hotel that night he sat down and composed
the song which soon became very popular.
Graham came TO write Two Little Girls in
Blue by a mere accident. one afternoon
while he was racking mis- brain for a new
theme he went to n window in his home In
Brooklyn and gaZed into the street below.
Across the way from his home was a pr,
mary school. 1t was about 3 o'clock and
the children were just leaving school. Ora
ham noticed two little girls. They were
very pretty and. presumably, sisters Tor
they looked very much alike, and both
We're dressed in blue. Without any ado era
ham quickly left that window, took out his
pencil and jotted down in his note book
Two Little Girls in Blue.
PUBLISHER MADE $4,000.
THAT same night he wrote the words and
composed the melody. and in the course of
an hour it was all ready for the publisher.
The following day he went from one pub
fishing house to another and tried to dis
pose of the manuscript. At almost every
place he failed 10 get encouragement. No
one seemed to want the song. At last, in
despair, he induced one publisher 10 buy
the song for SIS. Well, / guess you know
the rest. The song was one of the biggest
hits in years and is probably sung some
where tonight. The publisher who bought
the composition says he made nearly $4,000
out of it.
Graham never thought much Of the song
himself. which goes TO prove that writer's
of this kind OF music have little business
ability. Graham's other hit. The Picture
That Was Turned Toward the WALL had
a checkered career before ii found a pur-
chaser. Charley received his inspiration
from a scene in the play Blue Jeans You
remember that part where the old man
| think il was Sues father-turns her pic
ture TO the wall? Graham. who, in my esti-
nation, was a genius, saw a capital idea in
that incident and used IL for his song. This
song practically made the house which pub
lished 1t. The firm is rated at present
among the best music publishing houses i'm
the country. l don't know how much Ora
ham received for the manuscript. but L
don't think it was more than SIS. He sold
most of his stuff outright and did not care
to take chances on royalties.
Paul Dresser, who has more successes
to his credit to-day than any other song
writer in the business. has a novel way IN
is a very thrifty fellow and a business man,
too. He is a member of a local publishing
firm, and, of course. has no trouble in ind
ing a market for his manuscripts. l con-
slider Dresser very original. He wrote The
Pardon That Came Too Late, Just Tell
Them That You Saw Me- Here Lies an
Actor Down on the Wabash, Far Away
Don't Tell Her That You Love Her Take
lie Back to New York Town and The
Blue and the Gray Just Tell Them That
You Saw Me- was very popular. One day
Dresser met a son of an old friend in front
of the Morton House in Union square. He
had known the young man in a village in
the West, and was surprised 10 see the
young fellow. The young man was in i'll
health and nard up.
We'll said Dresser TO the son of his old
friend. I'm going home to - tomorrow,
and if you have any message to give to the
old folks l will be very glad to deliver it.
Oh replied the young fellow. with a
touch of pathos i'm his voice. just tell them
that you saw me, and that ] was looking
we'll
This was far from the truth. because
the young man was pale and looking I'll.
Dresser, after giving the fellow some
money. bade him goodbye, and the two
parted. Dresser then wrote the song, using
the same expression. just tell them that
you saw me- lie changed the story around
a bit and made the real character a woman
who had fallen. Paul told me that the
young mar never lived to return home, for
he died a few months after the song was
published. Dresser wrote Here Lies an
Actor after the burial of the late John
Mccullough, the tragedian.
FORD AND BRATTON.
The Sunshine of Paradise Alley was
inspired mostly by accident. Walter Ford
and John Bratton were walking west on
Market street, Philadelphia, one gloomy
day, trying TO think of some appropriate
title or text for a song. Midway between
4 Sixth and Seventh streets Bratton suddenly
paused and looked up at an old half-obliter-
ated street sign on the side of a building.
There's an odd name for such u dingy
Ourt-ParadlSe alley, said Ford. Let 60
up there: we might find some material
"Accordingly the two sauntered up the
half block. and for squalor and poverty il
seemed that the limit had been reached
AS they turned 10 so back TO Market street
a little girl about twelve years old came oul
of the tumble-down howell, a shawl over heI
yellow curls and a battered tin dinner PAL
in her hand. Ii needed but one glance tc
show them that she was the little mother
of some struggling family. She started
back at seeing strangers and soon disap-
peared.
Come on. Jack. said Ford. there's a
song at last and then they wrote The
Sunshine OF Paradise Alley only Me,
which was written and composed by the
same pair. was suggested by an incident
which happened at Sheepshead bay. Ford
was visiting a family at that place. and
after dinner Mrs. L. proposed some mu.
sic in the paTlor. Two little girls. one seven
and the other four. were playing i'm an ad.
Joining room. In the midst of a song one OF
the children overturned a chair with con
siderable clatter. The mother called re-
prOvingly:
Was that you. sweetheart meaning
the younger child.
The answer came back. plaintively, No