The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-13
ORIGIN OF FAMOUS SONGS
CHANCE IDEAS THAT WERE
WORTH THOUSANDS OF DOL
LARS TO THEIR OWNERS
SOME MADE LARGE PROFITS
Inspiration for Recent Popular
Songs Supplied by Little Incl
dents In the Street.
Methods of Writer'S.
SOME MADE LARGE PROFITS

nave you ever stopped to consider
now some of our most popular songs
came to be written?" said a music pub
Usher '"Fhe subject is most interesting.
Very few people know exactly how some
of the biggest hits were inspired
Song writing today Is quite an art
There are more publishers and more
singers than in former years. You've got
TO nave hustle on or else you'll soon
lind out that you are not in the swim
AT rough estimate 1 think hundreds Of
songs are turned out every week in New
York city alone You've got to be up
Is date in your D as and the song must
be exceptionally clever before publish
er will take the trouble even to scan the
manuscript.
of course you remember poor Charlie
Graham? MOI He died few months
ago in abject poverty, though he was one
OF the most prolific of song writer's. He
wrote night and day. and his compost
tons were very much sought after by
publishers. Graham 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 ideas
for his song, If the Waters Could Speak
as They Flow strangely. He was bath
ing at the seashore where he was filling
an engagement. for Graham was quite
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 lot of
funny things?'
You bet was the friends rejoinder.
Charlie, that would make fine title for
a song, wouldn't it?'
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 his brain for new theme he
went to a window in his home in Brook
lyn and gaZed into the street below.
Across the way from his home was
primary school. 1t was about o'clock
and the children were just leaving school.
Graham noticed two little girls. They
were very pretty and presumably sisters,
for they looked very much alike, and
both We're dressed in blue. Without any
ado Graham quickly left that window,
took out his pencil and jotted down IN
his note book Two Little Girls in Blue
That same night he wrote the words and
composed the melody and in the course
of an hour It was all ready for the pub
Usher. The following day he went from
one publishing house to another and
tried to dispose of the manuscript. At
almost every place he failed to get en-
enlargement No one seemed to want
the song. At last in despair he induced
one publisher to buy the song for $50.
Well, L guess you know the rest. The
song was one of the biggest hits In years,
and is probably sung somewhere tonight.
The publisher who bought the compost
ton 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. Grahams other hit.
1.-THE Picture That Was Turned Toward
the WALL had a eheckered career before
it found a purchaser. Charlie received
his inspiration from scene in the pay
Blue Jeans You remember that part
where the old mani think 1t was Sues
father-turns her picture to the wall?
Graham, who, in my estimation, Was
genius, saw capital idea in that Incl
dent and used it for his song. This song
practically made the house which pub
lished it. The firm is rated at present
among the best music publishing houses
in the country. 1 don't know how much
Graham received for the manuscript. but
I don't think is 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 today than any other song
writer in the business has novel way
in getting themes for his compositions
He is a very thrifty fellow and bust
ness man, too. He IS a member OF a
local publishing firm and. OF course, has