Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-11-16
ROMANTIC AND REFINED"

Why and whence cometh the popu-
larity of the syncopated. gushy. gooey'
stuff that passes current as the popular
song nowadays. Nobody seems to have
been able to explain or understand just
why American youth and middle age is
insistent on allegedly musical gruntings
and groanings and howlings jerkily as
sorting alliterative idiocies; but the
Des Moines Register makes a stagger
at it in review of song alleEedly
popular at present. 1t has the peculiar
;neri. Of having a range of but one oc-
tave devoid of high notes. Hence
everybody can sing it or sing at 1t, out
the chief cause of its alleged popularity
and its premier claim to world wide
consideration is explained to lie in the
text where young and ar
dent lover assures the timid
and fawnlike object of his al
fections that she's been hesitating and
he's been waiting for long time, 1t
seems, and invites her to "Cuddle UP to
me and I'll be in clover" The Register
explanation is that while rather roman
tic in its idea, it possess no suggestive
thought, but sort of refined theme
which appeals to women"
Rather romantic" and refined:
amt that awful, Mabel? Appeals to
women" o, the slyness of that ador-
able sex thus exposed by the critic and
psychologist of the Register. The uni
versal appeal to women is cuddling up.
That is not only the appeal, but cud-
ding is romantic and refined. We are
come upon q new school of romantis-
ism in literature and song. It has been
discovered that if she wants TO be lady
like and real REFINED with the accent
on the first syllable, she must cuddle
How little of real romance knew those
troubadours who sang their broken
hearts out under the easements OF their
highborn loves when Rene kept his
court and chivalry held sway. He should
have informed her as she leaned like
star from the castle window. that
girl in the arms was worth two in
dreams or several in song of that
period. He failed to make the true APP
peal. He should have insisted that she
come down and be cuddled. And she,
had she known the fineness of modern
refinement. would have fastened down
and. thus cuddling and cuddled, have
placed her human nightingale lin
clover
Listen. lords and ladies gay, bark
Strephon and Chloe. Darby and Joan;
III you desire to appeal psychologically
to the heart of woman. if you long for
that romance and for that refinement
which IS the hallmark OF womaniy re-
serve and suchlike. tell EN- they're hes
itatin and waitin' long. strong. Get
busy, Izzy. Lizzy, take a cnance on ro-
nance. don't be blind. be REFINED.
Then hit the piano with a hammer and
close with a burst Of notes fenced in
by one octave referring to cuddle and
Z clover
! Let them sing Annie Laurie and the
donjon song from II Trovatore. and the
Crucihx and a lot OF stuff THAI hasn't
any real punch in it. That stuff used
to be refined and some of it used to be
romantic, but they're dead ones since
the small time circuits struck the
towns. The world moves and music
moves with it and refinement and ro-
nance have started to wear false hair
and cuddle.
! And there you are as romantic and
refined as some of them educated fools
/ as thinks themselves above you. Sprnk
up. Romance is easy and refinement
nothin' much.
| In 1913 Africa bought nearly $1,000 o0