Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1917-04-06
'You Have Sc, 900, 900 Nephetvs, Uncle Sam
What We S1ng
b. Frederic J. Haskin.

Washington, April 2-This is the song that is
heard in every cafe, cabaret, movie house and
vaudeville theater throughout the entire country.
In Seattle, the newsboy whistles it; in New Or
leans, the cotton hands hum it; at Palm Beach
society fox-trots it, and in New York the hurdy-
gurdies have mercifully substituted it for the
"Sextet from Lucia" There are others, too. "I'll
Be Therel' is also being sung with great enthu-
sasm, and last years patriotic songs. such as
america, Love YOU" and Were With YOU
Mr.. Wilsonl" are being revived with tremendous
fervor.
The most popular thing in the United States
today is the patriotic song, which is good indica-
ton of the American frame of mind. For what the
public sings the public thnks-to great extent
barometer Of public sentiment. You cannot force
song upon the people which does not contain a
sympathetic appeal, and the most successful lyric
is the one that gives the public the greatest op-
portunity for self-expression. Thus, couple OF
years ago, everybody was singing, u didn't raise
my boy to be a soldier" because there was a
strong popular sentiment against war in this coun-
try. Today. American parents, even in the west
and middle west, have changed their minds about
the upbrnging of their sons, and, instead, are
singing, 1--WE don't want war; that's true, but
we'll fight and die for you, Uncle Sam"
So far as war and patriotism go, it is always
comparatively easy to determine what the public
wants. but with other songs it is largely matter
OF guesswork. A song may take" and it may not,
but in either event it is hard to say just what
particular feature decided its success or failure.
was my Old Kentucky Home"-a purely de-
scriptive lyric with pleasing melody and
somewhat monotonous chorus.
1t is estimated by an old music dealer in this
country that the combined sale of "My Old Ken
lucky Home" and THE Old Folks at Home" (by
&l,a.N 1,. .t.I
and the sale is still going on. These songs were
written by Stephen Foster. who also wrote about
fifty other songs, which on royalty basis
OF cents per copy made the. Foster family
wealthy. After the prescribed forty-two years
the copyright expired but one musical authority
Mr.. Foster and his heirs would have made
$2,50000O on his two most popular masterpieces.
There is, as might be expected, great deal
Of profit in song writing, but song writing is not
as easy as it looks. II you stop to think, you
will discover that the number of really big song
brief. 1t usually happens that one success is fol-
lowed by dozen other songs exactly like it;
the people tire of them, and one more theme must
be pgeon-holed for years to come. Then, the
public is so very tickle One moment waltz tune
is in high favor and the next moment it is fox
trot; one week Hawaiian song brings storms OF
applause and the next week it will be forgotten
while the people whistle new Irish tune.
Much discussion has been waged among anna
teur song writer's over which was the most i'm
portant feature of song writing-the words or the
music. But the publishers will tell you that more
important than either of these is the idea" for
the song and good title.
The song called Gee, Wish Had Grill"
was created out of chance remark heard by Gus
Kahn and Grace LeBoy, who saw its possibilities
as the basis OF popular song. 1t was the occa-
IL
OF an amusement park in an eastern city. The
event had been widely advertised and a large
crowd gathered to witness it. At the last moment,
however, the bridal couple failed to appear and
in desperation the management offered $500, in
addition to the housekeeping outfit offered the
missing couple, to any couple who would agree to
substitute. No one volunteered, but one freckle-
faced youth near the edge Of the platform ex-
claimed with genuine regret, Gee, l wish l had
a girl
If the growth of the popular song reflects the
growth of the public appreciation. we have good
reason to congratulate ourselves upon our prog
ress during the last fifteen years. Ragtime in
this country Is only about as old as the Spanish
American war. At the beginning while the mel
odies were good, the lyrics were extremely crude.
If they indicate the public taste of that day, we
must all have been race of melancholy senti-
mentalists with no particular appreciation of good
| English Here is good sample:
II broke her heart when babe her go;
She was martyr, true to me know.
| met her with another;
In vain was her reply
That the stranger was her brother;
Yet it parted Grace and l."
This song was accompanied by dolorous
refrain, and was sung with great gusto by all
classes Of people. 1t was one of the most dra-
matte compositions of the period. Today. it fails
to have anything but humorous appeal to the
public which sings II can dance with everybody
| but nv wife"