Evening star., 1925-06-09

tically every one of the hundreds Of
songs he wrote in his score or more
light operas has this quality of the
i.happy ending" to the nth degree.
"Ta -Ra -Ra -Ra- a--Boom-De-Aye" was
another of the old songs, distinguished
by real, though simple, invention. Re-
Gently Gladys Rice revived 1t over
radio, from Roxie's studio, and it made
as big hit over the air as it formerly
did in the theater.
"ThereIl Be a Hot Time in the Old
Town Tonight" is still with US when
ever a festive gang gets together. 1t
lsand Hail, Hail, the Gangs All Here"
are the perennials of popular songs.
Time does not wither nor singing
stale these old favorites. There is an
other one that comes to mind that
belongs in this category, song that
boys and young men today sing with
as much vim as the youngsters of
several decades ago.
1t Is "Oh, Didn't He Ramble," re-
counting the migrations of a certain
animal until the butcher cut him
down." Billiards. great 'Stein Song
| is only sung once to 10000 perform
ances of "Oh. Didn't He Ramble"
One cannot touch on the old popu-
| lar songs without bringing in After
the Ball Was Over" That effort stand
ardized the waltz In popular music.
| It's latest cousin Is when You and
Were Seventeen" now to be heard
| everywhere, on the records and over
radio.
after the Ball" had a real idea be.
hind it, a musical plot" if you can
| call 1t that-a pattern, to be more ex-
act, that has held it from oblivion.
/ 81 - ftIS, .as.tt To,
You Gonna Do When de Rent Comes
| Round" was the forerunner of a long
list of SIMILARLY named songs
Then came the tour de force. Love
Me, and the World Is Mine" That
still is a good song. No one TODAY
| could stand "Bedelia,'' but anv one
can hear Balls big hit played or sung
| with real pleasure, just as they do
Mother Machree."
| That Is one of the peculiarities OF
popular songs. Just why some of them
| go big While others, seemingly equal
| ~ good, are failures with the public
is one of the standing mysteries If the
! profession.
Take "Alexander's Ragtime Band. -
1t made tremendous sensation in its
day, being a good tune, with a dis
| tinct pattern; but many others per
haps as good failed to score with the
buyers of popular songs.
One of the charms of the song
writing game" is this chance which
every tune has, if it really has the
| stuff in it, of being a big hit"
4 x
| SO we have had mother songs. -
Alabama" songs, Indiana" songs
Tennessee ballads. cycles of lullabys
song ending in ing" songs called
blues" fox-trot songs, and what-not
The blues" are distinctly the low
est-class songs in the long list of pop
ular favorites, with the most vulgar
titles and suggestive words. In con
trast TO them, many of the fox-tror
songs are very good, very decent and
very melodious.
June Night" to name but one OF
the fox trots of recent months, has a
melody that deserves to live. Victor
Herbert would not have been ashamed
of it.
l, for one, rejoice in the popular
songs, and hope 1 always remain
young enough to enjoy them. They
no more deserve to be sneered at thar
did the maligned nickel novels OF
| some years ago.
| Music is music. The greatest mas
| ters made use of simple musical
| patterns. To genuinely enjoy good
| popular song is much preferable tC
boring ones self with grand opera.