Early Songs - Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin's Early Songs as Biographical Documents
Author(s): Charles Hamm

Source: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 77, No. 1 (Spring, 1993), pp. 10-34
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/742426
Accessed: 13-11-2015 21:19 UTC
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American
Musics
Berlin's
Irving
EarlySongs
As Biographical
Documents
CharlesHamm
Much ofwhatwe thinkwe knowaboutIrvingBerlin'searlylifeand

careeris moremyththanfact.It is myintentionto examinewhyand
how thismythwas perpetuated,
and to suggesta wayto penetrateit.
Berlingrewup in a cityof immigrants.

two
Duringthe first
decadesof the twentieth
fewerthana thirdofNew York
century,
had been bornin theUnitedStates,and theparCity'sinhabitants
entsofmorethanhalfof thesehad come overfromEurope.Put
anotherway,onlyaboutfifteen
percentofthepeoplein thecityat
thistimehad family
historiesin Americagoingbackmorethanone
generation.
about
Manyof thesenew Americanswerepassionately
optimistic
theirnewcountry,
a moodcapturedby IsraelZangwillin his drama
in 1908. In the play'sfinalscene,an
first
The Melting-Pot,
performed
"AmericanSymphony"
byan immigrant
JewfromRussia,David
foran audienceofotherimmiQuixando,has justbeen premiered
grants,"thosewho have knownthepain of theold worldand the
byhis Yiddish-speaking
hope of thenew." Afterbeingcongratulated
her
Irish
his
maidKathleen, gentilegirlfriend
aunt,
Vera, and Herr
the kindlyGermanconductorresponsible
forarranging
Pappelmeister,
ofhis symphony,
theyoungcomposerobservesthe
the performance
sun settingovertheNew Yorkharborand the StatueofLiberty,and
muses:
Look, it is the firesof God roundHis Crucible. There she lies, the great
Can't youhearthe roaringand the bubbling?
Theregapes
Melting-Pot-listen!
her mouth-the harbourwherea thousandmammothfeederscome fromthe
and
ends of the worldto pour in theirhumanfreight.Ah, what a stirring
seething!Celt and Latin, Slav and Teuton, Greek and Syrian-black and
yellow-Jewand Gentile-Yes, East and West, and North and South, the
10
Berlin 11
Irving
palm and the pine, the pole and the equator,the crescentand the cross--how
the greatAlchemistmeltsand fusesthemwithhis purgingflame!Here shall
of God ...
theyall uniteto buildtheRepublicof Man and theKingdom
whereall racesand nationscome to labourand look forward!'
thecentral
theirnationalbackgrounds,
howdifferent
No matter
in Zangwill's
dramahavefoundcommon
causein a struggle
characters
ofrace,religion
andclass,andto createa
barriers
to putasidehistoric
in America
freeof"thepainoftheoldworld."Standing
newsociety
is theoldorderofEuropeandAmerica,
in theway,however,
reprewhocommanded
sentedin theplaybytheRussianBaronRevendal,
in whichDavid's
in themassacre
oftheJewish
community
troops
lived,andQuincyDavenport
Jr.,thesonofhisAmerican
family
oforchestras
whosepatronage
hasmadehiman
business
associate
in
New
York's
music
scene.
After
figure
Quincydiscovers
important
to prevent
theperformance
ofhis
thatDavidis a Jew,he attempts
himwith:
Davidconfronts
symphony;
I come fromEurope,one of her victims,and I knowthatshe is a failure;that
her palaces and peeragesare outworntoysof the humanspirit,and that the
only hope of mankindlies in a new world. And here--in the land of toto bringbackEurope.2
morrow-youare trying
withZangwill's
Berlin's
earlysongsarecontemporaneous
Irving
theirprotagonists
from
thevarious
drama.Drawing
nationalandethinNewYorkCity,including
nicgroups
thefirst
waveof
coexisting
from
the
likewise
of
blackscoming
are
celebrations
South,they
up
morecomicthanmelodraAmericaas Melting-Pot,
usually
though
oftheAmerican
matic.In thetradition
thesesongs
theater,
popular
offer
but
never
of
Ameriimages immigrant
stereotyped
mean-spirited
cans.
The popularartscame to serveas a sortof abrasivewelcomingcommitteefor
ofmanner,
theimmigrants.
Shrewdat mocking
seldominclined
incongruities
to venom. . . theyexploitedthe few,fixedtraitsthathistory

or legendhad assignedeach culture.They arrangedan initiationof hazingand caricaturethat
assuredthe Swedes,the Germans,the Irish,and thenthe Jewsthatto be nothecruellensofparody,meantto be accepted.3
ticed,even ifthrough
The lyrics
andmusicoftheseearlyBerlinsongsgivea vivid
New YorkCityin the first

decadeofthe
panoramaof multi-ethnic
in "No One
twentieth
century.An Irishboybragsto his friends
Could Do It Like My Father"thathis dad "neverknowshis name"at
electiontime,castingballotsas Breenand Gilhouleyand Harrigan
that"theyoughtto call
and O'Connor and MacShane, and suggests
12 TheMusical
Quarterly
him'Winchester'
'causehe repeats
so well."In "SadieSalome(Go
to discover
thata strip-tease
danceron
man,shocked
Home)"a young
thevaudeville
is
his
Sadie
shouts
from
the
stage
girlfriend Cohen,
audience,
Don'tdo thatdance,I tellyouSadie,
That'snota bus'ness
fora lady!
'Mostev'rybody
knows
thatI'myour
Mose,
loving
isyour
clothes?
Oy!Oy!Oy!Oy!Where
Anda German-American
from
hisgirlfriend
recently
estranged
remembers
her"sweetsauerkraut
thatwouldswimin yourmouthlike
thefishes
andhis"appetite
thatswimin thebrook,"
cries,Oh! bring
backmyLenato me."
Berlin's
musicis likewise
drawn
from
thesoundsaroundhimin
New
York.
Italian
meloturn-of-the-century
singgraceful
protagonists
diesto accompaniments
serenades
or
mandolins,
tarantellas;
suggesting
tunesforBerlin's
German-Americans
resemble
withbeer
Landler,
garden
oom-pah-pah
Jewssingin minor
accompaniments;
keys,with
blackprotagonists
arecharacterized
seconds;
augmented
byrhythms
orothersyncopated
at ragtime
dances.
hinting
As in Zangwill's
members
of
ethnicgroups
different
interdrama,
In "Dorando"
actwithone another.
an Italianbarber
sellshisshop
on an Italianrunner,
andbetsthemoney
wholosestheracebecause
he haseatenIrishstewrather
Business
is poorfora
thanspaghetti.
in
Irish
until
tailor
an
he
"KillarJewish
neighborhood
beginssinging
the
River
Flows"
and
"Where
Shannon
whenever
customers
ney"
comeintotheshop("AbieSingsAn IrishSong").Andthereare
ofthesocialtensions
between
oldandnewAmericans:
glimpses
GoldenDollarsin
BennyBloombuysan engagement
ringforJenny
but
her
businessman
father
refuses
to allow
"Yiddisha
Eyes,"
wealthy
themarriage;
the
Berlin, youngimmigrant
Jewish
songwriter,
givesan
ofthe"richfourhundred"
in "Sociandunflattering
amusing
portrait
etyBear":
there
sayev'rybody
Papers
outloudwhenanheiress
fair,
Laughed
D. where
Kissed
hehasnohairatall;
John
Then cunningly
beganto call
His headherlovin'billiard
ball,aroundthehall.
didtheTurkey
Trot,
Carnegie
Foran hourwitha chickenthat
to care
Eggedhimon 'til he mostforgot
A snapabouthislibr'ry,
doingthatrichSocietyBear.
Berlin 13
Irving
5U'CILTY
&BIAR
.Y..pVINQMRLIN
M051C
V.1N ml
P bu h
fTSNYDERC(
ofthecountry's
andBerlin's
burgeoning
Zangwill's
championing
Resentment
culture
wasbyno meansuniversal.
multi-ethnic
against
from
theMediterranean
andCentral
themillions
ofnewimmigrants
culture-the
majority
Europeandfearoftheirimpacton thecountry's
and
after
and
theirlanguages
even
ofthemwerenot
Protestants, all,
cultureto assimilate
intomainstream
seemeddifficult
customs
in theUnitedStates.
withlonger
histories
mounted
amongAmericans
a
after
twenty
yearsabroad,experienced
returning
HenryJames,
in
even
his
home
these
when
"chill"
country,
encountering people
withthemin
thathe hadalwaysbeencomfortable
he insisted
though
withaliensin the
theirownlands."Thereis no claimto brotherhood
The material
ofwhichtheyconsistis
first
oftheiralienism.
grossness
andthe
this
for
and
at
dressed
stage, brotherhood,
prepared,
being
thenature
in respect
to manyofthem,cannotfrom
consummation,
SenatorHenryCabot
oftheirown.'"4
ofthecasebe, in anylifetime
an attackon immigralaunched
LodgeandmanyotherCongressmen
of"aliens"to enter
tionpolicieswhichhadallowedso manymillions
be
thecountry,
to gainedfrom
fanning
sensing
politicaladvantage
resentment
againstthesenewcomers.
14 TheMusical
Quarterly
In 1910 a congressionally
. . . issueda 42-volumereport
appointedcommission
on the alarmingeffects
of immigration.
It beganwiththe assumption
thatthe
new immigrants
wereraciallyinferior
to the old immigrants
fromnorthern
and
westernEuropeand manipulated
mountainsof statistics
to providea 'scientific'
rationale
forrestricting
theirentry.5
a literacy
testin 1917,wereput
restrictions,
Increasing
including
on newarrivals,
andtheImmigration
Actof1921brought
a virtual
haltto immigration
from
CentralEuropeandtheMediterranean.
At
thesametime,reaction
of
"inferior"
racial
stock
against
persons
in thecountry
reachedsuchproportions
thatby1924the
already
oftheresurgent
Ku KluxKlannumbered
morethanfive
membership
million"whitemalenative-born
Gentilecitizens
oftheUnitedStates
ofAmerica,"
all overthecountry.
Giventhisclimate,
itbecameincreasingly
forrecent
expedient
andfirst-generation
Americans
to keeptheircultural
and
immigrants
differences
outofthepubliceye.An ethnicprotagonist
bereligious
camea lessdesirable
ofa popular
and
like
Berlin,
component
song,
hisfellow
Tin PanAlleysongwriters,
wrotesongspopuincreasingly
latedbygeneric
"I's"and"you's,"as in "I Loveto Quarrel
WithYou":
I'mwildabout
you!Can'tlivewithout
you!
That'sjustthereasonwhyI teaseyou.
I lovetohearmyself
"I didn't
meanit,I didn't
meanit!"
saying:
When I've had a quarrelwithyou.
A similar
wastaking
arts,
process
placeamongtheotherpopular
whichlikeTin PanAlleysonghadbeendominated
in theearlyyears
ofthecentury
forinstance,
Ireneand
by"aliens."In socialdancing,
VernonCastleweremaking
dancemorewidely
syncopated
acceptable
it awayfrom
overtreferences
to itsblackroots.
bysteering
socialandpolitical
wasaltering
themeltingIntensifying
pressure
ethnic
or
at
least
itunderdifference,
byerasing
potprocess
forcing
Berlinwrotevirtually
no songsafter
1915reflecting
hisown
ground.
andveryfewwithprotagonists
drawnfrom
othermarginalethnicity,
izedethnicgroups.
His latersongstendedto be generic
piecesdevoid
ofreference
to locale,ethnicity
orclass,rather
thanechoesoflifein
NewYorkCity.He wason a trackthatwouldsoonleadto songsvoicinga new culturalhomogenization:
"I'11be lovingyou,always,witha
love that'strue,always";"God BlessAmerica";"WhiteChristmas."
AlexanderWoollcott'sThe StoryofIrving
Berlin6
was largely
for
the
responsible mythicizing songwriter's
earlyyears.In thisbiogra-
Berlin 15
Irving
thereal-life
dramaofthe
byBerlinhimself,
phy,closelymonitored
talented
a placeforhimRussian-Jewish
immigrant
making
musically
culture
ofNewYork,wassubtly
transselfin themulti-ethnic
popular
oftheself-made
forthe
formed
intothemyth
man,moreappropriate
street
urchin
achievesfameandfortune
an unschooled
1920s,whereby
hard
his
and
ambition, work, knowing placein theschemeof
through
hadnotproduced
a "newraceofman"after
The Melting-Pot
things.
ofAmericans
absorbed
intothe
another
all,butrather
generation
culture.
olderdominant
country's
In theprocess,
thedichotomy
between
classicalandpopular
art,
in thenineteenth
socialmarker
whichhadservedas an important
in the1910sbya first
buthadbeenchallenged
of
greatburst
century
forvernacular
wasrestored.
enthusiasm
culture,
DespiteWoollcott's
he sawhimas a "creforBerlin's
admiration
achievements,
professed
ativeignoramus."
He came into the worldwithan unrivalledcapacityforinventingthemes.But
he has added littleof the art, the patience,the interestin
to thatbirthright
andthemusicianly
whichcouldelaborate
them.It is an injusform,
knowledge
ticeat once to his trueachievements,
to his deepestaspirations
and to his
honestunpretentiousness
to link his name with a Wagneror Rimsky. . . In timehismusicwillbe heardfrom
theMetropolitan's
Korsakoff.
stage.
Thereis smalldoubtofthat.Butitwillbe heardafter
othermen,withlessinventive
butwithfargreater
havepickedhistunes
geniusperhaps
musicianship,
them into operas as Moussorgsky
and
up fromthe streetsand transmuted
rifled
thetreasure
chestsofRussian
folkmusicto maketheir
Rimsky-Korsakoff
finestscores.7
"aliens"havebeen"dressed
andprepared"
for
James's
Henry
to itspedestal,
BerandIrving
civilization,
higharthasbeenrestored
linhasbeenslotted
intohisproper
in
the
artistic
place
hierarchy.
eithermisunderstanding
ordeliberately
the
Woollcott,
misrepresenting
craft
ofpopular
anditslongstanding
tradition
oforal
songwriting
can onlymystify
matters
all
musicianship,
bypresenting
Berlin--like
otherpopular
a
musician
the
lacking ability,
training,
songwriters--as
andstrength
ofpurpose
ofa composer
ofclassicalmusic.
Thismyth
ofthepopular
as "creative
songwriter
ignoramus"
becameso entrenched8
thatthewriter
oftheNewYorkTimesfrontthedayafter
Berlin's
deathcouldonlythink
pageobituary
appearing
to stressthe "classicrags-to-riches"
clich6and to repeatsuchmisleading statementsas "his formalschooling .
..
totalled less than two
years"and "he could [only]tap out tuneaftertuneon thekeysof a

to writetheharmony."9
piano, leavingit to arrangers
The realityof Berlin'searlyyearsfaded.Thereare somepress
interviews
fromthe 1910s,butfewotherdocuments
fromthatperiod.
16 TheMusical
Quarterly
SW(
TIT119
9Y
flQERI
Iler~rrrr
iwfN
U
FA
Vblura
0MIME
4*ro?
Whatwe do have,though,
aresometwohundred
by
songswritten
on hisinternal
Berlinbefore1915,manyofthemdrawing
andexterandexpression
andthusgiving
notonlyan
nal lifefortheircontent
of
world
in
which
he
as
noted
but
the
lived,
above, alsoofthe
image
himself.
youngsongwriter
CharlesK. Harris,
a generation
olderthanBerlin,basedhis
he chancedto readorobserve.
His "MidtheGreen
songson material
of
forinstance,
wassuggested
FieldsofVirginia,"
byan oil painting
to BookerT. Washcowsgrazing
in a field,andas he laterconfessed
whoaskedhimifhe wasa Southerner,
thesongwas"All
ington,
imagination.
... I hadto inquireiftherewascornraisedin Virginia,
wasgivenmeby
andiftherewerehillsin Carolina.Thisinformation
Mr.
a
native
office
andmy
Southerner,
Blaise,
my
superintendent,
the
rest."10
did
imagination
He beganhis
wasa singer-songwriter.
Berlin,unlikeHarris,
in restaurants
andtheaters
andthen
careeras a performer,
singing
his
written
was
from
drawn
songs
by
Though
songs.
plugging
repertory
he
After
he
for
them
was
noted
others,
parody.
personalizing through
Berlin 17
Irving
;; :
:i
r
-: ?:
i?:::
i,
-,??;??-~:?
ofThe Irving
BerlinMusicCompany.
Berlincirca1914.Photocourtesy
Irving
18 TheMusical
Quarterly
he sangsomeofthemin theshowUp
beganwriting
songshimself,
andDownBroadway
andforColumbia
Records.
He wasthefirst
to
"Alexander's
Band"
the
Friar's
Frolic
of
(in
Ragtime
1911),
perform
ofhisownsongsin various
he sangentire
venuesinNew
programs
YorkandLondon,andin socialgatherings
"he is everreadyto
to a callfora song,andwillsinguntilhisthroat
respond
givesoutif
he findshis hearersare enjoyinghis efforts.""11
As itbecameevident
thatBerlin's
mostimportant
talentlayin
he
on
other
toperform
writing
songs, increasingly
depended
singers
themon stageandin therecording
studio.Buthisinstincts
remained
thoseofa singer-songwriter,
moreinclined
to drawon personal
experiencesandemotions
thana songwriter
whois notalsoa performer,
as
wewellknowfrom
suchdiverse
as
Thomas
the
AmeriMoore,
people
canbluesmen,
BobDylan,andTomWaits.Berlin's
habitwastojot
downlyrics
as theycametohimat anyhourofthenightorday,
life.Sometimes
thesewere
byeventsofhisrealorimaginary
triggered
ofseveralrhymed
verses
orcholines,sometimes
fragments
complete
never
heard
of
ruses.Someremained
fragments,
again:
herupandcries
He wakes
I'vewritten
another
song
You'vegottolisten
toit
She rubshereyesandanswers
I don'twanttohearit
I don'twanttohearit.
He keepsitupallmorning
Untilthedayisdawning
And whenhe sees heryawning

He startsto hollerlouder--shetakesa sleepingpowder,
And thenhe wakesherup and cries
I'vewritten
another
song
toit
Shehastolisten
cannotkeephimshut-He'sa nut-He'sa nutShe simply
One nightshe wentto herMother'shome,

While she was sleepingthereall alone
He calledherup on thetelephone
anothersong ... 12
And criedI've written
? 1992 The Estateof IrvingBerlin.
Others were reworkedand became the lyricsof publishedsongs. From

the beginning,some of these exhibit an intensityof expressionquite
uncommon forthe era, as in the grittystreetlanguage of "The Best
Of FriendsMust Part," publishedearlyin 1908:
Berlin 19
Irving
Don'ttalkoflove,
Justlikea dove,
Can'teatthestars,
Thatshineabove,
don'tgo,
Thatstuff
You'dbetter
blow,can'tbuya mealwiththatlovin'youknow,
I know
it'shard,
On your
oldpard,
ButI can'thelpthatyouplayed
lastcard,
your
Don'thesitate,
Evaporate,
Huntup anothermate.
to introducing
material
ThoughBerlinadmitted
autobiographical
intoonlyoneearlysong,"WhenI LostYou,"written
the
after
shortly
in 1912,manyothers
deathofhisfirst
wifeDorothy
draw
on
clearly
eventsofhislifeandhisreaction
to theseevents."WhenJohnson's
forinstance,
tellsus thatBerlinhearda black
Harmonize,"
Quartette
in thespring
of1912,andothersongsfrom
thisperiodsuggest
quartet
thathe waslistening
to one ormoreblackpianists.
His enthusiasm
for
themusicoftheseblackperformers,
as opposedto musicbywhites
whichmerely
elements
ofblackmusic,is evident
in the
appropriates
textsofthesesongsandin thesuddenappearance
of"blues"notesand
in "BringBackMyLovin'
anda newtypeofsyncopation,
harmonies,
Man,""Society
Bear,"andothersongsofthisperiod.
Berlinhimself
mustbe thecomposer
victimized
Elsewhere,
by
in
musical
Back
To
"Come
Me, MyMelody."
piracy
A man composeda sweetmelodyone summer
nightin June,
And he playedthatpretty
tunetillhe learnedto love it soon;
He ne'erwrotedownthatsweetmelody,and verystrange,one day
He foundthatpretty
melodyhad vanishedfromhis memory
...
One nighthe heardan orchestra
playstrainsofa sweetrefrain,
He recognized
hismelody,
itcleverly
although
they
changed
He ran to the man and he loudlycried,"That musicbelongsto me!"
Lessthantwoyearslater,Berlinwouldbe involved
in a successful
action to preventthis sortof piracy,as a chartermemberand director

of ASCAP.
Other songs mustbe decoded beforeyieldingtheirautobiographical content. "The Haunted House" (1914) can be read as Berlin's
commentaryon the publishinghouse of Waterson, Berlin & Snyder.
20 TheMusical
Quarterly
You see thatvacanthouse,as quietas a mouse,
It'schock
fullofmyst'ry,
ithasa hist'ry.
besides,
I oftenhave been told,thatthere'sa bag ofgold,
I'mpoor,butI don'twantit.
In thehousethat's
haunted,
in thehouseis Berlin's
The protagonist
mentor,
lurking
long-time
andbusiness
Ted Snyder:
collaborator
partner,
You see thatboney,croney,
I meanthatboney
skeleton
behind
thatstatue,
hiding
atyou!
Lookout,he'slooking
Listen!
Listen!
That Mysterious
Tell me, can'tyouhearhimwhistling
Rag, so noted,
haunted
house.
He wrote
it,inthatrickety,
aredensely
is identified
The references
byhis
packed.Snyder
characteristics
and
(he wastallandspare)andbymusical
physical
textual
ofthefirst
barsof"ThatMysterious
Rag,"a song
quotation
thephrases
attributed
to BerlinandSnyder;
"lanky,
hanky,
jointly
and
echo
the
of
earlier
croney"
"coony,
poeticalstyle
panky" "boney,
refers
to
songswritten
bythetwomen;"whistling"
ragtime
spoony"
are
"TheWhistling
to Berlinalone.The implications
Rag,"attributed
lockedto thepast,
clear:thepublishing
is a graveyard,
company
to shareauthorial
creditandroyalties
for"That
whereBerlinis forced
which
he
considers
his
own.
Soonhe
and
other
Mysterious
Rag"
songs
housein orderto gainmoreconwouldestablish
hisownpublishing
troloverhisown"bagofgold."
is Berlin's
andinteresting
obviousidentificaEvenmorecomplex
In "He'sA RagPicker,"
the
tionwithsomeofhisblackprotagonists.
in
"down
Alabama
where
a
fellow"
of
living
descriptionMose, "funny
as a pianist
mustbe drawn
from
Berlin's
thecottongrows,"
self-image
andcomposer:
He bangsupon thepiano keys,
Insearch
ofraggy
melodies,
Alldayhe'sattheivories;
And whilehe dozeshe composes,

MisterMose makesan ordinary
dittysoundso pretty,
Like nobodycan.
Other lyricsfleshout Berlin's legend of this mythicalmusician.
"FunnyLittle Mose," the protagonistof "The HummingRag" (London, 1913), is the authorof a "cute littlebeaut of a melody"which
Berlin 21
Irving
TIHE
IIAUTEB
OUSE
VN
\)
BY-IrVING
BErtLIt1-2
.
..................
In another
setseveryone
unpublished
dancing"likeso manylunatics."
inventor"
a "harmony
genius,"
lyric,"MusicalMose"is a "musical
whocan "makea pianoactjustlikea slave";and"Pickaninny
Mose,"
until1921,detailsthechildat thistimebutnotpublished
sketched
"croonsherdarky
littlelamb"whosemother
hoodofa "precious
tunes"to him.
from
"downbelowtheDixie
Another
blackpianist-composer
lessthan
wouldappearto be nothing
line,in Alabam',"Ephraham,
The
Piano"
an alteregoforBerlin."Ephraham
surely
PlayedUpon
ofBerlinat thekeyboard:
self-portrait
givesanother
DownbelowtheDixieline,inAlabam',
Lived a lovin'piano player,Ephraham;
hehadev'rybody
tooka lesson,
'Causehenever
guessin',
How he playedwithsucha lovin'tone.
hecouldunderstand,
Anykindofmusic
Stillhedidn't
byhand;
playbyear,heplayed
fishin'
forthetuneyou'd
beenwishin',
Whenhestarted
musician
stood
aside.
other
Ev'ry good
22 TheMusical
Quarterly
turns
as an "op'radarky,"
a
up againin "OperaBurlesque"
Ephraham
theMetropolitan
blackpianisthaunting
OperaHouse:
inthegallery
seehimsitting
you'd
Ev'ry
night
At theoperahouse,quietas a mouse.
He lovedto hearCarusosinghispartso tenderly;
Whenhe struck
a highone,to-the-sky
one,
toholler,
would
begin
Ephraham
"Thatnotealoneis worth
a dollar!"
andpersuades
several
buysa scoreofLuciadiLammermoor
Ephraham
otherblackmento attempt
thefamous
underhisdirection.
Sextette,
withenthusiasm
butnotmuchsenseofoperatic
Theyproceed
style,
tries
to
them
the
andeventhough
off
("You're
key!
Ephraham
stop
forme"),theykeepon "goin',blowin',showin'
Tryandsingitright
howtheycouldsingthatRagtime
Op'ra. . . as sweetas it canbe,
likepickin'cotton."Berlin's
enthusiasm
foroperaandhisattendance
andhe often
at theMetropolitan
OperaHousearewelldocumented,
ofhisambition
to createa ragtime
toldinterviewers
opera.
Morepoignantly,
"AtThe Devil'sBall,"copyrighted
only
thedeathofBerlin's
months
after
first
the
wife,mentions
"Ephraham,
Leaderman,whodiedsometimethisfall."Thishintoftheemodeathis, in itsway,as moving
tionaldevastation
causedbyhiswife's
at thesameperiod.
as "WhenI LostYou,"written
of(andapparent
identification
Thissympathetic
with)
portrayal
in thesesongscontrasts
withthestereotypical
blackmusicians
starkly
and
andoftenderogatory
imagesin "coonsongs"byothersongwriters,
contactbetween
Berlinandoneor
hintsstrongly
at undocumented
moreblackpianists.
in
clueto Berlin's
identification
withtheblackpianists
Another
thesesongscomesfrom
theirnames.His ownfather
wasnamed
wasoneofthe
Moses,hence"Mose,"butwhy"Ephraham"?
Ephraim
itsnamefrom
oneofJoseph's
tribes
ofIsrael,taking
sons,and
Berlin
wassometimes
usedas a synonym
for"Israel"itself.
"Ephraim"
beganlifeas IsraelBaline.
after
in other
Berlinnamedprotagonists
members
ofhisfamily
manwhosees
earlysongsas well.As notedabove,Moseis theyoung
on stagein "SadieSalome(Go Home),"and
hisgirlfriend
stripping
Mose also appearsin "BusinessIs Business"as thefatherofRosie,
Abie, theownerof a clothingstore;thisMose helps
engagedto marry
storeeach month
himselfto a new suitfromhis future
son-in-law's
untilAbie complainsto Rosie thatherfatheris "too hardon clothes"
I own." Lena,
and remindsherthat"I've gotto payforev'rything
Berlin 23
Irving
dialectsongs-"ItCan'tBe Did,"
whoappearsin severalGerman
Waltz"and"BringBackMy
Let'sDanceThatBeautiful
"Herman,
hernamefrom
Berlin's
mother.
Othercharacters
LenaTo Me"--takes
GotA JobIn A Musical
Rebecca("Becky's
arenamedforhissister
"Yiddisha
Show"andRebeccaKleinin theunpublished
Wedding")
in
andhisbrother
(Bennyin "Yiddisha
Eyes"andBenjamin
Benjamin
bearlittleorno resem"TryIt On YourPiano").Theseprotagonists
that
andin factappearin situations
blanceto theirBalinenamesakes
is
for
a
wouldhavebeenaliento thefamily.
show
instance,
Becky,
in thetheater,
forfellows
who"raise
girlwho"showsoffherfigure"
" andcallhera "Yiddisha
whenBeckystarts
a-kickin'
thedickens,
ofsteel,shecomesto
shehasa "coatmadeofseal,corsets
chicken";
in an automobile,"
andshe"smokes
a Turkish
thetheatre
as
cigarette
as
man
can."
good any
ofhisparents
andsiblings
to suchprotagosurnames
Attaching
ofdistancing
nistsmayhavebegunas partofBerlin's
himself
process
in hisyouth.As a childhe beganto exploreand
from
hisfamily,
hishome,beginning
withthestreets
theworldbeyond
of
experience
of
his
as didso manyotherJewish
lowerManhattan,
boys
generation.
In thewordsofoneofhiscontemporaries:
The streetswereours. Everyplaceelse-home, school, shop-belonged to the
grownups.But the streetsbelongedto us. We would roam throughthe city
farbeyondthe reachof
discovering
tastingthe delightsof freedom,
possibilities
us to
our parents.The streetstaughtus the deceitsof commerce,introduced
ofsurvival,and gave us ourfirst
ofsex, schooledus in strategies
the excitement
wasreallygoingto be like.. . . [I]twasthe

clearideaofwhatlifein America
streetsthatpreparedthe future.In the streetswe wereroughenedby actuality,

or professionals
and even thoseof us who laterbecameintellectuals
keptsome13
ofourbruising
ourhardandabrasive
thing
gutter-worldliness,
skepticism.
to earna
Berlinbeganpeddling
andjunkin thesestreets
newspaper
he hadlefthishomeon
fewpennies,andbythetimehe wasfourteen
houses
ofboarding
Streetaltogether,
Cherry
livingin a succession
hisfirst
in
With
music.
career
the
first
towards
a
whiletaking
steps
of
nameofBalinein favor
thefamily
song,he discarded
published
sumsofmoney
substantial
Berlin.Butbythetimehe beganmaking
werecloseagain.As DavidJ.
from
hissongs,histieswithhisfamily
for8 October1911, "none ofthemhas
Clarkwrotein the Telegraph
everwantedforthe good thingsof lifesincehe beganto dot noteson
ruledpaper.Theirhome is enviedbyall who are invitedintoit from
saw the light.Therehis
whereBerlinfirst
the originalneighborhood
motherand sistersenjoythe benefits-allofthem-of his first
year's
24 TheMusical
Quarterly
His useoftheirsurnames
in hissongswasan affectionate
royalties."
andhumorous
a
of
hisfamily
inhiscareer.
gesture,way involving
Evena cursory
examination
ofthewordsandmusicofBerlin's
the
demolishes
that
earlysongs
myth he wasa "creative
ignoramus"
devoidof"musicianly
He wasfondoftextual
andmusical
knowledge."
no lessso thanCharlesIves,anda "cultural
list
quotation,
literacy"
in thesesongswouldincludeVerdi'sAida
references
from
compiled
andRigoletto,
Donizetti's
LuciadiLammermoor,
Puccini's
La Boheme,
Bizet'sCarmen,
Gounod'sFaust,Leoncavallo's
Rubenstein's
Pagliacci,
DeKoven's"Oh Promise
Me," various
"Melodyin F," Reginald
songs
byStephenFosterandothernineteenth-century
songwriters,
"Turkey
in theStraw,"traditional
Scottish
andIrishtunes,JohnPhilipSousa,
theItalian-born
bandmaster
actress
Maude
Creatore,
Giuseppe
P.
and
Anton
Adams,poetGeorge Morris, performers Rubinstein,
MelbaandCaruso.It might
be argued
thatthislistrepreTetrazzini,
sentsnothing
Berlin's
witha common
beyond
familiarity
bodyof
on
the
streets
of
New
York
theturnof
at
circulating
City
knowledge
thecentury,
Berlin
knew
the
music
of
the
Sextette
from
Donizetyet
ti'sLuciadiLammermoor
wellenoughto writea fourteen-page
parody,
in his"OperaBurlesque."
oftheorigins
ofBerlin's
musical
Anystudy
takeintoconsideration
a muchwiderrangeofmusistylemustclearly
thanWoollcott's
has
cal genres
myth suggested.
fortheperiod,Berlintakesmusicitself
as the
Exceptionally
several
these
Laurence
matter
for
dozen
of
songs.
Bergreen's
subject
insinuates
thatmusicwasmerely
a means
recentbiography14
endlessly
a shrewd
who
businessman
to an endforBerlin,thathe wasbasically
he
to
have
a
knack
for
and
that
tunes,
fashioning
justhappened
successofsongsbyotherwriters
thecommercial
wouldcoldlymeasure
whatto produce
nexthimself.
Butthesesongssuggest
before
deciding
andwriting
thatlistening
to,performing
something
quitedifferent:
musicwasan intensely
exuberant,
sensual,ecstatic,
joyous,even
forBerlin.
quasi-religious
experience
orso songswithpianists
as protagonists
aretestaThe half-dozen
to thatinstrument.
mentsto thesheerjoyofplaying
orlistening
Piano man,piano man,
He bringsforthnoteslikeno one can,
Oh whata feelin'
When his notescome a-stealin'
Berlin 25
Irving
andappealin'
tomy
WhyI justfeellikekneelin'
Piano man,piano man,
howhismusic
lingers,
Lawdy
blesshisfingers
MaytheHeaven
(from"Piano Man")
WhenI hearyouplaythatpianoso sweet,
coldwaydowntomyfeet. ..
Mybloodruns
intearing
Whenyoustart
ragsbythestreak,
I couldhearyouplaythatboxfora week,
Foritdoesmost
butspeak,
anything
When youplaythatpiano, Bill.
"When
YouPlayThatPiano,Bill!")
(from
He can playsomesentimental
melody,
Andbreaktheheartofa stove,
When his melodybeginsto pour,
Thenyourwishbone
wishesforsomemore.
"Yiddisha
(from
Professor")
Berlinpromises
thatifyou'lllistento a blackquartet,
"from
your
headdowntoyourfeet,you'llbe fairly
and
other
hypnotized" "ev'ry
chordis a message
theLord."Hiram's
from
band"makes
country
and"ladiessigh,thebabies
PhilipSuserlooklikea march-abuser,"
sheerexcitement
when
cry,catsanddogslaydownanddie"from
in "LeadMe To ThatBeautiful
theyheartheband.The protagonist
Band"passesupdinnerin orderto "drink
from
a musical
cup"by
to
a
band:
hear
that
slide
trombone
a-blowin'
forme,
listening
"Just
justhearthosesweetcometsall goin'forme."A tunebyMenis "tantalizing,
delssohn
andtheprotagohypnotizing,
mesmerizing,"
nistin "StopThatRag"insists
that"melody
likethisis whatan artist
can'tpaint."
dancemusichypnotizes
Berlin's
or
Syncopated
protagonists,
themto statesoftrance,
andbarely-concealed
sexual
frenzy,
transports
excitement:
I'mgoin'crazy,
thatrag'sa daisy
I justcan'tmakemyfeelings
behave
...
to heav'n
Hon', I'm goin'straight
When I hearthatstrain,gwineto cryagain.
(from"Wild Cherries")
Go getme someammonia,'cause I fearI mustfaint,
I'm suffocating
withdelight.
(from"Stop That Rag")
26 TheMusical
Quarterly
TMlE
'YIDPISHtA
P9OFESSOR
~~~~
IRVIN
I"
-~rn
n
Nnr*~ra.
*1ui~91
r.rVv~n
5L~"~9
9.BA
Sigi
`77:
yN
Ifthey
dothatdanceinheaven,
Shoot me, hon', tonightat seven.
(from
Bear")
"Grizzly
Oh! thatheavenlystrain,
It makesmefeelso funny;
IfI evercry"Don'tplayitagain,"
don'tbelieve
me,honey.
Just
"Oh,ThatBeautiful
(from
Rag")
dance,It makesmelosemysense..
Oi, thatKazzatsky
ina trance.
Oi, thatKazzatsky
dance,I'mgoing
(from"That Kazzatsky
Dance")
his
In summary,
a profile
ofIrving
Berlinpiecedtogether
from
is
different
that
Woollcott
and
most
from
earlysongs quite
givenby
As a singer-songwriter,
he drewmaterial
writers.
from
his
subsequent
it into
andfrom
eventsofhisownlife,turning
socialenvironment
a bodyofsongsmoreautobiographical
thanthose
verseandproducing
Berlin 27
Irving
ucces
ft In duced
byEMMACUTs
i-
....-
i,
1A.
xwl
E
TWSMIRC
.v..
R5
IDSNDIDc
in which
ofmostofhispeers.Growing
society
up in a multi-cultural
ethnicidentity
couldbe a sourceofvitality
andpride,he madesocial
thesubjectofmanyofhissongs.His education,
differences
gained
bothin schoolandon thestreets,
in classical
gavehima basicliteracy
Western
the
of
music,as wellas a thorough
knowledge
pastand
literature
of
He
was
drawn
to
present
popular
song.
passionately
to itexuberantly,
music,responding
sensually,
ecstatically.
As theclimateofthecountry
changedandsocialdifferences
as didhisfellow
becamemoreproblematic,
he responded,
Tin Pan
a
more
and
Alleysongwriters,
bycreating
generic
songstyle public
hisearlysongsremainas important
documents
of
image.Fortunately,
hisearlyyears.
The Songs of IrvingBerlin, 1907-1914
The listbelowincludes
all songscopyrighted
andpublished
through
1914forwhichBerlinwrotemusic,textorboth,excepting
songs
written
forhisfirst
Watch
YourStep,whichopenedat the
musical,
GlobeTheatreon 8 December
1914.
28 TheMusical
Quarterly
ListsofsongsbyBerlinhave appearedin suchpreviouspublicationsas AlexanderWoollcott'sThe StoryofIrving
Berlin(New York&
London:G. P. Putnam'sSons, 1925; Da Capo Pressedition,1983),
The SongsofIrving
Berlin(New York:IrvingBerlinMusicCompany,
The Irving
Vince
Motto's
BerlinCatalog,Vols. VI & VIII
n.d.),
Sheet
Music
VA:
(Quicksburg
Exchange,1988 & 1990), Laurence
As Thousands
Cheer:TheLifeofIrving
Berlin(New York:
Bergreen's
Hart,and
Viking,1990), and StevenSuskin'sBerlin,Kern,Rodgers,
A Complete
Hammerstein:
NC
&
London:
SongCatalogue(Jefferson
As
useful
these
lists
their
as
have
McFarland,1990).
been,
songtitles
are ofteninaccurateas a resultofbeinggivenas theyappearon sheet
musiccoversratherthanthefirst
page ofthe music;somesongsby
writers
otherthanBerlinare included(thoughnot bySuskin);thereis
no recognition
thatsomesongswerecopyrighted
severaltimesin quite
is
different
and thedate of
versions;chronology onlyapproximate;
is missing.
copyright
Title
date Copyright
no.
Copyright
1. MarieFromSunnyItaly
2. Queenie
3. The BestOfFriends
MustPart
4. I Didn'tGo HomeAt All
5. Dorando
6. No One CouldDo It LikeMyFather!
7. SadieSalome(Go Home)
8. MyWife'sGoneTo The Country
(Hurrah!
Hurrah!)
9. Just
LikeThe Rose
10. Oh, WhatI KnowAboutYou
11. Someone's
ForMe (We'llWait,Wait,
Waiting
Wait)
12. Do YourDutyDoctor!(Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Doctor)
13. Good-Bye,
Me
Girlie,AndRemember
14. WildCherries
(Coony,SpoonyRag)
15. Oh! WhereIs MyWifeTo-Night?
16. She WasA DearLittleGirl
AboutYou
17. SomeLittleSomething
18. IfI Thought
YouWouldn't
Tell
19. I WishThatYouWasMyGal, Molly
20. NextTo YourMother,
WhoDo YouLove?
21. StopThatRag(KeepOn Playing,
Honey)
22. Christmas-Time
SeemsYearsAndYearsAway
23. Yiddle,On YourFiddle,PlaySomeRagtime
12 Oct. 1907
29 Feb. 1908
6 Feb.1908
13Mar.1909
11 Mar.1909
2 Apr.1909
2 Apr.1909
18June1909
E150811
E175522
E175845
E203451
E203814
E204479
E204481
E209740
2 July1909
2 July1909
2 July1909
E211289
E211292
E211293
6 Aug.1909
6 Aug.1909
12 Aug.1909
16 Sept.1909
5 Oct. 1909
14 Oct. 1909
14 Oct. 1909
14 Oct. 1909
26 Oct. 1909
24 Nov. 1909
2 Dec. 1909
30 Nov. 1909
E213051
E213052
E213300
E214570
E216226
E217166
E217168
E217169
E218110
E219550
E219710
E220516
Berlin 29
Irving
date Copyright
no.
Copyright
Title
CameBackTo SayGoodBye
24. I Just
I Go AndMarry,
I WillHaveA Talk
25. Before
WithYou
Tune
Mendelssohn
26. ThatMesmerizing
LikeYou
27. SomeoneJust
28. TellingLies
DanceWidMe
29. SweetMarie,Make-aRag-a-Time
The SameAs
30. IfThe Managers
OnlyThought
Mother
CouldLove
31. Oh HowThatGerman
32. WhenYouPlayThatPiano,Bill!
33. Draggy
Rag
I LoveYou!
34. DearMayme,
35. Grizzly
Bear
36. Call Me Up SomeRainyAfternoon
37. ThatOperaRag
Man
38. I'mA HappyMarried
39. I LoveYouMoreEachDay
AndHis Clarinet
40. Alexander
41. SweetItalianLove
42. Oh, ThatBeautiful
Rag
43. TryIt On YourPiano
44. "ThankYou,KindSir!"SaidShe
45. Yiddisha
Eyes
ElseI Can Do ForYou?
46. Is ThereAnything
47. KissMe MyHoney,KissMe
48. ColoredRomeo
49. Stop,Stop,Stop(ComeOverAndLoveMe Some
More)
50. Herman
Waltz
Let'sDanceThatBeautiful
51. PianoMan
52. Innocent
BessieBrown
53. Dreams,
JustDreams
54. I'mGoingOn A LongVacation
55. BringBackMyLenaTo Me
56. ThatKazzatsky
Dance
57. Wishing
58. Dat's-AMyGal
59. ThatDyingRag
Band
60. Alexander's
Ragtime
61. Virginia
Lou
62. The Whistling
Rag
63. ThatMonkey
Tune
64. WhenI'mAloneI'mLonesome
8 Dec. 1909 E220879

31 Dec. 1909 E221856
22 Dec. 1909
22 Dec. 1909
14Jan.1910
18Jan.1910
18Jan.1910
E222371
E222372
E223314
E224516
E224517
15 Feb. 1910
16 Mar.1910
13 Apr.1910
18 Apr.1910
19 Apr.1910
23 Apr.1910
28 Apr.1910
2 June1910
19 May1910
19 May1910
9 July1910
7 July1910
7 July1910
31 Aug.1910
8 Sept.1910
8 Sept.1910
3 Aug. 1910
14 Sept.1910
17 Sept.1910
E226408
E228389
E229419
E229542
E230452
E230607
E230794
E231098
E232638
E232639
E234395
E235374
E235475
E237664
E237828
E237829
E238127
E239224
E239367
24 Sept.1910
5 Oct. 1910
5 Oct. 1910
12 Oct. 1910
12 Oct. 1910
20 Oct. 1910
19 Dec. 1910
17 Dec. 1910
14Jan.1911
18 Feb. 1911
18 Mar.1911
20 Mar.1911
31 Mar.1911
25 Mar.1911
25 Mar.1911
E240313
E240646
E240647
E240951
E240952
E241527
E245819
E246503
E248729
E250877
E252990
E253397
E253962
E254260
E254261
30 TheMusical
Quarterly
Title
date Copyright
no.
Copyright
65. I BegYourPardon,
DearOld Broadway
28 Mar.1911
66. WhenYou'reIn Town
11Apr.1911
Is Business
21 Apr.1911
67. Business
68. SpanishLove
25 Apr.1911
69. DownTo The FoliesBergere
24 Apr.1911
WhenIt Rains
29 Apr.1911
70. WhenIt Rains,Sweetheart,
6 May1911
71. Don'tPutOutThe Light
13May1911
72. Molly-O!Oh, Molly!
16June1911
73. WhenYouKissAn ItalianGirl
20 June1911
74. Ephraham
PlayedUponThe Piano
20 June1911
75. You'veBuiltA FireDownIn MyHeart
27 June1911
76. Woodman,
Woodman,
SpareThatTree!
29 June1911
77. RunHomeAndTell YourMother
23 Aug.1911
After
The
78.
Honeymoon
31
That
79.
Mysterious
Rag
Aug.1911
I GetLonesome
80. One O'ClockIn The Morning
16 Sept.1911
19 Sept.1911
81. There'sA GirlIn Havana
22 Sept.1911
82. Don'tTakeYourBeauTo The Seashore
30 Sept.1911
83. DogGoneThatChillyMan
Violin!
6 Oct. 1911
84. Ragtime
85. Yiddisha
7 Oct. 1911
Nightingale
86. MyMelodyDream
14 Oct. 1911
2 Nov. 1911
87. You'veGotMe Hypnotized
2 Nov. 1911
88. Everybody's
DoingIt Now
16Nov. 1911
89. BringBackMyLovin'Man
Land
90. Sombrero
17Nov. 1911
91. CuddleUp
24 Nov. 1911
5 Dec. 1911
AndI'll Know
92. BringMe A RingIn theSpring
ThatYouLoveMe
12 Dec. 1911
93. He Promised
Me
12 Dec. 1911
94. MeetMe To-Night
15 Dec. 1911
95. YankeeLove
DollarsA 19 Dec. 1911
96. HowDo YouDo It,Mabel,On Twenty
Week?
Antonio 2 Jan.1912
97. Pick,Pick,Pick,PickOn The Mandolin,
18Jan.1912
98. I WantTo Be In Dixie
20 Jan.1912
99. TakeA LittleTip FromFather
25 Jan.1912
Bird
100.Ragtime
Mocking
Band
10 Feb. 1912
101.Alexander's
Bag-Pipe
102.OperaBurlesque
24 Feb. 1912
AndFall
103.Spring
24 Feb. 1912
4 Mar.1912
104.I'veGotTo HaveSomeLovin'Now
1 Apr.1912
105.SocietyBear
18 Apr.1912
Band
106.LeadMe To ThatBeautiful
E254307
E254667
E255849
E255927
E255928
E257181
E257470
E257638
E259700
E260178
E260179
E260385
E260540
E262997
E265636
E266077
E266188
E266385
E266709
E266996
E268019
E268592
E269368
E269369
E271161
E271198
E271441
E271969
E272255
E272256
E272387
E272549
E274520
E275297
E275357
E275605
E278333
E279162
E279163
E279448
E282261
E283517
Berlin31
Irving
Title
no.
date Copyright
Copyright
13 May1912 E284515
107.Antonio
13 May1912 E284516
108.That'sHowI LoveYou
6 Feb.[?]1912 E284616
109.I'mAfraid,
Maid,I'mAfraid
Pretty
6 May1912 E285079
110.The MillionDollarBall
15 May1912 E285201
111.A TrueBornSoldierMan
6 June1912 E285627
GotA JobIn A MusicalShow
112.Becky's
11June1912 E285800
Man
113.The Ragtime
Jockey
11June1912 E285801
Harmonize
114.WhenJohnson's
Quartette
12June1912 E285805
115.Fiddle-Dee-Dee
(I)
17June1912 E285990
116.Call Again!
27 May1912 E286188
117.Fiddle-Dee-Dee
(II)
E288757
ManGoingUp, GoingUp, GoingUp, 5 July1912
118.The Elevator
GoingUp!
12July1912 E288879
SoldierMan
119.Ragtime
9 Aug.1912 E289979
120.KeepAwayFromThe FellowWhoOwnsAn
Automobile
OfYou
27 Sept.1912 E296287
121.WhenI'mThinking
8 Oct. 1912 E296703
122.ComeBackTo Me, MyMelody
9 Oct. 1912 E296722
123.Do It Again
18 Oct. 1912 E297194
124.A LittleBitOfEverything
21 Oct. 1912 E297549
Band
125.Hiram's
2 Nov. 1912 E297717
Choo-ChooLeavesFor
126.WhenThe Midnight
Alabam'
8 Nov. 1912 E297996
127.WhenI LostYou
31
Oct. 1912 E298124
Man
Sweet
Italian
128.My
(I)
30 Oct. 1912 E298127
129.DownIn MyHeart
130.At The Devil'sBall (I)
14Nov. 1912 E298534
13Nov. 1912 E298601
131.FollowMe Around
15Nov. 1912 E298624
132.IfAll The GirlsI KnewWereLikeYou
18 Dec. 1912 E299488
133.At The Devil'sBall (II)
19 Dec. 1912 E299526
134.WaitUntilYourDaddyComesHome
20 Nov. 1912 E300049
135.Don'tLeaveYourWifeAlone
23 Nov. 1912 E300175
Professor
136.Yiddisha
11 Dec. 1912 E300412
137.Goody,Goody,Goody,Goody,Good
138.He's So GoodTo Me
4 Jan.1913 E300853
8 Jan.1913 E301125
139.At The Devil'sBall (III)
20 Jan.1913 E301409
Show
140.At The Picture
15Jan.1913 E304024
141.Anna'Liza'sWedding
Day
23 Jan.1913 E304275
142.WelcomeHome
1 Feb. 1913 E304585
143.In MyHarem
21 Feb. 1913 E305080
144.MySweetItalianMan (II)
21 Feb. 1913 E305082
Ookums
145.Snookey
7 Mar.1913 E305272
146.The AppleTreeAndThe BumbleBee
13 Mar.1913 E398411
Bound
147.San Francisco
32 TheMusical
Quarterly
Title
date Copyright
no.
Copyright
148.YouPickedA BadDayOutTo SayGood-bye

Girl
149.HappyLittleCountry
150.We HaveMuchTo Be Thankful
For
151.The Ki-I-Youdleing
Dog
152.KeepOn Walking
153.The Old MaidsBall
Porters
On Parade
154.The Pullman
155.AbieSingsAn IrishSong
156.The Monkey
DoodleDoo
157.Somebody's
ComingTo MyHouse
158.I WasAviating
Around
159.They'veGotMe Doin'It Now
160.Jake!Jake!The Yiddisher
Ball-Player
161.The International
Rag
162.KissYourSailorBoyGoodbye
163.TakeMe Back
164.They'veGotMe Doin'It Now(Medley)
165.You'veGotYourMother's
BigBlueEyes!
166.There'sA GirlIn Arizona
167.IfYouDon'tWantMe (WhyDo YouHang
Around)
168.Tra-La,La, La!
169.DownIn Chattanooga
170.Daddy,ComeHome
171.ThisIs The Life(I)
172.FollowThe Crowd
173.It Isn'tWhatHe Said,ButThe WayHe SaidIt!
WithYou
174.I LoveTo Quarrel
175.He's A DevilIn His OwnHomeTown
176.ThisIs The Life(II)
177.AlongCameRuth
178.IfI Had You
179.IfYouDon'tWantMyPeaches(You'dBetter
MyTree)
StopShaking
180.God GaveYouTo Me
181.They're
On TheirWayTo Mexico
182.The HauntedHouse
183.I WantTo Go BackTo Michigan
(DownOn
The Farm)
Time
184.IfThat'sYourIdeaOfA Wonderful
(TakeMe Home)
185.Always
TreatHerLikeA Baby
186.He'sA RagPicker
A HomeForTwo
187.Furnishing
25 Apr.1913
21 May1913
21 May1913
4 Apr.1913
14 Apr.1913
16 Apr.1913
14 May1913
15May1913
15May1913
15 May1913
16 May1913
17June1913
2 July1913
12Aug.1913
15 Aug.1913
8 Sept.1913
11July1913
12 Sept.1913
17 Sept.1913
24 Sept.1913
E309405
E309806
E309808
E310146
E310336
E310412
E311090
E311248
E311249
E311250
E311257
E311999
E314881
E315561
E315602
E315974
E318425
E319799
E320280
E322039
24 Sept.1913
21 Nov. 1913
16 Dec. 1913
26 Jan.1914
30 Jan.1914
11 Feb. 1914
10 Feb. 1914
14 Mar.1914
21 Feb. 1914
1 May1914
1 May1914
9 May1914
E322040
E323417
E328318
E330482
E330624
E330899
E330900
E331516
E334172
E335767
E335768
E335865
29 Apr.1914
2 May1914
27 May1914
30 July1914
E338500
E338892
E339657
E343400
22 June1914 E345233
24 Aug.1914 E347212
28 Sept.1914 E347874
8 Oct. 1914 E347984
Berlin33
Irving
no.
date Copyright
Copyright
Title
20 Oct. 1914 E349008

188.StayDownHereWhereYouBelong
10 Oct. 1914 E352071
189.That'sMyIdeaOfParadise
5 Dec. 1914 E349951
190.WhenIt'sNightTimeIn DixieLand
butnotpublished
copyrighted
SongsbyBerlin
13 Apr.1910 E229418
It Can'tBe Did!
13 Apr.1910 E229420
Angelo
butrecorded
notcopyrighted,
SongsbyBerlin
1910
HowCan YouLoveSuchA Man?
1911
WhatAmI GonnaDo?
1912
LittleMelody
The Funny
RevivalDay
1914
norrecorded
never
Showsongs
byBerlin
published
copyrighted,
1910
WithMe
He Sympathized
1910
MyWifeBridget
1911
Me
Answer
1911
Taxi
Dear
A
Waiting,
Keep
toBerlin
attributed
songs
erroneously
Copyrighted
6
Dec. 1909 E220836
The Yiddisha
Rag
3 Jan.1910 E223058
Too ManyEyesAreMakingEyesAt Me
1 Feb. 1910 E226001
The Yiddisha
Rag[forpiano]
H.
& Harry
M. Piano)
three
are
W.
Harris
(these
byJoseph McKeon, Raymond
11
1910
Beckie
Cohn
E229269
Good-Bye,
Apr.
Fred
music
Brun,
Fischer)
(words
by
byHarry
25 Jan.1912 E275604
BrandNew
&
for
She
Cecil
Mack
Chris
the
show
Knows
Better
Smith,
Now)
(by
10
Feb. 1912 E278334
Heather
Bell
My
Sloane)
(words
byE. RayGoetz,musicbyA. Baldwin
25 Oct. 1912 E297552
LonelyMoon
Sloane)
(words
byE. RayGoetz,musicbyA. Baldwin
Beard"(1912),oftenlistedas a song,is a strophic
"Father's
poembyBerlinperhaps
forvaudeville
witha lastversetobe sungto thetuneof"The
intended
performance,
Rosary."
Notes
wouldliketo thanktheIrving
The author
BerlinMusicCompany,
andHamRodgers
merstein
ofIrving
Berlinfortheirgenerous
assistance.
Music,andthefamily
1. IsraelZangwill,
TheMelting-Pot.
DramainFourActs(NewYork:The Macmillan
1909),198-99.
Company,
2. Zangwill,
TheMelting-Pot,
92.
34 TheMusical
Quarterly
3. Irving
BraceJovanoHowe,World
(NewYork;London:Harcourt
ofOurFathers
vich,1976),402.
TheAmerican
Scene(NewYork:Horizon
4. Henry
Press,1967),120.
James,
5. Stephan
Ethnic
Thernstrom,
ed.,Harvard
(CamEncyclopedia
ofAmerican
Groups
MA; London:Harvard
Press,1980),492.
bridge
University
6. NewYork;London:G. P. Putnam's
Sons,1925.
218-20.
7. Woollcott,
8. Mostsubsequent
writers
haveuncritically
Woollcott's
ofBerlin
as
accepted
profile
DavidEwen,inGreatMenofAmerican
"creative
ignoramus."
Popular
Song(EnglewoodCliffs:
it"extraordinary
hasrisen
... thatBerlin
Prentice-Hall,
1970),finds
thishighwithalmost
no musical
toprovide
himwiththefuelforhisflight
equipment
ofhisprofession"
to thehighest
altitudes
A SaluteTo
(114),andMichaelFreedland's
Berlin
H.
W.
likewise
the
ofan
Allen,
(London:
1974)
Irving
perpetuates myth
musician.
Andeventhough
Laurence
recent
As
"untrained"
Bergreen's
biography
Thousands
Cheer:TheLifeofIrving
Berlin
addi(NewYork:Viking,1990)uncovers
tionalfactual
information
aboutBerlin's
is so committed
theauthor
to the
earlyyears,
musician
withan artistically
notionofan untrained
inferior
musical
working
genre
no newinsights
thathe canoffer
intothecreation,
andreception
of
production,
music.OnlyIan Whitcomb's
andRagtime
Berlin
America
(NewYork:
popular
Irving
reconstruction
ofBerlin's
Editions,
1988),a quirky,
Limelight
imaginative
earlyyears
on theauthor's
intimate
ofthesongsthemselves
andinterviews
drawing
knowledge
withseveral
ofBerlin's
first
thealternate
viewofBerlin
offers
as a thorassociates,
musician.
oughly
professional
9. Marilyn
NewYorkTimes,
23 September
1989,p. 1.
Berger,
10. CharlesK. Harris,
TheBall:Forty
YearsofMelody:
AnAutobiography
(New
After
York:Frank-Maurice,
1926),318.
X No. 2 (August
11. TheGreenBookMagazine
1913):209.
12. Unpublished
citedin thisarticle
aretakenfrom
theIrving
Berlin
Colleclyrics
ofCongress.
ofincessantly
tionin theLibrary
Berlin's
downcommenpractice
jotting
as wellas potential
taries
on hisownlife,often
forsongs,
humorous,
wryly
lyrics
Thefollowing
is dated17July
wasninety-six
old:
continued.
1986,whenBerlin
years
I. Berlinis in thelobby
Ofan innandthat'shishobby
Therehe sits,spittin'
on theRitz
Berlin
? 1992TheEstateofIrving
13. Irving
Howe,TheImmigrant
Jews
(London;
ofNewYork:1881tothePresent
& KeganPaul,1976),256.
Boston:
Routledge
As Thousands
Cheer.
14. Bergreen,

Early Songs - Irving Berlin

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Early Songs - Irving Berlin

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Irving Berlin's Early Songs as Biographical Documents

Author(s): Charles Hamm

Much ofwhatwe thinkwe knowaboutIrvingBerlin'searlylifeand

Berlingrewup in a cityof immigrants.

whereall racesand nationscome to labourand look forward!'

to venom. . . theyexploitedthe few,fixedtraitsthathistory

New YorkCityin the first

When I've had a quarrelwithyou.

totalled less than two

years"and "he could [only]tap out tuneaftertuneon thekeysof a

And whenhe sees heryawning

cannotkeephimshut-He'sa nut-He'sa nutShe simply

One nightshe wentto herMother'shome,

Others were reworkedand became the lyricsof publishedsongs. From

He ran to the man and he loudlycried,"That musicbelongsto me!"

action to preventthis sortof piracy,as a chartermemberand director

And whilehe dozeshe composes,

Lived a lovin'piano player,Ephraham;

wasreallygoingto be like.. . . [I]twasthe

streetsthatpreparedthe future.In the streetswe wereroughenedby actuality,

WhenI hearyouplaythatpianoso sweet,

When his melodybeginsto pour,

Shoot me, hon', tonightat seven.

8 Dec. 1909 E220879

148.YouPickedA BadDayOutTo SayGood-bye

20 Oct. 1914 E349008

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