Irving Berlin songs for 03/09/05 Song Circle

 

Jerome Kern observed "Irving Berlin has no place in American music. He is American music."    This Wednesday we’re going to honor one of America’s greatest popular composers, Irving Berlin.  Unfortunately we don’t have time to cover Berlin’s music in depth, but we can visit three to five of his more popular early songs.

 

Click on the links below to view sheet music covers and view the lead sheet for the song.  You need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to view and print these lead sheets.  I have quite a collection of antique sheet music, almost everything here.  I'm scanning and searching for sheet music cover pages.  Why lead sheets?  Jazz musicians use lead sheets and I want to play jazz when I grow up.  Lead sheet are also much faster for me to create (182 so far) than piano vocal scores (5). Click to send me an email:  Hey Steve, about your Song Circle web page

 

Read the February Song Circle essay:  Just in time for Valentine's Day, the romantic lyrics and songs of Rodgers and Hart

 

Read the January Song Circle essay:  Frank Loesser songs for the January 2005 Song Circle

 

I've been reading another Irving Berlin biography, As Thousands Cheer.  This is the best biography on Berlin (also the biggest), and it included lots of gossipy details on his life.  Israel Beilin was born Temum, Siberia, May 11, 1888; died New York, September 22,1989  He acquired his last name, Berlin, due to a typo on the cover of his very first song, Marie from Sunny Italy.  Berlin never learned to read or write music, and his tremendous output of popular songs were written in the key of F# on a transposing piano that had a lever to move the keyboard to different keys.  He always played the more accessible black keys, which he called "nigger keys."  Berlin always called his latest piano his “Buick.”.  He dictated his songs to a musical secretary, usually Helmy Kelsa, who quickly arranged a piano score for Berlin’s music company.  Berlin was neither a good singer nor a great pianist.  “He didn’t play with just one finger, he played with all ten fingers – badly.”

 

Blue Skies           Sheet music cover           Acrobat Lead sheet

We live in the cloudiest city in the nation (tied with Seattle).  I don’t know about you, but I’m wishing for a few sunny days and Blue Skies.   I'd like to introduce the famous Irving Berlin song, Blue Skies  I learned this song from the great 1978 Willie Nelson album, Stardust. 

 

How was Blue Skies written?  Irving Berlin wrote this song as a special request for an old friend, Belle Baker.  Berlin wrote his third song Queenie (My Own) with pianist Maurice Abrams, who was married to vaudeville singer, Belle Baker.  Belle Baker introduced several Berlin songs, including Always ("I'll be loving you, Always").  Leading lady Belle Baker was singing in the Rodgers and Hart musical Betsy, but the musical was obviously a flop.  In desperation, Baker asked her friend, Irving Berlin, for a song to help save the musical.  In response Irving Berlin wrote Blue Skies on December 1926 in one night at Baker’s house.  It was introduced by Belle Baker in the Ziegfeld production Betsy in the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York in December 28, 1926.  Producer Florence Ziegfeld interpolated Blue Skies into the musical Betsy in which all other music was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.  The musical had opened in Washington December 20, and it needed help, for it lasted only 39 performances before closing.  Much to the embarrassment of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Blue Skies became the big hit of the musical.

 

"Blue Skies" is remembered because of Al Jolson's performance in 1927 in the first talking movie The Jazz Singer.  Jolson looks like quite a ham as he belts out Blue Skies and appears to play the piano.  Top selling recordings of Blue Skies were made by Ben Selvin and his Orchestra and by George Olsen and His Music (don’tcha love those names).  Blue Skies" was also sung by Bing Crosby in the 1946 movie about Berlin called (appropriately enough) Blue Skies.  See a poster image from EBay:  Blue Skies poster

 

The parody version (chorus number 2) was written by Irving Berlin himself in 1975.  It describes the discomfort felt by the younger Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart when a song by the experienced veteran Berlin was stuck into their show -- especially since Blue Skies became the hit of the show. After years of trying, Rodgers and Hart finally had their first Broadway hit Manhattan in the previous year.  R & H went on to write dozens of hits, and we sang four of them last month.  The purpose of the parody is to make the chorus of this lovely song last a little longer.

 

Puttin' on the Ritz       Sheet music cover           Acrobat Lead sheet (in C and Cm)

Puttin' on the Ritz has a jazzy syncopated melody sang over a steady swing style accompaniment.  The melody is formed from syncopated chord arpeggios and scales.  The verse is in a major key (C major), and the chorus is in a minor key (C minor), which provides an intriguing contrast.  I love the major/minor key change in Cole Porter's songs and in Irving Berlin's 1930s movie songs.

 

In 1985 I went to the Seattle Folklife Festival as part of my sister's string band "Robinson Lake Revival".  The site for this free festival is the park at the base of the "Space Needle" where the 1960 World's Fair was held. The advantage of attending this festival as a performing musician is that you can eat and drink for free.  Many groups were formed simply to take advantage of the hospitality.  While there, I had the pleasure of seeing a capable solo mandolin player perform Puttin' on the Ritz.  He was dressed in a black suit with tap shoes.  He not only sang and played well, but he tap danced while playing mandolin!  I marked the tune that day.  Fast forward to 2003.

 

I've been collecting Irving Berlin songbooks and sheet music.  This is difficult because Irving Berlin had his own music publishing company.  Irving Berlin refused to let any other music publisher publish his songs.  The Berlin publishing company had boring sheet music covers and poor arrangements that never changed.  Nothing changed in subsequent music printing from the Irving Berlin Music Corp; even mistakes in the sheet music were retrained.  Berlin was a major obstacle to performers and musicals that wanted to incorporate his songs.  He jealously guarded the rights to his music, and he would even sue or threaten to sue performers if he did not like their renditions of his music.  Berlin died at age 101 in 1989, and the Hal Leonard publishing company has gotten permission to print his music.  I have collected Irving Berlin song books and sheet music, and I've found the original sheet music (but I can't find it) to Puttin' on the Ritz with Harry Richman on the cover.

 

Puttin' on the Ritz was a hit several different times in the last century. The "Ritz" refers to the posh hotel chain built by Cesar Ritz.  This song expresses a common theme of several Berlin songs, a couple of society wannabees trying to appear better off than they really are.  This may have been written as early as 1927.  Puttin' on the Ritz is classified by Berlin scholars as a "coon song".  "Spangled gowns upon a bevy of high browns down from the levy all misfits."  Irving Berlin wrote many coon songs early in his career.  Harry Richman introduced the tune in 1929 in the 1930 movie Puttin' on the Ritz. Berlin wrote new lyrics for Fred Astaire in the 1946 movie Blue Skies, and it is these second set of lyrics that most people know.  Blue Skies was a number 1 hit for the Harry Richman in 1930.

 

Clark Gable sang it in the 1939 film Idiot's Delight, which was reintroduced in 1973 film That's Entertainment.  Most people remember Fred Astaire's incredible dance in the 1948 movie Easter Parade.  Do you remember the world-wide hit in 1982 by Indonesian Dutch singer Taco Ockerse?  And Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle sang it in 1974 in one of my favorite movies. Young Frankenstein.

 

Puttin' on the Ritz has a jazzy syncopated melody sang over a steady swing style accompaniment.  The melody is formed from syncopated chord arpeggios and scales.  The verse is in a major key (C major), and the chorus is in a minor key (C minor), which provides an intriguing contrast.  I love the major/minor key change in Cole Porter's songs and in Irving Berlin's 1930s movie songs.  My mandolin loves those minor keys! 

 

Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning    Sheet  music cover           Acrobat Lead sheet

Irving Berlin was born in Temum, Siberia on May 11, 1888.  He immigrated with this family to the United States at age 5.  Irving Berlin started writing lyrics when he worked as a singing waiter in "Nigger Mike's" tavern.  He always wanted to be a part of his adopted homeland, so he started the two year process to become an American citizen.  On February 6, 1918, Berlin renounced his Russian citizenship, and he became an American citizen.  With World War 1 running, the United States knew what to do with their new citizen -- they promptly drafted him.

 

Berlin was assigned to Camp Upton, located in Yaphank, Long Island, about 100 miles from New York City.  Camp Upton was a staging area for soldiers from New York City who were destined for the front lines in France.  Irving Berlin hated being a soldier and his humble status as a private.  By 1918, Berlin was a wealthy 30-year old widower with a large comfortable apartment, a chef and a personal valet to look after him.  Berlin was an intensely private man, and he didn't like sharing his meals, his sleeping quarters, and his life with hundreds of other soldiers. He didn't like the pointless marches and KP and drills.  He even arranged for his valet to come in and make his bed while he was on duty.  As a new citizen, Irving Berlin wanted to be a good soldier.  Berlin was an insomniac and he was used to working late into the evening until 2 or 3 am, then rising the next day at 10 am.  He said,

 

"Every morning when the bugle blew I'd jump right out of bed, just as if I like getting up early.  The other soldiers thought I was a little to eager about it and they hated me.  That's why I finally wrote a song about it."

 

Berlin learned that Howard Friend, the fellow who bunked right next to him, also hated reveille.  He dedicated this song to Howard.  The song made the rounds at Camp Upton and it was soon a hit with the enlisted men, for he discovered that the other soldiers hated reveille too.  After all, Berlin's reaction to the National Anthem was "No, I can't see anything by dawn's early light."

 

I too suffer from insomnia, but I try to arise early "at the crack of noon."  After seeing my slothful ways, early riser Janet Clary decided to make me a gift of a beautifully framed copy of the Irving Berlin sheet music, Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning.  It is prominently posted in the living room in hopes that it will inspire this chronic late riser.

 

Irving Berlin is also known as a performer as well as a composer.  The song that he is most famous for performing is Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning.  If you had the pleasure of seeing the 6-hour PBS Broadway series, you have seen and heard Berlin sing this song taken from the 1942 musical This is the Army.  See Berlin photo from movie.

 

Cheek to Cheek           Acrobat Lead Sheet

If the first lead sheet doesn't work, click on this one:  Cheek to Cheek2.pdf

One of my favorite swing songs is called Cheek to Cheek whose sheet music adorns the wall above my piano.  While Fred Astaire is known for his dancing, he introduced many hit songs through Broadway shows and his movies.  Fred had a monster hit with Cheek to Cheek in 1935 and 1936; it was number one for 12 weeks and sold over a million copies during the great depression.  Fred was not only a great dancer, but a capable pianist and singer.  He was also a nice guy, well liked by the composers and producers.  Berlin liked to play gin rummy with Astaire, and he spoke fondly of Astaire:

 

"Once I started writing for the Astaire - Rogers films, I was writing dance music.  Even the lyrics were about dancing --  Cheek to Cheek, Change Partner, 'Let's Face the Music and Dance'.  You give Astaire a song, and you could forget about it.  He knew the song.  He sang it the way you wrote it.  He didn't change anything.  And if he did change anything," Berlin said with a chuckle, "He made it better."

 

Fred Astaire danced with Ginger Rogers in the movie Top Hat. Ginger wore a dress adorned with many large ostrich feathers.  The feathers had a powdery dander that made Fred burst into an uncontrollable sneezing fit when they danced together.  Practice was halted while the dress was altered to "tie down" the feathers.  When they resumed dancing, once again Fred couldn't help sneezing.  He grew angry (rare), and started arguing with Ginger about the dress.  But when you hired Ginger, you also got an extra: Lila, Ginger's domineering mother.  Lila haunted the backstage whenever Ginger was filming.  When Lila heard Fred arguing with her daughter, she waded in and soon a shouting match erupted. Fred left to calm down and composed the following lyric:

 

Feathers - I hate feathers -

And I hate them so that I can hardly speak,

And I never find the happiness I seek

With those chicken feathers dancing cheek to cheek

 

You may have wondered why I like tasteless novelty songs.  It comes from my misspent youth.  When I was a boy, I subscribed to Mad Magazine, and Mad would often print parodies of popular songs..  In the 1960s, Mad published a parody of Cheek to Cheek called "Sheik to Sheik"

 

Heaven, we're in heaven

And our earth with rich black oil seems to leak

And we always find the happiness we seek

When we're talking dough together sheik to sheik

 

Berlin joined with over 60 other songwriters and sued Mad Magazine in 1960.  They said that Mad could not write parodies of their songs without their permission and that it was against copyright law.  The suit went all the way to the Supreme Court.  Two years later in 1962, the court decided that this was not covered by copyright and Mad had a right to write these parodies.  The court singled out Berlin in their arguments. "Can you copyright Iambic pentameter?  -- Of course not."  Now I enjoy the song parodies printed in Sing Out! magazine.

 

Cheek to Cheek was the first lead sheet  I ever did several years ago.  This was a poor first choice, for the sheet music and lead sheets I've found for Cheek to Cheek are simply wrong.  The chords and melody are 'my take' on the song.  Due to an error in Finale, the desktop music printing program, they supplied a lead sheet template that uses the Jazz font (now fixed).  Thus Cheek to Cheek has a different look then my other lead sheets.

 

They Say It's Wonderful             Acrobat Lead sheet

All right, you know I'm an incurable romantic.  After hearing a lovely romantic rendition of this song by Terry Blaine, I just had to bring it to the song circle.  This is from Annie Get Your Gun  and is sung as a duet between Annie (Ethyl Merman or Mary Martin) and Frank.  This is a first pass at a song.  I took this from a fake book, the Old Real Book vol 3 and the Irving Berlin fake book.  I can tell these chords need some editing.  I must say this appeals to my romantic heart, but we already have too many Irving Berlin songs for a song circle.