How Deep Is the Ocean'How Deep Is the Ocean' is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1932. The song was developed from an earlier Berlin song “To My Mammy” which was sung by Al Jolson in his film Mammy (1930). In the earlier song, the lyrics include the questions “How deep is the ocean? / How high is the sky?” and this was the genesis of “How Deep Is the Ocean?”. The song was written at a low point in Berlin’s professional and personal life, and is among the select few of his numbers that were introduced on the radio rather than on stage or film. The song is a series of questions posed one after another, the only exception being the second line, “I’ll tell you no lie.” This song, together with “Say It Isn’t So“, were huge hits in 1932 and brought Berlin back to the top again. From Wikipedia.
Skylark'Skylark' is an American popular song with lyrics by Johnny Mercer and music by Hoagy Carmichael, published in 1941. Carmichael wrote the melody, based on a Bix Beiderbecke cornet improvisation, as “Bix Licks,” for a project to turn the novel Young Man With a Horn into a Broadway musical. After that project failed, Carmichael brought in Johnny Mercer to write lyrics for the song. Mercer said that he struggled for a year after he got the music from Carmichael before he could get the lyrics right. Mercer recalled that Carmichael initially called him several times about the lyrics but had forgotten about the song by the time Mercer finally wrote them. The yearning expressed in the lyrics was based on Mercer’s longing for Judy Garland, with whom he had an affair. From Wikipedia.
Yours Is My Heart Alone'Yours Is My Heart Alone' or 'You Are My Heart’s Delight' (German: 'Dein ist mein ganzes Herz') is an aria from the 1929 operettaThe Land of Smiles (Das Land des Lächelns) with music by Franz Lehár and the libretto by Fritz Löhner-Beda and Ludwig Herzer [de]. It was for many years associated with the tenorRichard Tauber, for whom it was written. The aria is sung by the character of Prince Sou-Chong in act 2. An American version of the show opened on Broadway in 1946 starring Tauber but it soon closed as Tauber had throat trouble. Broadway English lyrics by Harry B. Smith. From Wikipedia.
Goodbye ( Woodshedding)'Goodbye' (sometimes written 'Good-Bye') is a song by American composer and arranger Gordon Jenkins, published in 1935. It became well known as the closing theme song of the Benny Goodman orchestra.
Jenkins had written the song when working with the Isham Jones orchestra, and Jones allegedly rejected it as it was “too sad”. Music critic Alec Wilder described “Goodbye” as “as sad a song I know” and Leonard Feather called it among his “top ten songs it would be hardest to tire of hearing”. From Wikipedia.
Jenkins had written the song when working with the Isham Jones orchestra, and Jones allegedly rejected it as it was “too sad”. Music critic Alec Wilder described “Goodbye” as “as sad a song I know” and Leonard Feather called it among his “top ten songs it would be hardest to tire of hearing”. From Wikipedia.
