Is the Great American Songbook still being written?
The so-called Great American Songbook is defined as a canon of the memorable “standards” of popular song that helped to define American culture in the first half of the 20th century. Its great composers included Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, the Gershwins, and Jerome Kern.
These songwriters’ names were just as well known as the names of famous singers, because it was an age when the song stood proudly independent from the performer. Standards such as “Stardust” by Hoagy Carmichael would be uniquely recorded by many singers, from Frank Sinatra to Doris Day to Nat King Cole. One of the last songs to receive such multi-artist treatment was Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday” (1965), the most recorded song in history, with over 4,000 versions by everyone from Ray Charles to Placido Domingo.
By contrast, the second half of the 20th century saw the rise of so-called singer-songwriters, who both wrote and performed their own songs, like James Taylor, John Denver, Carol King, and Elton John. The practice of having separate songwriters and singers has declined now, except in Country Music, but even there the singer who records a certain song still tends to “own it.”
Another big difference from the past is that songwriters’ names are little known by the general public now. How many have ever heard, for example, of Nadir “Red One” Khayat, co-writer of some of Lady Gaga’s biggest hits?
“Poker Face” Versus “Midnight Sun”
Allow me to do a comparison of one of Lady Gaga’s most famous songs, “Poker Face,” with one of the Great American Songbook songs, “Midnight Sun,” to see what exactly might have changed in the art of songwriting. Never fear, I will be sure to explain my analysis in terms everyone can understand.
In 2009, Gaga’s hit was one of the best-selling singles, with over 9.5 million sales that year. I got hold of the “Poker Face” score and did a bit of simple analysis, comparing it with the score to the great lyricist Johnny Mercer’s “Midnight Sun” (1954), with music by Sonny Burke and Lionel Hampton. This song was first a big hit for Ella Fitzgerald in 1957 and subsequently recorded by many others, including Jo Stafford and Sarah Vaughan, and more recently Diana Krall.
First of all, let’s compare the chords of the two songs. “Midnight Sun” has 24 different kinds of chords (in other words, it is richly and continually varied in harmony) in a highly sophisticated “progression.” Dramatically contrasting with this, “Poker Face” has just three chords repeated monotonously over 30 times and which do not even make a progression, such as you’d find in the three chords of a rock or Country song.
Next, let’s look at the melody in the two songs. “Midnight Sun” presents a typically wide range for the singing voice, from low to high, of an octave plus three steps, with an interesting melodic shape that often contrasts the singer’s warm lower notes with his or her climactic high ones. The beautiful melody stands up as a tune on its own, having first been recorded as an instrumental.
By contrast, “Poker Face” mostly hovers on the note middle C and dips down to a few other notes within the narrow range of a fourth (four scale steps), only occasionally jumping up to a note an octave higher. Its overall effect is as a drone or chant, and the vocal line would not likely stand up on its own as a memorable tune without words.
Finally, perhaps the biggest contrast is in the lyrics to the songs. Johnny Mercer’s lyrics are utterly poetic and romantic, for example: “Your lips were like a red and ruby chalice,/ Warmer than the Summer night./ The clouds were like an alabaster palace,/ Rising to a snowy height./ Each star its own Aurora Borealis,/ Suddenly you held me tight,/ I could see the midnight sun.”
The lyrics to “Poker Face” are more overtly sexual and make little attempt at either poetry or romance, for example: Oh, whoa, oh, oh / Oh, oh oh / I’ll get him hot, show him what I’ve got / Can’t read my, can’t read my / No, he can’t read my poker face … P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face (mum-mum-mum-mah).”
While it may be argued that the rhythmic, driving beat or the fantastic video production of today’s songs compensate for the missing elements described above, it could be counter-argued that those things only serve to mask their deeper deficiencies.
The Great American Songbook remains a treasure worth preserving and celebrating, and, thankfully, it lives on in fresh recordings by people like Michael Bublé and even by Lady Gaga herself (with Tony Bennett)! And for those who don’t know “Midnight Sun,” please savor its melody and the rest of its fabulous lyrics.
Republished with gracious permission from The Epoch Times (August 2020)
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The photograph of Johnny Mercer was taken by William P. Gottlieb in New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 and comes from the William P. Gottlieb collection at the Library of Congress. In accordance with the wishes of William Gottlieb, the photographs in this collection entered into the public domain on February 16, 2010, and it appears here courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. The image of “Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book” is taken from YouTube. The image of Lady Gaga at Airbnb Open Spotlight is by Justin Higuchi and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Wonderful! Love the Great American Songbook repertory, and thank you for this article commemorating it.
So true! Most of today’s “music” is pure noise and trash.
I was born and raised on big band music beginning in 1937 thru WWII. I learned hundreds of songs from radio and jukeboxes and movies especially during the war. In 1943 I was six years old in first grade and at the teacher’s request of each student to sing a song that they knew, I sang “In The Mood”. Names of big band leaders were as common as movie stars or athletes during those times and I knew most of them as well as those of singers. As I grew up I latched on to the music of the times and singers like Eddie Fisher, Tony Bennett and Joni James. The 60’s turned the music world around being a precursor to the real rock era and it’s many talented musicians, writers and singers and I was all in. But now that I am in the Autumn of my years I have returned to the music of my childhood, big bands and singers that deliver beautiful lyrics and memories. Yes Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and others are gone but new singers have taken up the baton and the music of the early to mid 20th century lives on. I’m very grateful.
This is the best commentary I have ever heard. I am a 65 year old professional pianist in central Florida. I play 2-3 nights a week at a popular restaurant. I ONLY get requests for the “Great American Songbook!” If I ever get a request to play a current tune, I tell them “Sorry, it is against my religion!” In addition, I tell people “With exception of some musicals, Disney, and a few singers, there hasn’t been anything of great musical value since 1980!
I had not heard either song before reading this column. Now I’ve listened to both, well, not quite. I could only get through half of Poker Face, but I don’t think I missed anything. Midnight Sun was so much more interesting and encouraged a state of contemplation and revere, involving both my senses and my mind. Poker Face was all hype and actively encouraged me to turn off my brain and respond solely to the beat. I imagine returning to Midnight Sun again and find enjoyment and meaning throughout my life. Poker Face, well, it wasn’t worth my time to even finish it.
Wow, thanks for the essay, the comparison, and for “Midnight Sun” and Ella. This is my first time listening to the song. I love The Great American Songbook.
You are so-o-o right. I cringe everytime I hear “praise” music at my church!
I completely agree with your assessment! Lovely way to begin my comment! I do agree. I have always been drawn to The Great American Songbook, even as dated as the expressed sentiments may be. They are still lovely. My most favorite concert attended was The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Give me Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Eddie Duchin…but that’s off track. You mentioned Michael Buble. Are you familiar with Tony DeSare? He’s my new favorite. As I write this he has put out 166 song diaries. His goal was to help people through hard times of lockdown and pandemic. He’s done that and more! And he makes that piano stride and dance!
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