In 1929 the roaring 20s were coming to a close, everything was wonderful, the economy was booming and the flappers were still out there flapping. I am sure that most people thought the good times would never stop. This song is a typical upbeat twenties fox-trot, full of optimism and revelry. Soon all would change.

The songwriter, Oscar Levant, was a composer and pianist and a close friend of George Gershwin. Levant starred in a number of movies, including "Rhapsody in Blue", the film biography of Gershwin. This song was written for the film, "Street Girl" and features a photo of Betty Compson.

The year after the market had crashed, the music industry was trying hard to stay upbeat but by now, the songs began to take on a new meaning. Lyrics especially began to reflect a message of fear, worry and concern for the future. Though this song's title says little about it, the lyrics speak volumes;

"I speak of laughter, I speak of tears
And of hereafter and faded years
What was this song that brightened up my day?
The song without a name"

As the depression deepened, the music continued to reflect the times. Songs became more emotional and whistful and lyrics became nearly obsessed with dreams of a better future. This song's lyrics are no exception;

"I set my ship of dreams in motion to sail the ocean..
I keep praying to my lucky star..
My world will bloom with roses, they'll be honey in the comb"..etc.

In spite of the lyrics and the change in tone of the music, this song is a very enjoyable tune, uplifting. The cover photo on the music is of Vaughn Monroe who years later became famous with the hit "Racing With The Moon".

By 1932, things are really bad, widespread unemplyment, hoardes of unemployed begging and looking for any work and no good news for the future. It was around this time that composers and the movies began making an overt effort to cheer folks up. Songs took on a tone of hope for the future. Things will get better, hang on, good times are coming. No where is this better expressed than in the lyrics of this song of hope.

"Night seems darkest just before the dawn, just as the daybreak nears.
Soon we'll see a sunny sky, it's time to dry your tears.
..We'll find a silver lining, the clouds will soon roll by
Just wait untill tomorrow, What a happy day that will be"..etc

Just listening to the song, seeing those lyrics and remembering the pain everyone was feeling brings chills to me. It gets better, really it does.

Another technique used to re-focus people's angst during the tough times was to add humor to the situation and make fun of the troubles we were facing. This song is an example of the use of humor. The song is about a college man who is "the kingfish of finance" because he has a dollar in his pocket while no-one else does. The song is upbeat and the lyrics are fun. No doubt, this song helped cheer up a lot of people and showed that everyone was in the same boat.

"One more week is just starting and the outlook is unusually bright.
I'm the kingfish of finance in spite of Saturday night.
Here it is Monday and I've still got a dollar.
I'm the banker on campus 'cause I've still got dough.
When a man in college has a dollar he's an all American guy.
Havin' big times and spendin' his dimes."

The photo on the cover is Abe Lyman.

Enjoy the music, listen now.

The depression continued through the thirties, though conditions slowly improved through the efforts of many of the government programs that found meaningful public works jobs for the unemployed. It took WWII to totally put the depression behind us. Even after ten agonizing years, the depression theme still was appearing in music. Soon after though, the tone of music changed to the patriotic themes of America at war and proposed victory. The lyrics of this song show the spirit and adaptability of the American people:

"Changed my way of living, changed my point of view...
Without money, I'm doin' OK. Got the moon, Doesn't cost me a dime.
Got the park after dark for a stroll...
Nothing else matters I confess, Never felt better, Never had less...

This song is from the Hollywood song album of 1939. The album contains twenty one songs, presumably from the movies, however the movies each song may be associated with are not listed. The cover has photos of many of the silver screen and singing stars of the period including Judy Garland, Bing Crosby and Don Ameche.