SONG: Guantanamera ARTIST: Joseito Fernandez YEAR: 1941 Listen to it here: THE SONG: Guantanamera started off as a poem of four verses by Cuban poet Jose Marti and set to music by Joseito Fernandez as early as 1929. Although the lyrics to the song are often improvised, the most common lyrics sung by Fernandez areContinue reading “Song 22 – Guantanamera”
Category Archives: Songs
Song 21 – Gloomy Sunday
SONG: Gloomy Sunday ARTIST: Billie Holiday YEAR: 1941 Listen to it here: THE SONG: Very unfortunately, this song is also known as “The Hungarian Suicide Song”. It was a popular song composed by Hungarian pianist and composer Rezső Seress and the original title translates to “The World is Ending.” It was a song about despairContinue reading “Song 21 – Gloomy Sunday”
Song 20 – Java Jive
SONG: Java Jive ARTIST: The Ink Spots YEAR: 1940 Listen to it here: THE SONG: Java Jive was written in 1940 by Ben Oakland and Milton Drake as a fad song and recorded later that year by The Ink Spots. Their version reached number 17 on the charts and is seen as a light-hearted departureContinue reading “Song 20 – Java Jive”
Song 19 – Mbube
SONG: Mbube ARTIST: Solomon Linda & the Evening Birds YEAR: 1939 Listen to it here: THE SONG: This song has been very interesting to research because of its history. I had no idea I would know this song when I started listening to it, and had always assumed it was written by some white westernersContinue reading “Song 19 – Mbube”
Song 18 – The Gallis Pole
SONG: The Gallis Pole ARTIST: Lead Belly YEAR: 1939 Listen to it here: THE SONG: Gallis Pole aka Gallows Pole was originally a centuries-old folk song of unknown origin titled The Maid Freed from the Gallows. The song may have originated in continental Europe, more specifically Finland, Sweden, Lithuania and Hungary, with over 50 notedContinue reading “Song 18 – The Gallis Pole”
Song 17 – Over The Rainbow
SONG: Over the Rainbow ARTIST: Judy Garland YEAR: 1939 Listen to it here: THE SONG: Over the Rainbow is probably the most ubiquitous song we’ve had featured so far. It was written by Harold Arlen and the lyrics were by Yip Harburg. The song was written for the film The Wizard of Oz, but wasContinue reading “Song 17 – Over The Rainbow”
Song 16 – Strange Fruit
SONG: Strange Fruit ARTIST: Billie Holiday YEAR: 1939 Listen to it here: THE SONG: Strange Fruit originated in 1937 as a poem by Abel Meeropol, who wrote the words after seeing a photograph of the lynchings of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith in Marion, Indiana in 1930. He originally called the work “Bitter Fruit” andContinue reading “Song 16 – Strange Fruit”
Song 15 – Hellhound on my Trail
SONG: Hellhound On My Trail ARTIST: Robert Johnson YEAR: 1937 Listen to it here: THE SONG: The phrase “hellhound on my trail had been used numerous times in other blues songs for years before it appeared as the title of one of Robert Johnson’s biggest hits. This song is a solo performance by Johnson withContinue reading “Song 15 – Hellhound on my Trail”
Song 14 – Cross Road Blues
SONG: Cross Road Blues ARTIST: Robert Johnson YEAR: 1936 Listen to it here: THE SONG: Cross Road Blues or Crossroads was written by blues artist Robert Johnson in 1936. The song was the result of a 3rd recording session, recorded in a hotel with a portable disc cutting machine. Two similar versions of the songContinue reading “Song 14 – Cross Road Blues”
Song 13 – Can the Circle Be Unbroken
SONG: Can the Circle Be Unbroken ARTIST: The Carter Family YEAR: 1935 Listen to it here: THE SONG: “Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)” is a folk song that was reworked by A.P. Carter from the hymn “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”. The song deals with the death, funeral, and mourning of theContinue reading “Song 13 – Can the Circle Be Unbroken”
Holly & Kelly Music Review 