# Most important songs 1900-1959 (HURRY please!!!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198 "2010-06-14T21:09:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/1 "2010-06-14T21:09:45Z")
So my friend has requested my help for a small project. She’s a 5th grade teacher assigning her kids songs that are important/controversial/popular for each decade from the 1900s to the 1950s. The emphasis is on the important/controversial part. She only wants a couple of songs for each decade, so picking and choosing is probably the hardest part (Especially for the 50s!!!). Here’s the list I came up with. Let me know if you guys have any other good ideas: 1900s: Maple Leaf Rag - Scott Joplin (pub. 1899, but whatever) Sweet Adeline - Gerard/Armstrong (pub. 1903) Aside from being popular songs, I feel like both of these show how important published music was back then. It also shows how amateurs liked to preform the pieces at parties. 1910s: The Preacher And The Slave - Joe Hill (1911) Memphis Blues - W.C. Handy (1912) Over There - George M. Cohan (comp. 1917) The first for the social message, the second for the musical importance, the third for the popularity and pro-war sentiment. 1920s: Potato Head Blues - Louis Armstrong (1927) Rhapsody In Blue - Gershwin (1924) These are both obvious, but I still feel like I’m missing an important recording for this decade… 1930s: Cross Road Blues - Robert Johnson (1937) Brother, Can You Spare A Dime? - Hapburg/Gorney (1931) Sing, Sing, Sing - Benny Goodman (1938 from the Carnegie Hall Concert) The first for the musical importance, the second because of the social importance, the third for its importance to musical history. 1940s: Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday (1939, but it gained fame in the 40s) Koko - Charlie Parker (1945) This Land Is Your Land - Woody Guthrie (1940) Strange Fruit is about lynching. Koko is perhaps the most important bop recording. The Guthrie tune shows the voice of Americans in favor of socialism/communism. 1950s: Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis (1956) Take Five - Brubeck/Desmond (1959) So What - Miles Davis (1959) Ok. I’m showing my colors here. The Elvis one is obvious. Take Five is because of its popularity and because it was the first commercially viable song in 5/4. So What because of its importance to music history. I feel bad leaving out Chuck Berry, Duke Ellington, and several other important American musical figures. But, that’s why I’m posting this here. Let me know what you guys think! And can anyone come up with a landmark classical work that should be on this list? I know that I could have put Schoenberg on here, but I felt like it didn’t fit the mold. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/2 "2010-06-14T21:15:28Z")
Are you familiar with the [NPR 100](http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/vote/list100.html)? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/3 "2010-06-14T21:21:05Z")
> [@Sinisterniik](#): > > And can anyone come up with a landmark classical work that should be on this list? I know that I could have put Schoenberg on here, but I felt like it didn’t fit the mold. I notice all of your suggestions are American. Are you specifically looking for American works, or are you going worldwide? I suspect the most “landmark” classical work of the 1900-1959 time period is Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” I notice you don’t have any songs on your list from Broadway musicals or movies. I don’t know whether or not this is a serious omission. ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/4 "2010-06-14T21:36:27Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I notice all of your suggestions are American. Are you specifically looking for American works, or are you going worldwide? Oh wow. Yeah -I should have clarified that. I’m looking for AMERICAN suggestions. The composers/performers can come from any country, but the songs/compositions need to have relevance to U.S. history or music history. > [@](#): > > I suspect the most “landmark” classical work of the 1900-1959 time period is Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring.” Good suggestion! > [@](#): > > I notice you don’t have any songs on your list from Broadway musicals or movies. I don’t know whether or not this is a serious omission. “Sweet Adeline”, “Over There”, and “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?” all found their way into movies and/or on stage, but you’re right. The omission was not on purpose, but I’m unaware of any specific song that is important/controversial from Broadway, only those that are popular. I considered something from Porgy And Bess (1930s) but I already have “Cross Road Blues”, which expresses similar sentiments but also features (one of) the most influential blues guitar player in American history. If you can suggest something I’ll definitely consider putting it on the list. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/5 "2010-06-14T21:40:37Z")
> [@](#): > > “Sweet Adeline”, “Over There”, and “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?” all found their way into movies and/or on stage, but you’re right. The omission was not on purpose, but I’m unaware of any specific song that is important/controversial from Broadway, only those that are popular. > **[Give My Regards to Broadway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_My_Regards_to_Broadway)** > > "Give My Regards to Broadway" is a song written by George M. Cohan for his musical play Little Johnny Jones which debuted in 1904 in New York. > Cohan, playing the title character, sings this song as his friend is about to sail to America, looking for evidence aboard the ship that will clear his name for allegedly throwing the English Derby. He is sure he'll return to Broadway, therefore signing off with: "Give my regards to Broadway". > The song has been recorded many times. It was featured p... Written in 1904 by George M. Cohan (who is already represented in “Over There”), “Give My Regards to Broadway” is probably one of the more important/lasting Broadway hits of the decade. IMHO, you should at least include _one_ B’way song. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/6 "2010-06-14T21:43:45Z")
> [@](#): > > These are both obvious, but I still feel like I’m missing an important recording for this decade… “Yes, we have no bananas”? 😉 For the 1930’s (published in 1929, however), you can do worse than FDR’s 1932 campaign theme song “Happy Days are Here Again”. > **[Happy Days Are Here Again](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Days_Are_Here_Again)** > > "Happy Days Are Here Again" is a 1929 song with music by Milton Ager and lyrics by Jack Yellen. It was originally published by Ager, Yellen, and Bornstein. The song is a standard that has been interpreted by various artists. > It appeared in the 1930 film Chasing Rainbows and was the campaign song for Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1932 presidential campaign. It is the unofficial anthem of Roosevelt's Democratic Party. Its copyright was renewed in 1956, so it entered the American public domain on Janua Also, don’t forget “Over The Rainbow”! Here’s a list of “Songs of the Century” as put out by the RIAA: [Songs of the Century - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_of_the_Century). Looks like your list doesn’t include “White Christmas”, which was (and might still be) the best selling song of all time, with anywhere from 50-100 million copies sold (in all formats, not just singles). > **[White Christmas (song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas_(song))** > > "White Christmas" is a song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. Written by Irving Berlin for the 1942 musical film Holiday Inn, the song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 15th Academy Awards. Introduced by Bing Crosby, it topped the Billboard chart for 11 weeks and returned to the number one position again in December 1943 and 1944. His version would return to the top 40 a dozen times in subsequent years. > Since its release, "White Christmas" has been covere... ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/7 "2010-06-14T21:47:27Z")
For the 1950’s, I’d choose _Rock Around the Clock,_ by Bill Haley, over any Elvis recording, in terms of importance. It is usually credited with starting the R N R era. ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/8 "2010-06-14T21:48:06Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > [Give My Regards to Broadway - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_My_Regards_to_Broadway) > > Written in 1904 by George M. Cohan (who is already represented in “Over There”), “Give My Regards to Broadway” is probably one of the more important/lasting Broadway hits of the decade. IMHO, you should at least include _one_ B’way song. Great! This one can easily make the list, as I only have two other entries for the 1900s. ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/9 "2010-06-14T21:49:18Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > “Yes, we have no bananas”? 😉 > > For the 1930’s (published in 1929, however), you can do worse than FDR’s 1932 campaign theme song “Happy Days are Here Again”. > > [Happy Days Are Here Again - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Days_Are_Here_Again) > > Also, don’t forget “Over The Rainbow”! > > Here’s a list of “Songs of the Century” as put out by the RIAA: [Songs of the Century - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_of_the_Century). Looks like your list doesn’t include “White Christmas”, which was (and might still be) the best selling song of all time, with anywhere from 50-100 million copies sold (in all formats, not just singles). > > [White Christmas (song) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas_(song)) All great suggestions! ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/10 "2010-06-14T21:50:21Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > For the 1950’s, I’d choose _Rock Around the Clock,_ by Bill Haley, over any Elvis recording, in terms of importance. It is usually credited with starting the R N R era. Yeah. I was tossing that one over in my head. Any other votes for Bill Haley over Elvis? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/11 "2010-06-14T21:51:52Z")
Also written in the 1900’s: Take Me Out to the Ball Game I think the 40’s list is kind of weak - where’s “In The Mood”, or “God Bless America”? (I guess that last might be a 1930’s song, but I associate it with WW2). ---
**Author:** ![Sinisterniik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@Sinisterniik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinisterniik)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/12 "2010-06-14T22:04:22Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Also written in the 1900’s: > > Take Me Out to the Ball Game Hmm… good suggestion, given the cultural relevance. We’ll see if I can fit it into the “final cut”. > [@](#): > > I think the 40’s list is kind of weak - where’s “In The Mood”, or “God Bless America”? (I guess that last might be a 1930’s song, but I associate it with WW2). Both good suggestions, but these songs are only famous for their popularity, not their importance IMHO. Besides, “This Land Is Your Land” is in response to “God Bless America”, so if it makes the list the students will still be aware of the historical context of BOTH songs. \*\* By the way (to everyone), I’ll likely give her all of your suggestions that don’t make the final list, so don’t take it personally if I disagree with you.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/13 "2010-06-14T23:18:15Z")
Here are some more nominations. I’ll spread it over several postings. . . Undetermined Year: We Shall Overcome 1900s: The Entertainer - a very popular rag from near the end of Scott Joplin’s career In My Merry Oldsmobile - one of the first car songs, written to commemorate the Detroit-to-Portland overland race that was won by a curved-dash Oldsmobile. Take Me out to the Ball Game - already nominated. I should note that it wasn’t a big hit when it was first written. Also, the lyricist (Jack Norworth) had never seen a baseball game when he wrote this song. Casey Jones Teens Alexander’s Ragtime Band - Irving Berlin’s first big hit. St. Louis Blues - Someone else already nominated Memphis Blues, which was the first published blues song. St. Louis Blues is far more popular, though. Livery Stable Blues/Original Dixieland One-Step - These two were the first recorded jazz numbers, by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917. Swanee - Gershwin’s first big hit ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/14 "2010-06-14T23:28:08Z")
20s: Charleston - A hugely popular song that influenced songwriting and performing for years. The Charleston rhythm was used in many other hits, such as Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue and Sweet Georgia Brown. Many bandleaders incorporated this rhythm into their sound, even for songs that weren’t originally intended that way. West End Blues - Someone else nominated Potato Head Blues, which was also by Louis Armstrong. Both of these had a big influence on jazz performance and composition. Black Bottom Stomp = One of the best-known of Jelly Roll Morton’s compositions. East St. Louis Toodle-oo - Duke Ellington’s first hit. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/15 "2010-06-14T23:41:37Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > West End Blues - Someone else nominated Potato Head Blues, which was also by Louis Armstrong. Both of these had a big influence on jazz performance and composition. Damn, beat me to it! It was always my understanding that “West End Blues” was really the start of the modern era of jazz, so I was surprised to see a different Louis number for the 20s. My other problem with this list is that it totally omits an extremely important strain of American music, country. Not surprising, as it’s usually given short shrift, but country music was important to white Southern audiences (and more) from the 20s forward as blues and jazz was to black audiences. Rather than two jazz compositions (as important as they both are) in the decade of the 50s, it would be more fair to have a Hank Williams song as the third selection. I suppose “Hey, Good Lookin’” or “Your Cheatin’ Heart” would be the better-known ones, but for sheer quality and poetry, I would pick “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/16 "2010-06-14T23:47:51Z")
> [@Sinisterniik](#): > > Yeah. I was tossing that one over in my head. Any other votes for Bill Haley over Elvis? I would go for a Chuck Berry or Buddy Holly song over either Haley or Elvis. Haley’s song was written by a Tin Pan Alley songwriter, Elvis’s by a non-performing country songwriter. Nothing wrong with that, but the biggest revolution in popular music of the 50s (and especially 60s) was the concept of singers writing their own songs as opposed to professional songwriters. Maybe this isn’t relevant if it’s truly a _song_ you’re looking for and its back story doesn’t matter, but I would argue at the same time that a Chuck Berry or Buddy Holly song ultimately might have had a larger influence on _songs_ to come than anything by Haley or Elvis. (Berry on anyone who ever picked up an electric guitar to rock, and Holly on The Beatles and so many others.) I tend to shun the most popular examples, but it wouldn’t be a crime if you went with “Johnny B. Goode” or “That’ll Be the Day,” I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/17 "2010-06-15T00:47:36Z")
As to the '20s, I would go with Armstrong’s _St. James Infirmary_ over _Potato Head Blues_. As to the '30s, I would definitely work in Ellington’s _Take the A Train_. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/18 "2010-06-15T01:16:14Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Also written in the 1900’s: > > Take Me Out to the Ball Game Make sure you get the original 1908 version including the first verse! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/19 "2010-06-15T01:51:32Z")
> [@Sinisterniik](#): > > . . . but I’m unaware of any specific song that is important/controversial from Broadway, only those that are popular. Even though _Showboat_did it earlier and (IMHO) better, \*South Pacific \*addressed racial prejudice head-on and boiled the subject down into one song, “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught.” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198/20 "2010-06-15T02:08:25Z")
[Happy Birthday to You](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday_to_You) Not sure exactly which decade that belongs in. _Good Morning to All_ dates back to 1893. _Happy Birthday to You_ first appeared in print in 1912 and was registered for copyright in 1935. Read the link for information on the current status of the copyright. Or is that a little too legalistic for 5th graders? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-important-songs-1900-1959-hurry-please/543198.md?page=2)