Oldies music, often evoking a sense of nostalgia, represents a rich and diverse tapestry of American popular song. Far beyond simple tunes of the past, these songs, primarily from the mid-20th century, offer profound insights into American culture, language, and emotion. This exploration delves into the unique artistry of oldies music, celebrating its linguistic cleverness, emotional depth, and lasting impact, making it a crucial element in understanding the American cultural landscape. The primary keyword for this exploration is “Oldies Music.”
The Artistry of Lyricism in Oldies Music
The craft of lyric writing in oldies music is a subject of admiration for many, including those with a deep appreciation for poetry. While distinct from high poetry, these lyrics demonstrate a remarkable flair for language, employing clever rhymes and evocative imagery. Songwriters like Lorenz Hart, Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Dorothy Fields, and Irving Berlin were masters of their craft, creating lines that resonated with the public and continue to do so today.
Consider the work of Ira Gershwin, whose lyrics for “The Man I Love” showcase a charming simplicity: “Maybe Tuesday / Will be my good news day.” This couplet exemplifies the accessible yet artful rhyme schemes found in many oldies. However, the same song also contains rhymes that might be considered less sophisticated, such as “Some day he’ll come along” with “And he’ll be big and strong.” This contrast highlights the unique demands of songwriting, which differ from the stringent aesthetic principles often applied to poetry, as championed by modernist poets like Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot. Eliot’s description of poetry as a search for “The word neither diffident nor ostentatious… The common word exact without vulgarity, / The formal word precise but not pedantic” sets a high bar, yet popular songwriters operated under different imperatives.
Irving Berlin’s “Easter Parade,” for instance, might be considered light verse when analyzed as poetry. However, within the context of song lyrics, it is masterful. The couplet, “And you’ll find that you’re / In the rotogravure,” demonstrates a clever use of language that perfectly suits the song’s mood and musicality.
The Poetry-Lyric Divide: Auden, Berlin, and “Always”
A pivotal moment in understanding the distinction between poetry and song lyrics occurred for the author while reading W. H. Auden’s 1959 prose poem, “Dichtung und Wahrhreit.” Auden’s examination of the phrase “I love you” led him to question the poet’s use of the word “forever.” He mused, “‘I will love You forever,’ swears the poet. I find this easy to swear too. I will love You at 4:15 p.m. next Tuesday: Is that still as easy?”
Auden’s point about the concrete specificity of “next Tuesday at 4:15 p.m.” versus the abstract nature of “forever” was immediately apparent. It resonated with the author’s own burgeoning aesthetic, which, influenced by his professor Kenneth Koch, cautioned against “kiss-me-I’m-poetical” clichés. However, even in that moment of clarity, the author recalled the power of words like “forever” and “always” in song lyrics.
This thought led to Irving Berlin’s iconic 1925 song “Always.” Written for the Marx Brothers’ musical The Cocoanuts, the song opens with the line, “I’ll be loving you—always.” Despite its collaborator George S. Kaufman’s suggestion to change “always” to the more specific “Thursday,” finding “always” to be “a long time for romance,” Berlin rightly insisted on keeping his original lyric. This insistence preserved the song’s emotional resonance. “Always,” in its unpretentious simplicity, captures a sentiment that a more “sophisticated” lyric might fail to convey.
The Unique Art Form of Song Lyrics
The fundamental difference lies in their purpose and medium. While poems often stand alone as complete literary works, song lyrics exist in a symbiotic relationship with music. They serve the entirety of the song, and the musical context often dictates the lyrical choices. Sometimes, this means embracing a deliberate naiveté or directness that might not be found in poetry.
Auden’s observation highlights how a precise claim like “I will love You at 4:15 p.m. next Tuesday” can be a more complex rhetorical gesture than a declaration of eternal love. However, Berlin’s success with “Always” underscores that he was not writing poetry or engaging in philosophical speculation. He was crafting song lyrics, a distinct art form that, in its golden era, was arguably as challenging and impactful as poetry itself.
The mind is capable of appreciating both the intricate verse of Milton and Donne and the accessible brilliance of Irving Berlin. A devoted reader of Auden need not abandon Berlin. One can embrace the depth of poets like Hart Crane while also appreciating the way words like “heart” appear in songs by Rodgers and Hart, or how Berlin’s “Always” found a poignant place in the film Pride of the Yankees, accompanying the story of Lou Gehrig and his wife Eleanor. The enduring appeal of oldies music lies in its ability to connect with listeners on a deeply emotional level, using the power of words and melody to create timeless artistic statements. Explore these immortal melodies and discover the rich cultural heritage they represent.