Music Trade Review
Issue: 1920 Vol. 70 N. 15 - Page 56
Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
56
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
APRIL 10, 1920
REAL SONG HIT MUST MEAN NOTHING
This Is the Opinion of Neal R. O'Hara as Of-
fered Recently in the New York Evening
World—The Effect of Prohibition Outlined
At one time or another every columnist, or
humorous writer for daily papers, takes occa-
sion to try out his wit on the songwriter, some-
: times with good effect, sometimes not. Neal R.
•O'Hara, who runs the humor column in the
New York Evening World, last week took his
fling at the songwriters, and managed to offer
some ideas on songwriting that are not en-
tirely original but are worth thinking over. In
discussing the songwriting art as it is now
constituted Mr. O'Hara said in part:
"Songwriting now is a difficult art. The suc-
cessful lyric carpenter to-day must forget his
rhyme and reason, provided he ever had either
or both. He must forget everything but royal-
ties before success is assured. A song hit
to-day must mean nothing at all, which is why
the 'Star-Spangled Banner' will never be one
of our six best sellers.
"The words without music should always
sound hopeless—about one-half as hopeless as
they sound with music.
"The song art's progressed in the last few
years. 'Everything Is Peaches Down in'——-has
got it all over 'Marching Through Georgia.' The
Swanee River's gone dry, so far as song is con-
cerned:—they now write their lyrics on Mobile
Bay. When the rag writer's up against it, he
goes South for the words of his song. Virginia,
Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia make softer
picking for the song boys than all the cotton
there. The map of Dixie is to the songsters
what a flask of grape juice is to W. J. Bryan.
It keeps 'em in tune.
"But prohibition has changed the song biz.
Songwriters gave us 'The Alcoholic Blues' as
soon as the nation went blooey. Then 'The
Key to My Cellar' was such a seller it was
hard to get 'em off the key. To-day the entire
complexion of songwriting's changed. A tune
that mentioned moonshine five years ago was
a tune about love. Now it's a tune about licker.
'Down by the Old Mill' now means a gin mill.
To-day they sing of raisins instead of peaches,
and the Golden West gives way to the cake of
yeast. The O. K. on a song to-day means that
some one like Omar Khayyam composed it."
POSTCARD AS A GLOBE TROTTER
Piece of Advertising Sent Out by Daniels &
Wilson Goes to Germany and Back
A postcard sent out several months ago by
Milt Hagen, advertising manager for Daniels
& Wilson, music publishers of New York and
San Francisco, which advertised the firm's songs
"Bow-Bow" and "Sally, Shame on You," en-
joyed a unique experience. It was addressed to
an orchestra leader in New York, who, however,
had left with an army band for Germany, the
card following him to Munich, Bavaria, but the
addressee had meantime returned to the United
States. A relative in Germany received the card,
which was reforwarded to the United States,
and the orchestra leader, who had in the interim
gone to Chicago, finally was the recipient of
this much-traveled piece of publicity at his
Windy City address.
INDIANA MOON
By ARTHUR FREED and OLIVER G. WAI.XACE, composer of "Hindustan."
A brand new waltz that is sweeping: the West like a prairie fire. Literally sweeps you off your feet!
I I
.
•
4
V I
/SHAME ON YOU\ I
I Words by LOUIS WESLYN
M.
1 /
Music by
by NEIL
NEIL MORET
MORET
Music
You remember MORET'S "Sllckey" and "Peggy," now meet their charming little sister, "Sally"—
Some Girl!
BOW-WOW
Fred Fisher, Inc., has been appointed sole
selling agent for the Al Piantodosi, Inc., num-
ber, "I'm the Good Man That's So Hard to
Find." The number will be published as a
- 10-cent issue.
N
E
DANIELS & WILSON, INC.
S
T
E
P
SAN FRANCISCO
New York Office
145 West 45th St.
cLltLcL
Loon
THAT
HUMMING
STRUMMING
MELODY
Published Song
and Waltz
Get This Right
Alabama Moon Is a Lucky Strike!
A Melodious Melody
What is a Melodious Melody? It is more than a Melody
—a ringing, singing strain that you can't forget. Everybody
is wild about the dreamy swing of this crooning moonlight
song, it's a melody you can sing, whistle and hum.
Now Being Featured Everywhere
10,000 orchestrations and song copies sent to orchestras
and singers all over the universe.
Accepted by Every Leading Talking Machine
and Player Roll Company for
Early Release
SEND IN YOUR ORDER—DISPLAY COPIES AND RECEIVE
YOUR SHARE OF ITS GROWING POPULARITY
If You Are a Live Wire Dealer
^ '
and your name is not on our mailing list, fill
-
in the appended coupon blank and receive
^
advance information on our new is-
^
sues and keep up-to-date on Fox
^
Please place
features.
^
my n a m e on
^
your dealers' mail-
s"
ing list. I am a boua Tide
«•*"
sheet music dealer.
/
y*
APPOINTED SELLING AGENT
0
By W. WADSWORTH
The biggest and best orchestras In New York are playing this wonderful one-step and comedy hit.
TRIANGLE CO. BRANCH IN BOSTON
The Triangle Music Pub. Co., 145 West
Forty-fifth street, New York, has just opened
up a branch office at 228 Tremont street, Bos-
ton, Mass., of which Henry Wolpert has been
appointed manager.
1
\
City
Name
Address
• •
•
State.
56
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
APRIL 10, 1920
REAL SONG HIT MUST MEAN NOTHING
This Is the Opinion of Neal R. O'Hara as Of-
fered Recently in the New York Evening
World—The Effect of Prohibition Outlined
At one time or another every columnist, or
humorous writer for daily papers, takes occa-
sion to try out his wit on the songwriter, some-
: times with good effect, sometimes not. Neal R.
•O'Hara, who runs the humor column in the
New York Evening World, last week took his
fling at the songwriters, and managed to offer
some ideas on songwriting that are not en-
tirely original but are worth thinking over. In
discussing the songwriting art as it is now
constituted Mr. O'Hara said in part:
"Songwriting now is a difficult art. The suc-
cessful lyric carpenter to-day must forget his
rhyme and reason, provided he ever had either
or both. He must forget everything but royal-
ties before success is assured. A song hit
to-day must mean nothing at all, which is why
the 'Star-Spangled Banner' will never be one
of our six best sellers.
"The words without music should always
sound hopeless—about one-half as hopeless as
they sound with music.
"The song art's progressed in the last few
years. 'Everything Is Peaches Down in'——-has
got it all over 'Marching Through Georgia.' The
Swanee River's gone dry, so far as song is con-
cerned:—they now write their lyrics on Mobile
Bay. When the rag writer's up against it, he
goes South for the words of his song. Virginia,
Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia make softer
picking for the song boys than all the cotton
there. The map of Dixie is to the songsters
what a flask of grape juice is to W. J. Bryan.
It keeps 'em in tune.
"But prohibition has changed the song biz.
Songwriters gave us 'The Alcoholic Blues' as
soon as the nation went blooey. Then 'The
Key to My Cellar' was such a seller it was
hard to get 'em off the key. To-day the entire
complexion of songwriting's changed. A tune
that mentioned moonshine five years ago was
a tune about love. Now it's a tune about licker.
'Down by the Old Mill' now means a gin mill.
To-day they sing of raisins instead of peaches,
and the Golden West gives way to the cake of
yeast. The O. K. on a song to-day means that
some one like Omar Khayyam composed it."
POSTCARD AS A GLOBE TROTTER
Piece of Advertising Sent Out by Daniels &
Wilson Goes to Germany and Back
A postcard sent out several months ago by
Milt Hagen, advertising manager for Daniels
& Wilson, music publishers of New York and
San Francisco, which advertised the firm's songs
"Bow-Bow" and "Sally, Shame on You," en-
joyed a unique experience. It was addressed to
an orchestra leader in New York, who, however,
had left with an army band for Germany, the
card following him to Munich, Bavaria, but the
addressee had meantime returned to the United
States. A relative in Germany received the card,
which was reforwarded to the United States,
and the orchestra leader, who had in the interim
gone to Chicago, finally was the recipient of
this much-traveled piece of publicity at his
Windy City address.
INDIANA MOON
By ARTHUR FREED and OLIVER G. WAI.XACE, composer of "Hindustan."
A brand new waltz that is sweeping: the West like a prairie fire. Literally sweeps you off your feet!
I I
.
•
4
V I
/SHAME ON YOU\ I
I Words by LOUIS WESLYN
M.
1 /
Music by
by NEIL
NEIL MORET
MORET
Music
You remember MORET'S "Sllckey" and "Peggy," now meet their charming little sister, "Sally"—
Some Girl!
BOW-WOW
Fred Fisher, Inc., has been appointed sole
selling agent for the Al Piantodosi, Inc., num-
ber, "I'm the Good Man That's So Hard to
Find." The number will be published as a
- 10-cent issue.
N
E
DANIELS & WILSON, INC.
S
T
E
P
SAN FRANCISCO
New York Office
145 West 45th St.
cLltLcL
Loon
THAT
HUMMING
STRUMMING
MELODY
Published Song
and Waltz
Get This Right
Alabama Moon Is a Lucky Strike!
A Melodious Melody
What is a Melodious Melody? It is more than a Melody
—a ringing, singing strain that you can't forget. Everybody
is wild about the dreamy swing of this crooning moonlight
song, it's a melody you can sing, whistle and hum.
Now Being Featured Everywhere
10,000 orchestrations and song copies sent to orchestras
and singers all over the universe.
Accepted by Every Leading Talking Machine
and Player Roll Company for
Early Release
SEND IN YOUR ORDER—DISPLAY COPIES AND RECEIVE
YOUR SHARE OF ITS GROWING POPULARITY
If You Are a Live Wire Dealer
^ '
and your name is not on our mailing list, fill
-
in the appended coupon blank and receive
^
advance information on our new is-
^
sues and keep up-to-date on Fox
^
Please place
features.
^
my n a m e on
^
your dealers' mail-
s"
ing list. I am a boua Tide
«•*"
sheet music dealer.
/
y*
APPOINTED SELLING AGENT
0
By W. WADSWORTH
The biggest and best orchestras In New York are playing this wonderful one-step and comedy hit.
TRIANGLE CO. BRANCH IN BOSTON
The Triangle Music Pub. Co., 145 West
Forty-fifth street, New York, has just opened
up a branch office at 228 Tremont street, Bos-
ton, Mass., of which Henry Wolpert has been
appointed manager.
1
\
City
Name
Address
• •
•
State.
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).