1932 Music – Pop Standards and Artists

1932 Pop Standards and Artists

Bing Crosby
Brother Can You Spare A Dime

This song could be considered the theme song of the entire decade of the 1930s. The ’30s was the era of the Great Depression where millions of Americans were out of work and some incredibly successful people found themselves in bread lines. The lyrics to this song and the very sad music reflect the desperation of the times. Written in 1931 by lyricist E. Y. “Yip” Harburg and composer Jay Gorney, “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” was introduced in the 1932 musical New Americana. The song would go on to be recorded by such artists as Rudy Vallee and Bing Crosby. It would continue to be recorded throughout the century. George Michael would record the song for his 1999 album Songs from the Last Century. The song was used in a poignant moment in the television comedy The Golden Girls.

Cab Calloway
I’ve Got The World on a String
The song was written in 1932 and composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler. The song was introduced by Cab Calloway and Bing Crosby and would continue to be recorded throughout the decade by many popular songsters including Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow and Michael Buble.

Fred Astaire and Leo Reisman
Night and Day
This song was written by Cole Porter and performed in the musical The Gay Divorcee. Fred Astaire recorded the song and it made it to the # 1 spot. He would again perform the song in the film version of the show. This song is considered to be one of Cole Porter’s finest songs. This song was so connected to Cole Porter that the biopic made in the 1940s about the composer was titled Night and Day. The song would go on to be recorded by celebrities as diverse as Frank Sinatra and Ringo Starr. The song would be recorded and song again in a second biography film of Cole Porter called Devovely. This time the song was sung by John Barrowman, TVs Captain Jack Harkness, and Keven Kline

Paul Whiteman
Willow Weep For Me
The song was written by Ann Ronell. Willow Weep For ME would be considered a jazz standard but would be recorded again in 1964 by Chad and Jeremy and would make it into the top 40s that year.

How Deep Is The Ocean is a love song by Irving Berlin. This is one of the few Berlin songs that was introduced directly by the radio and not part of a Broadway show. The song is a series of questions that describe love by comparison. “The first line sets the tone for the song, “How much do I love you, I’ll tell you no lie, how deep is the Ocean, how high is the sky?” The song would be recorded by such great 20th century artists as Frank Sinatra, Julie Andrews and Eric Clapton. Recently the song was added to the Broadway show Irving Berlins White Christmas. So the song made it to Broadway seventy years later.

Tommy Dorsey
Take My Hand Precious Lord
The music for this song was adapted from a song written in the 1800s called Maitland by George N. Allen. The Lyrics are by Tommy Dorsey and were in response to the death of his wife while giving birth to a child, the child would ultimately die as well. The song would be embraced by Christians and would be recorded by many artists such as Anne Murray and Elvis Presley. The song would follow a tradition in Christian Music which started as far back as Martin Luther. The originator of the Reformation would take popular music of the day and give the tune Christian lyrics. The Hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” is a good example of this.