The Irving Berlin Appreciation Thread

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 12/21/04 at 6:49am

I know I know! I've broken down. The lowest of the low! But Irving Berlin doesn't get much respect and these kiddies (myself included) need more exposure to him! So please share your favorite Irving Berlin facts! (I've been watching Broadway: The American musical so I apologize if I am overly excited and optimistic today.) Favorite Broadway show or song? I didn't realize he was suspicious of the book musical until I watched the documentary last night...and I profess to be an Irving Berlin fan too!

[magruder]

Posted: 12/21/04 at 6:56am

I read the Irving Berlin biography, As Thousands Cheer, which is a pretty fun read. I'd recommend it. There was an interesting story about the fact that he was only able to play songs in one key (I think it was F sharp?) and had a trick piano that was able to transpose.

If you want to talk about scores, the original, unadulterated Annie Get Your Gun is really extraordinary. Of all of the shows that produced popular standards (shows like Babes in Arms, Finian's Rainbow, My Fair Lady et al), is there a show that has more hit tunes than Annie Get Your Gun?

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 5:07am

Does no one care?!!!!!!

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 7:19am

"is there a show that has more hit tunes than Annie Get Your Gun?"

Yes - BABES IN ARMS and SOUTH PACIFIC. :)

[wildcat]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 9:10am

Certainly the movie THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS is required viewing for camp value alone. And Michael Feinstein's Berlin album is the most tolerable of his releases because of those beautiful early ballads. But all copies of MR. PRESIDENT must be collected and burned.

[magruder]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 10:47am

NOOOOOOO! I could not LIVE without "The Secret Service," "The Washington Twist," and "The Only Dance I Know".

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 1:25pm

Let's all sing together:

"Meat and potatoes,
Fried Eggs and ham
That's the kind of guy I am!
Meat and potatoes
Blueberry pie
That's the kind of guy am I!
She'd be yearning for a soufflé;
I'd be longing for a stew.
The girl that I marry
Will have to be
Meat and potatoes,
Poatoes and meat,
Like me!"

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 12/23/04 at 1:30pm

From the ridiculous..to the sublime...

"Oy- yoy -yoy, I'm a Yiddishe Eskimo!
Where the weather is cold as ice
Take my advice, don't go!
'Cause there aint much fun
In the land of the midnight sun.
Living in a house of snow without of steeple -
I'm one of God's frozen people!
It's too cold for a couple of hands to hold,
So I play with the seals all day -
And does it pay? Oh no!
I don't like playing with a seal;
A seal aint got no sex appeal!
Oy-yoy-yoy, I'm a Yiddishe Eskimo!"

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 3/1/05 at 12:29am

Let us all bow down and pay homage to this great man. What is everyone's favorite Berlin tune? Master already shared a few.

[Jon]

Posted: 3/1/05 at 7:16am

"Blue Skies" is one of the greatest songs ever written. It cam bring tears to my eyes.

"Alexander's Ragtime Band", "Easter Parade", "God Bless America", "There No Business..."

"WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!"

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/1/05 at 11:03am

Well White Christmas is almost certainly the most popular song ever so it's hard to top that one but...

From the score for the film "White Christmas" I Love "Sisters" and "Love, you didn't do right by me". I love the way even the non-holiday songs subtly reference the snow like "Love, you didn't do right by me! To send me a Joe who had winter & snow in his heart, wasn't smart...."

[twogaab2]

Posted: 3/1/05 at 12:23pm

A good example of the pre R&H musical see "Louisiana Purchace". Wonderful score, not much of a book but with a score this great who the hell cares.

Once available on CD. Give it a shot.

P.S.

This is just the tip of the iceburg with Berlin's music. Many recordings for you do more of your own research.

[B.B. Wolf]

Posted: 3/1/05 at 12:28pm

Oh, how I hate to get up in the moooooorning.....!

My dad woke me up with that song every morning when I was growing up, except he would get to the fast part and sing real loud:
ya gotta get up,
ya gotta get up,
ya gotta get up
it's the moooorning!

Which aren't EXACTLy the right lyrics, but ah well.
Makes me all nostalgic....*sniff*

[kec]

Posted: 3/1/05 at 3:50pm

My favorite Berlin tunes: Always -- sung in the film Pride of the Yankees; Alexander's Ragtime Band, (Won't You Play) A Simple Melody. From White Christmas, besides the title song I love Count Your Blessings...

Oh, I have so many...

[stylinbohemian]

Posted: 3/1/05 at 10:09pm

Irving Berlin amaziness is even in my schools history books, Alexander's Ragtime Band was one of the first songs i could play awesomly on the piano

[justme2]

Posted: 3/1/05 at 10:57pm

I've always liked Blue Skies; great, simple lyrics. I actually didn't realize that "I Love a Piano" was Berlin until I saw White Christmas the musical at the Curran in SF last december. But those lyrics are fantastic...

I'd like to slide right...
next to an upright...
or a hi-toned baby grand!!

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 3/2/05 at 1:34pm

Am I the only one who absolutely loves Bernadette Peters's rendition of "Moonshine Lullaby" from Annie Get Your Gun?

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/2/05 at 1:38pm

doing the washington twist
this is a twist with a twist!

i LOVE mr. president!!!

[WISHIHADATONY]

Posted: 3/2/05 at 1:41pm

off the top of my head, I love the fact that Berlin owned the MUSIC BOX theater..........

I also love that this great Jewish composer wrote WHITE CHRISTMAS and GOD BLESS AMERICA.

ANNIE GET YOUR GUN is an alltime great score and CALL ME MADAM is not too shabby either.

He lived to over one hundred......and to B.B. WOLF, my mother used to wake me and my sisters up on schoolday mornings with:

YA GOTTA GET UP
YA GOTTA GET UP
YA GOTTA GET UP FOR SCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL..........

makes me hate hearing it to this day.......teeheee..........

What a masterful genius he was.

VIETgrlTerifa, I find Bernadette's rendition of MOONSHINE LULLABYE(sp?) absolutely breathtaking. :)

[Jon]

Posted: 3/2/05 at 3:08pm

Trivia: "Always" was written for the Marx Brothers musical THE COCOANUTS (done on Broadway and later on film), but was cut out of the show! Berlin's big "hit tune" in the show was a dance number called "The Monkey Doodle-Doo".

[FranklinShepard-Inc.]

Posted: 3/2/05 at 3:19pm

I just love his songs. He should have lived for 200 years instead of 101 (and of course should have written more shows still after "Mr. President" which i find a fabulous score (well relatively) although is has book to fall asleep over it.

Anyhow, my favorite song is "Not a Thing to say" which can be found on the "Unsung Berlin" cd.

[GypsyRoseLee]

Posted: 3/2/05 at 4:08pm

I'm not sure that it's my favorite, but I'm listening to Frank Sinatra singing "All Alone" right now.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 3/2/05 at 4:47pm

My grandma died at about 3 am today. White Christmas was one of her favorite movies. It's probably my first movie musical. Good memories. I may have to pop it in and watch it tonight now. I wouldn't have as much of an appreciation for Berlin if it wasn't for her.

Updated On: 11/9/05 at 04:47 PM

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 11/9/05 at 4:08am

This thread needs resurrected. Share the Irving Berlin love! I am currently listening to Louisiana Purchase... I have had it for months and am just now getting around to listening to it.

Updated On: 11/9/05 at 04:08 AM

[kec]

Posted: 11/9/05 at 5:14am

Funny you should bring this up. Just the other day I was thinking that Michael Ball should include on a future cd Mr. Berlin's ALWAYS -- it truly is one of my all time favorite romantic songs, and I really think Michael would do it justice.

With Christmas just around the corner, I was shocked to find that I didn't have the DVD of White Christmas in my collection. Something I need to rectify ASAP!

Speaking of White Christmas, it reminds me... several years ago I was lucky enough to be asked to be part of a small choral group who were going to sing back-up for Rosemary Clooney at the Kennedy Center. As it was around the holidays, naturally the focus of the performance was Christmas music. We got to sing several of the songs from White Christmas -- Snow, We'll Follow The Old Man, and, of course, the title song. It was a wonderful experience, and since then I've always had those concerts in mind whenever I watch the film.
Updated On: 11/9/05 at 05:14 AM