Welcome to another Wildcard Wednesday! A few months ago, I did a post that highlighted some of the hottest Irving Berlin tunes of the early 1920s. In today’s entry, I’m featuring a handful of the most melodious — and ear-catching — songs of Jerome Kern’s early career. Now, we’re not going back all the way; instead, we’ll be concentrating on the scores Kern wrote from his initial Broadway successes in 1914 to just before the legendary Sally (which has been covered on a past Musical Theatre Monday) of 1920. Many of these songs come from the renowned “Princess Theatre Shows,” a series of musicals that played, initially, at the Princess Theatre, and — for the most part — involved the creative team of Kern, librettist Guy Bolton, and lyricist/librettist P.G. Wodehouse. These musical comedies were known for their intimate designs, clever plots, and memorable scores. If I were a betting man, I’d say that, before 2014 is out, there’s a good chance we’ll be covering some of these Princess Theatre Shows on Musical Theatre Monday. But, until then, let’s have a little taste of their brilliance… (No commentary today, folks, just the tunes!)
01) “You’re Here And I’m Here” [from The Laughing Husband (1914) — L: Harry B. Smith]
02) “They Didn’t Believe Me” [from The Girl From Utah (1914) — L: Herbert Reynolds]
03) “The Magic Melody” [from Nobody Home (1915) — L: Schuyler Green]
04) “Society” [from Cousin Lucy (1915) — L: Schuyler Green]
05) “Some Sort Of Somebody” [from Miss Information (1915) & Very Good Eddie (1915) — L: Elsie Janis]
06) “And I Am All Alone” [from Have A Heart (1917) — L: Kern & Wodehouse]
07) “Till The Clouds Roll By” [from Oh, Boy! (1917) — L: Kern & Wodehouse]
08) “Cleopatterer” [from Leave It To Jane (1917) — L: Wodehouse]
09) “Just You Watch My Step” [from Leave It To Jane (1917) — L: Wodehouse]
10) “The Land Where The Good Songs Go” [from Miss 1917 (1917) — L: Wodehouse]
11) “Not Yet” [from Oh Lady! Lady!! (1918) — L: Wodehouse]
12) “Before I Met You” [from Oh Lady! Lady!! (1918) — L: Wodehouse]
13) “Little Tune, Go Away” [from Rock-A-Bye-Baby (1918) — L: Herbert Reynolds]
14) “Whip-Poor-Will” [from Zip, Goes A Million (1919) & Sally (1920)– L: B.G. DeSylva]
15) “Look For The Silver Lining” [from Zip, Goes A Million (1919) & Sally (1920) — L: B.G. DeSylva]
16) “Whose Baby Are You?” [from The Night Boat (1920) — L: Anne Caldwell)
17) “Left All Alone Again Blues” [from The Night Boat (1920) — L: Anne Caldwell)
Tune in next Wednesday for another Wildcard post! And come back tomorrow for more Xena!