I
recently started shuffling through my brother Freds' collection of over 200
pieces of sheet music from the 1950s. He was an avid piano player and
played the popular songs over and over again, and many are a bit
tattered as a result.
It's
a special collection for me because I spent a lot of time listening to
him play the piano as were growing up. And it continued as we got
older because he often entertained at the parties with his piano
playing for sing-a-longs.
In
the 1950s, sheet music was typically priced at 50 cents which is the
equivalent of $5.38 in today's dollar. A stamp on the cover indicates
that he purchased them at Dayton's in downtown Minneapolis. This was
a well-known department store at the time that sold just about
everything, including sheet music. They were published in New York
City, which was home to the biggest music houses at that time.
The
sheet music covers are interesting and often depict the artists who
performed the original version of the song. However, I find the
lyrics even more interesting and humorous at times. They tell a story
of a time when things moved slower and life was perhaps a little
gentler and kinder.
I
searched through the collection to find some that related to travel,
and I came up with quite a few. These were the days of the “golden
age of travel” Scheduled commercial air travel was in its early
days and still just a dream to most. Road trips were more common.
Here
is what those vintage songwriters were saying about travel in the
1950s:
“When
I'm Out With The Belle of New York” “..... It's a beautiful
sight after dark, When we're strolling through Gramercy Park: The
stars in her eyes, and stars up above just fill me with oceans and
oceans of love; And my heart bobs around like a cork. When I'm out
with the Belle of New York.”
“Meet
Me In St. Louis, Louis” ….“Meet me in St Louis, Louis, Meet
me at the Fair, Don't tell me the lights are shining any place by
there, We will dance the Hooch-ee Kooch-ee, I will be your tootsie
wootsie, Meet me in St. Louis, Lois, Meet me at the fair.”
“There's
A Pawn Shop On a Corner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania” “...By
the pawn shop on a corner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but I ain't
got a thing left to hock. She was peaches, she was honey and she cost
me all my money Cause a whirl round town was her dream....”
“Manhattan”
“...We'll have Manhattan The Bronx and Staten Island too; It's
lovely going through the Zoo; It's very fancy on old Delancey Street,
you know; The subway warms us so, When balmy breezes blow To and Fro
And tell me what street compares with Mott Street in July...”
“Shanghai”
“...Why did I tell you I was going to Shanghai I wanna be with
you tonight, ...It was just a little misunderstanding, that a kiss on
the cheek could patch,...”
“I
Left My Heart in San Francisco” “...High on a hill, it calls
to me. To be where little cable cars climb half-way to the starts!
The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care...”
“Carolina
in the Morning” “...Nothing could be finer than to be in
Carolina in the morning, No one could be sweeter than my sweetie when
I meet her in the morning....”
“Tennessee
Waltz” “...I was waltzing with my darlin' to the Tennessee
Waltz when an old friend I happened to see. Introduced him to my
loved one and while they were waltzing My friend stole my sweet-heart
from me...”
“Shenandoah
Waltz” In the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia lives a girl who is
waiting just for me. Oh how many times we've waltzed in the
moonlight...”
“Oklahoma”
“...O----k-la-hom-a, where the wind comes sweepin' down the
plain. And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet When the wind comes
right behind the rain...”
“On
the Riviera” “...If you look you see the people from Paree
playing on the Riviera When there's ice and snow it's nice to go to
Nice where the moon Claire de Lune is clairer. All the girls are gay
and they parlais Francais any time, any place, any way...”
“Bermuda”
“...Down in Bermuda, paradise for two, I lost my lover there on
the blue. We went sailing on a coral sea, Starlit waters, my darling
and me. Time was endless, Love sang its song,...”
“My
Sunny Tennesee” “...I wanna be in Tennessee, In my Dixie
paradise, An angel's voice I hear, I mean my mammy dear, I'd give my
soul if I could stroll down among those hills again,..”
“Christmas
in Killarney” “...The holly green, the ivy green, The
prettiest picture you've ever seen is Christmas in Killarney, With
all of the folks at home...”
“Belle,
Belle, My Liberty Belle” “...There's pretty girls in Singapore
and the Phillippines, all along Kilarney's shore, Oh, the fair
colleens! There's sweet Fifi from gay Paree and Wilhelmina, too but,
Belle, Belle, My Liberty Belle, I'm still in love with you....”
“Don't
Ever Be Afraid to Go Home” “...Don't ever be afraid to
go home, When you've hitched your wagon to a fast falling star And the
last string is broken on your love-sick guitar, Whatever you're doing
and wherever you are, Don't ever be afraid to go home...”
