Noho Banjo and Ukulele Musing–“Side by Side,” and “Ain’t We Got Fun.”

UKULELE MUSING 36, 7 SEPTEMBER 2019—“SIDE BY SIDE,” AND “AIN’T WE GOT FUN”—GOOD TIME SONGS OF THE 1920S!

During the so-called roaring ‘20s jobs were plentiful for men and available for women who had to work for a living.  Confidence and prosperity were in the air and the Great Depression of the ‘30s was years away.  Still, a few songs reflected the simple things of life—just having a good time, just getting by, not going it alone.  A couple of songs in our Yellow Book remind us of this musical point in history: “Side by Side,” and “Ain’t We Got Fun.”

One of the simplest songs in our Yellow Book—easy to play and telling a simple story—is the 1927 tune “Side by Side.”  This was written by Harry Woods (1896-1970), a Massachusetts native and Tin Pan Alley songwriter of many of the so-called standards that were first recorded in the ‘20s.

Nick Lucas, 1940s:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjNX_gayY1E&t=30s

A couple of other tunes he wrote that show up in our books are “When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobin’ Along,” and “I’m Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover.” 

He composed his songs on the piano despite the fact that a birth defect had left him with a deformed left hand.  Amazing!

A Harvard graduate, Woods lived on Cape Cod until drafted into the Army for World War I.  It was during that time he developed his talent for songwriting.

Once again, a fun recording of “Side by Side” was made by our old acquaintance Cliff Edwards, better known as “Ukulele Ike.” 

Ukulele Ike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0lwl4eu0HM

Needless to say, dozens of other performers recorded the song all the way into the 1990s.  With simple lyrics and a simple beat, it was a favorite “shuffle dance” duet on the vaudeville stage. 

Here are a couple of more “off the wall” takes on this simple tune!

The Beatles:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afxtvVViXvM

Parody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNffFJGaquM

Moving on, “Ain’t We Got Fun” is a jaunty foxtrot recorded a few years earlier with music by Richard Whiting (1891-1938) and lyrics by Raymond Egan (1890-1952) and Gus Kahn (1886-1941)—all stalwarts of the Tin Pan Alley music scene during the Jazz Age and beyond.

1920 Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y041-eT6QrI

Both of our songs use abrupt, colloquial—even ungrammatical—phrases. 

Piano Roll with Verses:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haFzMBk4fXI

Because of its universal theme, a variety of timely verses have been added and subtracted by performers over time.  Both songs, despite their jocularity, reveal a certain resignation to economic forces beyond the control of working people. 

It’s a small step from “Ain’t we got fun,“ to “The rich get richer and the poor get laid off.”  Still, the singers will survive “side by side.” 

A good read on this topic is “The Poets of Tin Pan Alley,” by Philip Furia—a little-studied genre of American literature.  The film “The Great Gatsby” dealt with this era and used these songs in the soundtrack.

Great Gatsby:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1AcnI0B2-o

Whiting, Egan, and Kahn collaborated on many, many popular songs including “Ukulele Lady,” and “Japanese Sandman” just to touch on a few.  

Here’s how some fellow ukers had fun with this one.

Ukulele:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-0ZFUDIVMw

So, here we have a couple of simple songs that reflect the optimism—despite the uncertainties—of the so-called sweet old days.  What will the songs of today tell our grandchildren—uncertainties despite optimism?   

Stay Tuned!