The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant 20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes.

Definition

right|thumb|220px|[[Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart]]

According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: <blockquote>The "Great American Songbook" is the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century that have stood the test of time in their life and legacy. Often referred to as "American Standards", the songs published during the Golden Age of this genre include those popular and enduring tunes from the 1920s to the 1950s that were created for Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musical film.</blockquote>

Culture writer Martin Chilton defines the term "Great American Songbook" as follows: "Tunes of Broadway musical theatre, Hollywood movie musicals and Tin Pan Alley (the hub of songwriting that was the music publishers' row on New York's West 28th Street)". Chilton adds that these songs "became the core repertoire of jazz musicians" during the period that "stretched roughly from 1920 to 1960".

Although several collections of music have been published under the "Great American Songbook" title, the term does not refer to any actual book or specific list of songs. The Great American Songbook includes standards by Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, Hoagy Carmichael, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, and Oscar Hammerstein II, among others.

In Alec Wilder's 1972 study, American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900–1950, the songwriter and critic lists and ranks the artists he believes belong to the Great American Songbook canon. A composer, Wilder emphasized analysis of composers and their creative efforts in this work.

Radio personality Jonathan Schwartz and singer Tony Bennett, both Songbook devotees, have both described this genre as "America's classical music".

List of songs

{| id="toc" class="toc" summary="Class"

!

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| style="text-align:center;"|ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPRSTUVWYZ

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{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Alphabetical list of songs with names of composers and lyricists

! Year !! Song title !! Composer(s) !! Lyricist(s) !! class="unsortable"|Notes

|-

| 1933 || "42nd Street" || || ||

|-

| 1935 || "About a Quarter to Nine" || || ||

|-

| 1944 || "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" || || ||

|-

| 1957 || "" || || ||

|-

| 1929 || "Ain't Misbehavin'" || || ||

|-

| 1927 || "Ain't She Sweet" || || ||

|-

| 1911 || "Alexander's Ragtime Band" || || ||

|-

|-

| 1921 || "All by Myself" || || ||

|-

| 1934 || "All I Do Is Dream of You" || || ||

|-

| 1931 || "All of Me" || || ||

|-

| 1954 || "All of You" || || ||

|-

| 1939 || "All or Nothing at All" || || ||

|-

| 1939 || "All the Things You Are" || || ||

|-

| 1957 || "All the Way" || || ||

|-

| 1934 || "All Through the Night" || || ||

|-

| 1947 || "Almost Like Being in Love" || || ||

|-

| 1949 || "Bali Ha'i" || || ||

|-

| 1929 || "Basin Street Blues" || || ||

|-

| 1942 || "Be Careful! It's My Heart" || || ||

|-

| 1935 || "Begin the Beguine" || || ||

|-

| 1959 || || || ||

|-

| 1927 || || || ||

|-

| 1940 || "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" || || ||

|-

| 1930 || "Beyond the Blue Horizon" || || ||

|-

| 1930 || "Bidin' My Time" || || ||

|-

| 1924 || "Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)" || || ||

|-

| 1962 || "Big Spender" || || ||

|-

| 1926 || || || ||

|-

| 1948 || "Black Coffee" || || ||

|-

| 1934 || "Blame It on My Youth" || || ||

|-

| 1953 || "Blue Gardenia" || || ||

|-

| 1934 || "Blue Moon" || || ||

|-

| 1926 || "Blue Room" || || ||

|-

| 1926 || "Blue Skies" || || ||

|-

| 1941 || "Blues in the Night" || || ||

|-

| 1930 || "Body and Soul" || || ||

|-

| 1941 || "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" || || ||

|-

| 1933 || "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" || || ||

|-

| 1944 || || || ||

|-

| 1926 || "Breezin' Along with the Breeze" || || ||

|-

| 1932 || "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" || || ||

|-

| 1947 || "But Beautiful" || || ||

|-

| 1958 || "Come Fly with Me" || || ||

|-

| 1946 || "Come Rain or Come Shine" || || ||

|-

| 1954 || "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" || || ||

|-

| 1928 || "Crazy Rhythm" || || ||

|-

| 1931 || "Dancing in the Dark" || || ||

|-

| 1930 || "Dancing on the Ceiling" || || ||

|-

| 1939 || "Darn That Dream" || || ||

|-

| 1945 || "Day by Day" || || ||

|-

| 1939 || "Day In, Day Out" || || ||

|-

| 1963 || "Days of Wine and Roses" || || ||

|-

| 1942 || "Dearly Beloved" || || ||

|-

| 1933 || "Deep Purple" || || ||

|-

| 1949 || "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" || || ||

|-

| 1959 || "Do-Re-Mi" || || ||

|-

| 1932 || "Don't Blame Me" || || ||

|-

| 1934 || "Don't Fence Me in" || || ||

|-

| 1940 || "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" || || ||

|-

| 1962 || "Don't Make Me Over" || || ||

|-

| 1964 || "Don't Rain on My Parade" || || ||

|-

| 1942 || "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree" || || ||

|-

| 1944 || "Dream" || || ||

|-

| 1936 || || || ||

|-

| 1930 || "Get Happy" || || ||

|-

| 1951 || "Getting to Know You" || || ||

|-

| 1929 || "Glad Rag Doll" || || ||

|-

| 1936 || "Glad to Be Unhappy" || || ||

|-

| 1936 || "The Glory of Love" || || ||

|-

| 1938 || "God Bless America" || || ||

|-

| 1933 || "The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)" || || ||

|-

| 1937 || "Gone with the Wind" || || ||

|-

| 1939 || "Good Morning" || || ||

|-

| 1931 || "Guilty" || || ||

|-

| 1937 || || || ||

|-

| 1951 || "Half as Much" || || ||

|-

| 1943 || "Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe" || || ||

|-

| 1930 || "Happy Days Are Here Again" || || ||

|-

| 1949 || "Happy Talk" || || ||

|-

| 1924 || "Hard Hearted Hannah (The Vamp of Savannah)" || || ||

|-

| 1937 || "Have You Met Miss Jones?" || || ||

|-

| 1944 || "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" || || ||

|-

| 1938 || "Heart and Soul" || || ||

|-

| 1933 || "Heat Wave" || || ||

|-

| 1937 || "Heigh-Ho" || || ||

|-

| 1964 || "Hello, Dolly!" || || ||

|-

| 1951 || "Hello, Young Lovers" || || ||

|-

| 1953 || "Here's That Rainy Day" || || ||

|-

| 1960 || "Hey, Look Me Over" || || ||

|-

| 1929 || "Honey" || || ||

|-

| 1929 || "Honeysuckle Rose" || || ||

|-

| 1934 || "I'll String Along with You" || || ||

|-

| 1944 || "I'm Beginning to See the Light" || || ||

|-

| 1945 || "Laura" || || ||

|-

| 1930 || "Lazy River" || || ||

|-

| 1945 || "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" || || ||

|-

| 1937 || "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" || || ||

|-

| 1928 || "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" || || ||

|-

| 1936 || "Let's Face the Music and Dance" || || ||

|-

| 1933 || "Let's Fall in Love" || || ||

|-

| 1932 || "Let's Put Out the Lights (and Go to Sleep)" || || ||

|-

| 1944 || "Like Someone in Love" || || ||

|-

| 1935 || "Little Girl Blue" || || ||

|-

| 1930 || "Little White Lies" || || ||

|-

| 1930 || "Love for Sale" || || ||

|-

| 1955 || "Love is a Many-Splendored Thing" || || ||

|-

| 1938 || "Love Is Here to Stay" || || ||

|-

| 1931 || "Love Is Sweeping the Country" || || ||

|-

| 1932 || "Love Is the Sweetest Thing" || || ||

|-

| 1945 || "Love Letters" || || ||

|-

| 1931 || "Love Letters in the Sand" || || ||

|-

| 1928 || "Love Me or Leave Me" || || ||

|-

| 1937 || "Love Walked In" || || ||

|-

| 1932 || "Lover" || || ||

|-

| 1941 || "Lover Man" || || ||

|-

| 1928 || "Lover, Come Back to Me" || || ||

|-

| 1950 || "Luck Be a Lady" || || ||

|-

| 1952 || "Lullaby of Birdland" || || ||

|-

| 1935 || "Lullaby of Broadway" || || ||

|-

| 1935 || "Lulu's Back In Town" || || ||

|-

| 1939 || "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" || || ||

|-

| 1932 || "Mad About the Boy" || || ||

|-

| 1928 || "Makin' Whoopee" || || ||

|-

| 1953 || || || ||

|-

| 1946 || "You Make Me Feel So Young" || || ||

|-

| 1938 || "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" || || ||

|-

| 1934 || "You Oughta Be in Pictures" || || ||

|-

| 1940 || "You Stepped Out of a Dream" || || ||

|-

| 1928 || "You Took Advantage of Me" || || ||

|-

| 1929 || "You Were Meant for Me" || || ||

|-

| 1934 || "You'd Be So Easy to Love" || || ||

|-

| 1942 || "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" || || ||

|-

| 1943 || "You'll Never Know" || || ||

|-

| 1945 || "You'll Never Walk Alone" || || ||

|-

| 1933 || "Young and Healthy" || || ||

|-

| 1953 || "Young at Heart" || || ||

|-

| 1949 || "Younger Than Springtime" || || ||

|-

| 1930 || "You're Driving Me Crazy" || || ||

|-

| 1933 || "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me" || || ||

|-

| 1931 || "You're My Everything" || || ||

|-

| 1928 || "You're the Cream in My Coffee" || || ||

|-

| 1934 || "You're the Top" || || ||

|-

| 1946 || "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" || || ||

|}

Revivals

In 1970, rock musician Ringo Starr surprised the public by releasing an album of Songbook songs from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, Sentimental Journey. Reviews were mostly poor or even disdainful, but the album reached number 22 on the US Billboard 200 and number 7 in the UK Albums Chart, with sales of 500,000.

Other pop singers who established themselves in the 1960s or later followed with albums reviving songs from the Great American Songbook, beginning with Harry Nilsson's A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night in 1973 and continuing into the 21st century. Linda Ronstadt (1983 through 1986), Rod Stewart (2002 through 2005), Bob Dylan (2015 through 2017) and Lady Gaga (2014 and 2021) made several such albums. Of Ronstadt's 1983 album, What's New, her first in a trilogy of standards albums recorded with arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle, Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote:

See also

  • Brill Building
  • Great American Songbook Foundation
  • Lounge music
  • Show tunes
  • Tin Pan Alley
  • Traditional pop

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Martini in the Morning radio program featuring the Great American Songbook
  • PBS Special on the Great American Songbook
  • Popular Songwriters and The Great American Songbook
  • The American Songbook Preservation Society
  • The Great American Songbook Foundation
  • The Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook