The Ballad Of Irving
Arguably the most successful songwriter ever, Irving Berlin was born this day in 1888, and lived to be 101. I often wondered how he felt in the final few decades of his life. He'd been on the cutting edge in the 1910s, and was a highly respected songwriter through the 50s, but then got to see the popular culture slip away from him. So when Taco had a big hit with Berlin's "Puttin' On The Ritz" in 1983, did Irving cheer, or was he repulsed?
posted by LAGuy @ 12:07 AM
2 Comments:
He cheered, I suspect. There are four or five other Berlin song quotes baked in Taco's version. I'm sure Berlin made sure that ASCAP paid him for five songs every time it played!
He generally believed a hit song was a good song, but I have to wonder if he changed his mind as musical styles passed him by.
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