Stardust Melodies [Hardcover]

Will Friedwald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 23, 2002

In Stardust Melodies, Will Friedwald takes each of these legendary songs apart and puts it together again, with a staggering wealth of detail and unprecedented understanding.

Each chapter gives us an extended history of one song—the circumstances under which it was written and first performed—and then explores its musical and lyric content. Drawing on his vast knowledge of records and the careers of performing artists, Friedwald tells us who was responsible for making these songs famous and discusses in depth the performers who have left their unique marks on them. He writes about variations in performance style, about both classic and obscure versions of the songs, about brilliantly original interpretations and ghastly travesties. And then there’s the completely unexpected, like Stan Freberg’s politically correct “Elderly Man River.”

This is a book for all lovers of American song to explore, argue with, and savor.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"The American Popular Song is like a car full of clowns at the circus: from the outside it looks small and unassuming, yet you can't believe how much is contained inside," notes Friedwald in his introduction and, indeed, Tin Pan Alley and its environs have produced masterpieces that survive well beyond their time and context. While every reader will have their own list what better dinner conversation game? this dozen (chosen in conjunction with Friedwald's editor, Bob Gottlieb) should contain at least half of everyone's choices. But this is not a trivia book, and the joy of these short essays ruminative, but also filled with fascinating historical and social details - is in their intelligence and their always evident love of the music itself. Friedwald (Sinatra!; The Good Life, with Tony Bennett) can surprise, as when he lists similarities between Kurt Weill and No‰l Coward (in his discussion of "Mack the Knife") or unearths the connections between Show Boat (which features "Old Man River") and British humorist P.G. Wodehouse. But he is at his best elucidating how a particular song works its magic. His history of Johnny Green's 1930 classic "Body and Soul" introduced by Gertrude Lawrence, made famous by the notorious Libby Holman and become a jazz standard when performed by Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker and Oscar Peterson is incisive, with illuminating details (he describes Tony Bennett's hand motions while singing). Friedwald performs similar feats with the other songs, including "As Time Goes By" (in which he praises Tiny Tim's late 1960s rendition), "The Saint Louis Blues," "I Got Rhythm" and "My Funny Valentine." In the end, the book is an important contribution not only to American musicology but also to the literature on popular culture.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The author of Jazz Singing gives an account of jazz songs, including "Summertime" and "Mack the Knife."
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon; 1 edition (April 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375420894
• ISBN-13: 978-0375420894
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.3 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #886,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The rich and fascinating tales of twelve songs, November 10, 2002

By 

J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stardust Melodies (Hardcover)

Did you know that Evelyn Walsh McLean, owner of the Hope Diamond and a backer of the production of 'Show Boat', was so aghast when its creators wanted to take 'Ol' Man River' out of the show during out-of-town tryouts that she bet them the Diamond that it would be the hit of the show? She didn't have to give up her gem, and this gem of a song was saved. Did you know that Stan Freberg recorded his own politically correct version of the song, retitling it 'Elderly Man River'? Or did you know that Herman Hupfeld, the writer of both the words and music for 'As Time Goes By' had only one other hit in his long career, and that was 'When Yuba Plays the Rhumba on the Tuba'?

This book is not just a collection of trivia about twelve popular American songs, but it is filled with such oddball facts as these. Will Friedwald starts each chapter with the story of how the song came to be writen, gives a neat analysis of the technical details of the song, and then describes the major recorded versions of each song. This is indeed a treasure trove of information about these songs, and if nothing else, reminds us of the long and rich history of American popular song.

The twelve songs, each with its own chapter, are, in chronological order, 'Star Dust', 'The St. Louis Blues', 'Mack the Knife', 'Ol' Man River', 'Body and Soul', 'I Got Rhythm', 'As Time Goes By', 'Night and Day', 'Stormy Weather', 'Summertime', 'My Funny Valentine', and 'Lush Life.'

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, Opionated Look at Twelve American Songs, June 20, 2002

By 

Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stardust Melodies (Hardcover)

Stardust Melodies (A Biography of Twelve of America's Most Popular Songs) by Will Friedwald is an interesting account of twelve songs that have shaped and transformed the music world and then, often as not, been shaped and transformed by that very music world. The author's likes and dislikes are there for any one to see as he traces the performance history of a song, concentrating on jazz performers and Frank Sinatra while giving less space to other pop, cabaret or theatrical performances. For what he does cover, he covers well. The true test of a book like this is whether it makes one rush to listen to various interpretations of these songs, such as Louis Armstrong doing Star Dust or Ella Fitzgerald doing Mack the Knife (a personal favourite) or, even better, the more obscure gems the author relates. The book suceeds marvelously in this aspect as it will turn the reader into an eager listener as one moves between CD player and comfy reading coach. One does not have to agree with all of his conclusions (in fact, one is unlikely to) but the reader will enjoy the experience.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, June 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Stardust Melodies (Hardcover)

Friedwald offers a fun-to-read look at 12 popular songs, which attempts to explain why these songs became standards. This includes a history of each song, a brief musicological dissection, a lyrical analysis and then a rundown of significant versions of the song, including vocals and instrumentals. All of the analysis is geared towards the layperson, so non-musicians, don't feel intimidated.

Ironically, the reviewer below who quotes the adage "if you've got nothing nice to say, say nothing" goes on to excoriate Friedwald and his musical "disinclination" for rock music. I'm a fan of rock, soul, pop and jazz, and I actually enjoyed reading an opinionated, cheeky take on music from someone who doesn't dig current popular tastes.