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A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters, American Songs
In A Fine Romance, David Lehman looks at the formation of the American songbook—the timeless numbers that became jazz standards, iconic love songs, and sound tracks to famous movies—and explores the extraordinary fact that this songbook was written almost exclusively by Jews.
An acclaimed poet, editor, and cultural critic, David Lehman hears America singing—with a Yiddish accent. He guides us through America in the golden age of song, when “Embraceable You,” “White Christmas,” “Easter Parade,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” “My Romance,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Stormy Weather,” and countless others became nothing less than the American sound track. The stories behind these songs, the shows from which many of them came, and the shows from which many of them came, and the composers and lyricists who wrote them give voice to a specifically American saga of love, longing, assimilation, and transformation.
Lehman’s analytical skills, wit, and exuberance infuse this book with an energy and a tone like no at once sharply observant, personally searching, and attuned to the songs that all of us love. He helps us understand how natural it should be that Wizard of Oz composer Harold Arlen was the son of a cantor who incorporated “Over the Rainbow” into his Sabbath liturgy, and why Cole Porter—the rare non-Jew in this pantheon of musicians who wrote these classic songs shaped America even as America was shaping them.
(Part of the Jewish Encounter series)
An acclaimed poet, editor, and cultural critic, David Lehman hears America singing—with a Yiddish accent. He guides us through America in the golden age of song, when “Embraceable You,” “White Christmas,” “Easter Parade,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man,” “My Romance,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Stormy Weather,” and countless others became nothing less than the American sound track. The stories behind these songs, the shows from which many of them came, and the shows from which many of them came, and the composers and lyricists who wrote them give voice to a specifically American saga of love, longing, assimilation, and transformation.
Lehman’s analytical skills, wit, and exuberance infuse this book with an energy and a tone like no at once sharply observant, personally searching, and attuned to the songs that all of us love. He helps us understand how natural it should be that Wizard of Oz composer Harold Arlen was the son of a cantor who incorporated “Over the Rainbow” into his Sabbath liturgy, and why Cole Porter—the rare non-Jew in this pantheon of musicians who wrote these classic songs shaped America even as America was shaping them.
(Part of the Jewish Encounter series)
- GenresNonfictionMusic
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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About the author
David Lehman
125 books56 followersDavid Lehman is a poet and the series editor for The Best American Poetry series. He teaches at The New School in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 11, 2012
Until the halfway point of this book, despite glossing over whole pages except for the song-title name-dropping, I was prepared to be charitable with a three-star review. But as with so many who celebrate the era of the jazz standard, he moves on to complete denigration of everything that came after.
He happily quotes someone who says Elvis was music for ten-year-olds, just a notch above nursery rhymes, a byproduct of a culture when music had been so commoditized that children could afford to buy it.
In short, music went to hell in a handbasket once the masses could choose what they wanted. It's an outrageously elitist viewpoint and I threw the book down when I read it.
I adore the standards. I've got plenty of records and CDs by the very artists that the author cites. Unlike the author, though, I do see value in the Beatles and much that came after it. I continue to seek out and buy music, much of it by singing budgies.
If that makes me part of the hoi polloi, so be it. I wouldn't want to be in Lehman's clique anyhow.
He happily quotes someone who says Elvis was music for ten-year-olds, just a notch above nursery rhymes, a byproduct of a culture when music had been so commoditized that children could afford to buy it.
In short, music went to hell in a handbasket once the masses could choose what they wanted. It's an outrageously elitist viewpoint and I threw the book down when I read it.
I adore the standards. I've got plenty of records and CDs by the very artists that the author cites. Unlike the author, though, I do see value in the Beatles and much that came after it. I continue to seek out and buy music, much of it by singing budgies.
If that makes me part of the hoi polloi, so be it. I wouldn't want to be in Lehman's clique anyhow.
November 27, 2009
I loved this book! The author's love for the Great American Songbook, which was created largely by Jewish immigrants and their children, shines through in virtually every sentence. This is not a an abstract scholarly work; it is personal story, full of passion and the kind of insights that come only to one who truly loves the subject matter with all of her/his heart.
And what a tale, of assimilation and ambiguity and wit and urbanity and art and extraordinary talent.
And what a tale, of assimilation and ambiguity and wit and urbanity and art and extraordinary talent.
December 3, 2020
A very curious book. The style in which Lehman discusses the plethora of Jewish songwriters in the golden age of popular music of the early 20th century is to put it kindly conversational and more bluntly a rambling jumble (redundant?). It's a mix of anecdotes, digressions, and uninteresting autobiographical material. That's not to say there aren't interesting sections about the backgrounds and careers of such composers and lyricists as Arlen, Kern, Hammerstein, Gershwin, Rodgers and more. The theories as to why a Jewish upbringing and culture enabled such genius seems to me a point that is stretched at times but I don't have the musical background to judge that adequately. I do know that the whole experience is improved greatly by having Youtube at your fingertips as you read, as it enables one to listen to the author's suggestions of particularly good performances of classic songs.
July 8, 2017
Couldn't finish it.
January 8, 2012
On page 115 of this book, David Lehman writes, ' I will write up my love of American popular song and its Jewish creators and I will write it straight, leaving myself out of it.' If only he did!
By this point in the book we are accosted by fictional interviews with the great song and lyric writers, inconsequential autobiographical anectdotes as well as cringe-inducing flights of fancy such as his imagining Harold Arlen and Jerome Kern as his uncles Harry and Jerry at his childhood synagogue.
Perhaps he feels that his background as poet and poetry editor gives him the right to create complete sentence made up of lyrics of the great songs. In one extreme instance he creates a 'cento' based on these lyrics.
Tedious and very little insight into the songbook, being Jewish or anything else besides being David Lehman
By this point in the book we are accosted by fictional interviews with the great song and lyric writers, inconsequential autobiographical anectdotes as well as cringe-inducing flights of fancy such as his imagining Harold Arlen and Jerome Kern as his uncles Harry and Jerry at his childhood synagogue.
Perhaps he feels that his background as poet and poetry editor gives him the right to create complete sentence made up of lyrics of the great songs. In one extreme instance he creates a 'cento' based on these lyrics.
Tedious and very little insight into the songbook, being Jewish or anything else besides being David Lehman
May 16, 2010
Fun read about the classics, what the author calls Broadway's golden age. Sort of wish he'd kept going and talked about Sondheim, but I understand how that doesn't really fit into his arc. Yaaaay Jews.
December 24, 2010
This tries to be too many different things--from personal memoir to the
history of Jewish influence on American popular music from Old Testament
times to Bob Dylan. Sometimes interesting, sometimes just a catalog of
what you could look up more easily by googling. Nice try though.
history of Jewish influence on American popular music from Old Testament
times to Bob Dylan. Sometimes interesting, sometimes just a catalog of
what you could look up more easily by googling. Nice try though.
April 26, 2012
This is just a great book. You can hear the songs as you read. David Lehman is not just filled with knowledge, not just a wonderful writer, but a true fan. His love of the material comes through on every page.
October 14, 2013
Interesting mix of personal history and the songs and their writers.
April 16, 2010
Really great so far. Takes me back to the songs of my childhood.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews