Music of the 1920s Trivia Quiz

Answer: Swanee

"Swanee - how I love ya, how I love ya / My dear old Swanee." The song was inspired by Stephen Foster's "The Old Folks At Home," which starts out "Way down upon the Swanee River." This song was Gershwin's first really big hit, and sold over one million copies of sheet music and over two million records.

The song has been featured in many movies, including "The Jolson Story," "Rhapsody in Blue," "Jolson Sings Again," and "A Star Is Born." By the way, the Swanee River is real, although the correct spelling is "Suwannee." It flows through southern Georgia and northern Florida.

Answer: The Sheik of Araby

"The Sheik of Araby" was written by Harry B. Smith, Francis Wheeler, and Ted Snyder. It was inspired by the Rudolph Valentino film, "The Sheik." The song has shown unbelievable longevity, and has been covered by artists as diverse as the Everly Brothers and Duke Ellington. Why the Beatles chose to perform this song at their audition for Decca is a mystery; George Harrison sang the lead vocals, so maybe it was his idea.

It appears on their album, "Anthology 1."

Answer: I'm Just Wild About Harry

"I'm Just Wild About Harry" was written by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake for the musical "Shuffle Along," one of the first successful Broadway shows with an all African-American cast. In 1922, it was a hit song for Marion Harris, a white woman who was one of the top blues singers in the United States. Judy Garland sang it - in black-face! - in the 1939 film, "Babes In Arms." In 1948, Harry S. Truman chose it as his official campaign song.

The song enjoyed a revival when, in 1978, a review called "Eubie!" opened at the Ambassador Theatre on Broadway. Featuring the music of Eubie Blake, one of the song's composers, it won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1979. Eubie Blake continued to perform almost up until his death at age 96; the musical notation for "I'm Just Wild About Harry" appears on his tombstone.

Answer: Who's Sorry Now?

"Who's Sorry Now?" was written by Ted Snyder, Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. In a scenario repeated several times in music history, Connie Francis didn't like the song, and only agreed to record it as a favor to her father; it was one of his favorites. It eventually reached the number four spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and launched her on a very successful career.

Answer: It Had to Be You

Isham Jones isn't exactly a household word these days, but in the 1920s he was a very famous bandleader, and he was also a prolific songwriter. Working with lyricist Gus Kahn, he wrote dozens of songs, including the standards "It Had to Be You," and "I'll See You in My Dreams."

"It Had to Be You" was an immediate hit, and was recorded by nine different artists in 1924. It has been featured in almost a dozen movies, and was voted #60 in the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Songs" survey of top tunes in American cinema.

Answer: Lulu

"Lulu always wants to do / What the folks don't want her to / When she struts her stuff around, / London Bridge is falling down!" This song was written in 1925 by Lew Brown, Billy Rose, and Ray Henderson. A foxtrot with a catchy tune, the song was an immediate hit, recorded by at least half a dozen artists in 1925 alone. One thing that helped its popularity is that it was easy to play on the ukulele, an instrument that was all the rage at the time, at least among young people.

It has since been covered by many artists, including Frank Sinatra, the Andrews Sisters, and Gene Vincent, and a memorable version was performed by Dorothy Provine on the television series, "The Roaring Twenties."

Answer: Has Anybody Seen My Gal?

"Turned up nose, turned down hose / A flapper? Yes, sir, one of those, / Has anybody seen my gal?" This song was written by Ray Henderson, Sam M. Lewis, and Joseph Young. Another popular "ukulele tune," it was first recorded by the California Ramblers in 1925, but it was Gene Austin's version in 1926 that made it a hit. Gene Austin was one of America's most popular singers in the 1920s. He is sometimes credited with being the first "crooner," and it is estimated that he sold over 80 million records during the Jazz Age.

The 1972 film of the same name is set in the 1920s, and stars Rock Hudson, Piper Laurie, and Charles Coburn. It also features James Dean as an uncredited extra.

Answer: My Blue Heaven

"Just Molly and me / And baby makes three / We're happy in my Blue Heaven." The biggest hit of 1927 almost never got made. "My Blue Heaven" was written in 1924 by Walter Donaldson and George A. Whiting. It got some exposure on the Vaudeville circuit, but was never really popular. Gene Austin, who was signed with the Victor Talking Machine Company, liked the song, and threatened to go on strike unless he was allowed to record it. The company reluctantly agreed. He was supposed to record it as the last song of a session, but all the studio musicians left as soon as the other songs were finished. Victor executives claimed they had another engagement, and that they would record the song another day.

Austin was incensed. This is what happened next, in his own words: "I grabbed an old guy with a cello and talked him into standing by. Then I grabbed a song plugger who could play pretty fair piano. And the third fellow I got was an agent who could whistle bird calls and that sort of thing. I made the record with those three." And if you listen to his recording, that's what you hear - a cello, a piano, and some whistling. The song sold eight million records, and Austin made so much in royalties that he purchased a yacht, which he named "My Blue Heaven."

Answer: Let's Misbehave

"We're all alone, no chaperon / Can get our number / The world's in slumber / Let's misbehave!" Pretty racy stuff for 1928. This song was cut from "Paris," in favor of "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love," but nevertheless became a hit song when recorded by Irving Aaronson and His Commanders in 1928. Porter did use the song in his 1937 musical, "You Never Know," and it was featured in a 1962 revival of "Anything Goes." The song has been featured in many movies, including Woody Allen's "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask," which uses the original Aaronson recording.

Answer: Ain't Misbehavin'

"Ain't Misbehavin', / Savin' all my love for you." The song was written by Fats Waller, Harry Brooks, and Andy Razaf. Waller's recording of the song was so popular that it was covered by six other artists in 1929 alone, including Louis Armstrong, Ruth Etting, and Gene Austin. In 2001, the song was ranked number 41 on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of Songs of the Century.

In 1978, a musical called "Ain't Misbehavin'," based on Waller's music, opened on Broadway and ran for 1604 performances; it won the 1978 Tony Award for Best Musical.