The New American Songbook.
 

For those who don't know, the Great American Song book is...

It also pulled heavily in many cases from Tin Pan Alley...

But the days of Cole Porter and Dizzy Gillespie are long gone. As our parents are poised to become Grandparents, people born at that time are being less and less available. While the songs live on, music has shifted drastically to bring in many elements that would have normally existed outside of the medium: poetry, experimentation, philosophy.

But then, as it is today, the Songbook took not the kitschy, gimmicky, or oddball - it took the pure strains of emotion that songs could embody and said "for those of us who lived then, this is the best of what we produced."

Lets set, as an arbitrary point, 1970 as the begining. Since the last took into account roughly 40 years, what has the last 40 years in Americas ragged landscpae produced worthy of time's merit, that when our grandchildren put the last of us in the dirt, they can still look back and say "those guys really could write."

Criteria: I'm going to sit with this for a bit, but feel free to put in here songs that have/can be redone a million times and always carry that chracter of what made them brilliant.

is this only for jazz?

well i'm primarily going to stick with the 90s but i'm totally down with the idea. you looking specifically for American musicians? what about those who had influence stateside? (thinking Wonderwall).

either way, first contenders based on this bit - "for those of us who lived then, this is the best of what we produced." mixed with a healthy dose of 'something everyone should know'

RHCP - Under the Bridge
Smashing Pumpkins - Disarm
Soundgarden - Spoonman
Faith no More - Last Cup of Sorrow
Jane's Addiction - Jane Says
Nirvana - Lithium
QOTSA - Go with the Flow


these aren't necessarily my favourite tracks by the respective artists but in terms of what i think the songbook idea embodies i believe they fit the bill.

This song is as deep down American as the artists who have covered it over the years. Being performed by greats like Louis Armstrong and James Brown and Dean Martin and even Willie Nelson, it has been a staple in the history of Amercian music since 1930 and is still being performed today. What I appreciate the most about the song is how easily artists can mold the song to fit their sound, genre and idea of what it means to them. But it will always have those classic lines:

"Georgia, Georgia
The whole day through
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind... "

which is probably why it's already part of the original Great American Songbook...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_A...he_songwriters

I thought that we were making our own, Mr Dave? Maybe I read it wrong, but with what the Big3 said right here made me think that we would contribute favorite songs that have/can be redone a million times and I didn't think ones that were already in there would be ruled out (I didn't actually look to see if it was already in there anyway). Sorry if I screwed something up, just trying to give a nod to a great American classic.

I would argue Bruce Springsteen's body of work as being one for the ages, considering how much of his material has ingrained itself into the popular consciousness.

but just prior to the bit you copied he specified 1970 as a start point so that it would be relative to our generations. what's the point of trying to create a new book if it's going to repeat the old one?

there's no denying Georgia On My Mind is great, though I prefer Blue Skies for the same mood.

i also think it's kind of ridiculous to just refer to catalogs as well. whatever, let's see what Big3 says about this. it's his idea after all.

If Nirvana is remembered for one song generations from now it will be for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'.



Songs that are specifically of MY generation and can be reperformed a million times while still maintaining their beauty:

The White Stripes - 'Seven Nation Army'
Weezer - 'Buddy Holly'
The Strokes - 'Last Nite'

And a few others:

Violent Femmes - 'Blister in the Sun'
Stone Temple Pilots - 'Interstate Love Song'
Alice in Chains - 'Would?'
Smashing Pumpkins - 'Today'



Wow, way more grunge heavy than I would have liked, but that's what I came up with...

just refering to catalogs? What?

Anything since 1970. Yes. It also have to be able to translate into differnt styles, I'm a little curious about V&F's suggestion of 7 nation army.

YouTube is littered with 'Seven Nation Army' covers. You should check some of them out.

like - everything by Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen. yeah i understand their significance but they do have standouts.

also it's just shy of 1970 but seriously - Castles Made of Sand.

What I'm saying is, where did you get the idea I suggest cataloges? I'm talking song specific choices here.

i know you did, the person who posted about Springsteen's catalog obviously did not.


as for V&F and the Nirvana thing, i definitely thought about SLTS, but at the same time i don't think the lyrics are really as timeless as those for Lithium. i understand the social significance of SLTS will outweigh everything else in their catalog combined but to me a song about self-acceptance is far more substantial and seems like it would be easier for future generations to grasp rather than a rallying cry for what will be a bygone era.

1970s & on
 

Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
Rounabout - Yes
Wont get fooled again - The Who
Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones (I cheated, from 1969)
These are a few of my personal picks, there are just to many to name..lol,
There not all american, but what the hell, its all the same isnt it.

Before Mr. Dave disowns me

Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge over troubled water

One standard that continues to crop up year after year. Its hard to move away from Simon's arrangement on this one as its bare-bones harmonics know how to get out of the way, but however its being down, it brilliant.

Tom Waits - Diamonds & Gold

I chose this one because I feel that its one that paints a scene and people inject their own direction with it. Not the biggest hit, on the biggest album. But this one should hold on just fine against time.

Bruce Springsteen - 4th of July, Asbury Park

Bruce paints a picture of youth, a decidedly 70's youth, but he captures in that time some lasting emotions.

"And me I just got tired of hangin' in them dusty arcades, bangin' them pleasure machines. Chasin' the factory girls underneath the boardwalk where they all promise to unsnap their jeans. And you know that tilt-a-whirl down on the south beach drag
I got on her last night and my shirt got caught. And they kept me spinnin' baby, they didn't think I'd ever get off."

Tracy Chapman - Telling Stories

For anyone who's ever been burned in love by a fraud. This one will always speak to a scarred heart.

Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr.

I think this one will get better with age. Its not that its a lyrical masterpiece, but when the specter of Gacy is gone, and it seems like he's just painted a monster, this song will carry a weight comprable to the fat **** himself.

Warren Zevon - My Ride's Here

This is a masterpiece like no other. Its stunning what he did lyrically, and for a real tribute, check out the Bosses version done 3 days after Zevon caught his final lift.

White Stripes - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

I'm fairly certain that no ones going to cover this one note for note, but Jack Whites real strength on this one comes from the lyrical testimony.

Ryan Adams - Oh my Sweet Carolina

Adams is a hell of a S/S but this one makes him something of a novelist. A great American story.

Norah Jones - Back to Manhattan

Jones tends to be a little less direct, and a lot closer to the original Songbook than any peer, but on this one she seems a little more personal.

Iron & Wine - Trapeze Swinger

One of the best songs to come from the last decade. An epic masterwork that's as sprawling as his graffiti covered gates of Heaven.


Langhorne Slim - Sunday by the sea

Not the biggest S/S out there, and this may not be the most stunning piece, but simplicity is a hallmark of good writers, and Slim nails it.

John Prine - Sam Stone

No fan of Prine, but Laura Cantrell proves that good writing transcends. The sorrow will drag you as deep as Stone himself.

Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley - Pure Imagination

Nothing much to say about this one. Wonderful.

OutKast - Hey Ya! - 2003

Much like Prince before them, OutKast have in Hey Ya! a crossover masterpiece that not only defines a generation, but has shaped one as well.

R.E.M. - Losing My Religion - 1991

Unjustly overlooked in the light of Nirvana's breakthrough "Smells Like Teen Spirit", R.E.M.'s earlier mainstream hit is both iconic and infinitely relatable to the male psyche. Timeless.

The Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane - 1970

"Sweet Jane" is one of the most poignant cultural portraits of all time, written by perhaps the most honest musical figurehead of his time, Lou Reed.

all for now

Steve Goodman - City Of New Orleans

John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads


Two perfect additions to the American Songbook

thanks :p:

as for my own i'm going to trim my initial considerations.

RHCP - Under the Bridge - while it may not have been covered all over the place yet i do believe it could have the longevity. especially as we move towards a more urbanized society and distance ourselves more and more from ourselves.

Smashing Pumpkins - Disarm - a classic musing about being forced to grow old before one is ready. again with the way the world seems to be going it becomes a more and more common theme in many peoples lives.

Jane's Addiction - Jane Says - she's never been in love, she don't know what love is, she only knows when someone wants her.... if you can't relate i wonder if you've ever really met another person before.

QOTSA - Go with the Flow - while the pummeling rhythm the Queens perform this with definitely adds to the impact of the song it's the lyrics that really make it substantial, it could easily be stripped down to an acoustic with a voice and the emotion wouldn't change you're still left wondering about the one that got away while looking out for the one around the corner.