One can learn so much about society in those days from these songs. Let's start what they reveal about men's attitudes toward women. These date from 1909 to 1919.
According to an interview with Irving Berlin, the song came to him in a barbershop. George Whiting, a vaudeville actor, was a few chairs down from Berlin who asked him when he needed to be home. Whiting replied, "I don't have to go home, my wife is in the country." Berlin walked out of the shop with those words in his head and soon found them a melody and the chorus worked out. In a few hours the song was completed and two days later it was heard all over the land.
When Missus Brown told hubby, "I just can't stand the heat
Please send me to the country, dear, I know 'twould be a treat"
Next day his wife and fam'ly were seated on a train
And when the train had started, Brownie shouted this refrain:
My wife's gone to the country, hurrah, hurrah!
She thought it best, I need a rest, that's why she went away
She took the children with her, hurrah, hurrah!
I don't care what becomes of me, my wife's gone away
He kept the 'phone a-going, told ev'ryone he knew
"It's Mister Brown, come on downtown, I have some news for you"
He told a friend reporter just why he felt so gay
Next day an advertisement in the papers read this way:
[2nd refrain:]
My wife's gone to the country, hurrah, hurrah!
She thought it best, I need a rest, that's why she went away
She took the children with her, hurrah, hurrah!
I don't care what becomes of me, my wife's gone away
He sang his joyful story into a phonograph
He made a dozen records and I say it was to laugh
For when his friends had vanished and Brown was all alone
His neighbors heard the same old tune on Brownie's graphophone
My wife's gone to the country, hurrah, hurrah!
She thought it best, I need the rest, that's why she went away
She took the children with her, hurrah, hurrah!
Like Eva Tanguay, I don't care, my wife's gone away
He went into the parlor and tore down from the wall
A sign that read "God Bless Our Home" and threw it in the hall
Another sign he painted and hung it up instead
Next day the servant nearly fainted when these words she read:
My wife's gone to the country, hurrah, hurrah!
She thought it best, I need the rest, that's why she went away
She took the children with her, hurrah, hurrah!
Now I'm with you if you're with me, my wife's gone away
He called on pretty Molly, a girl he used to know
The servant said "She left the house about an hour ago
But if you leave your name, sir, or write a little note
I'll give it to her when she comes" and this is what he wrote:
My wife's gone to the country, hurrah, hurrah!
She thought it best, I need the rest, that's why she went away
She took the children with her, hurrah, hurrah!
I love my wife, but oh! you kid, my wife's gone away
He went and bought a parrot, a very clever bird
The kind that always would repeat most anything she heard
So when his voice grew husky and Brownie couldn't talk
While he'd be taking cough-drops, he would have the parrot squawk:
My wife's gone to the country, hurrah, hurrah!
She thought it best, I need the rest, that's why she went away
She took the children with her, hurrah, hurrah!
I knew my book, she left the cook, my wife's gone away
The song was sung by Stuart Barnes, a successful English Music Hall performer whose songs and monologues were usually about marriage and women. He often sang Irving Berlin songs after his monologues. He earned $400 a week in 1909. (Source found here.) He was openly gay.
***
Some men wanted freedom from their women, while others were worried about being thrown over.
Take a tip from one who knows, all you single men,
If you've a girl to call your own, Don't ever leave her all alone.
If temptation comes her way, will she pass it by?
That's a question, so my suggestion is, Watch her on the sly.
Keep your eye on the girlie you love,
There's a beau that you know nothing of,
Who may be there to call, when you're out of sight,
Of course, she may not fall, but may be she might.
Never leave her for more than a day,
‘Cause there's hundreds that lose ‘em that way,
So keep your eye upon your girl, Bill,
If you don't some other fellow will.
It's a tough thing now-a-days, picking out a girl,
So when you find your heart’s delight,
Take my advice and treat her right,
Girls are fickle as can be, change their minds each day;
Do a rave to ‘em, be a slave to ‘em, That’s the wisest way.
Keep your eye on the girlie you love,
Just be sure that she’s your turtle dove,
Don’t take a chance and introduce your best pal,
For if she likes him best, goodbye to your gal.
She may kiss you goodnight by mistake,
Call you Clarence, when your name is Jake,
So keep your eye upon your girl, Bill,
If you don’t some other fellow will.
***
One way of 'keeping your girlie' was to make love to her at the movies. Couples sitting in a dark room raised the fear of parents who worried about the sexual freedom that might be perpetrated there. Hollywood movie stars had wild parties and scandalous sex lives--evil role models for the young. This was the new world of dating. Courtship no longer took place on front porch swings.Take Your Girlie To the Movies (If You Can't Make Love At Home) by Edgar Leslie and Bert Kalmar with music by Pete Wendling would have been pretty scandalous in 1919.
When I call to love my girl
Her folks are always there;
That's why I'm blue,
What shall I do?
The answer is:
Take your girlie to the movies
if you can't make love at home;
There is no little brother there who always squeals
you can say an awful lot in seven reels.
Take your lessons at the movies
And have love scenes of your own;
When the picture's over and its time to leave,
Don't forget to brush the powder off your sleeve.
Pick a cozy corner where it's nice and dark,
Don't catch influenza kissing in the park,
Take your lessons at the movies,
and have love scenes of your own;
Though's she's just a simple little ribbon clerk,
Close your eyes and think you're kissing Billie Burke;
Take your girlie to the movies, if you can't make love at home.
***
Good girls, bad girls--they are all the same according to There's a Little Bit of Bad in Every Good Little Girl by Grant Clarke and Fred Fischer, performed by Brice and King, published in 1917. This sheet music shows Elizabeth Brice and Charles King, performers called some of the "cleverest" in the business. Miss Brice came from Toledo, Ohio and progressed from singing in Sunday School to the town casino.This is a truly horrifying song!
Because the bad girls are sad
And everybody sings about the good girls
Because the good girls are glad
Till you've been around 'em once or twice
You can't tell the naughty from the nice
There's a little bit of bad in every good little girl
They're not to blame
Mother Eve was very good
But even she raised Cain
I know a preacher's daughter
Who never orders water
There's a little bit of bad in every good little girl
They're all the same
I had a dream I went to see the devil
There was the devil to pay
He said I'm awful busy on the level
I said the devil you say
Why are you so busy tell me why
He replied and winked his other eye
There's a little bit of bad in every good little girl
They're not to blame
Though they seem like angels in a dream
They're naughty just the same
They read the good book Sunday
And snappy stories Monday
There's a little bit of bad in every good little girl
They're all the same
***
They Go Wild Simply Wild Over Me by Joe McCarthy and Fred Fisher was published in 1917. The song appears in Bullets Over Broadway by Woody Allen.
There is a version for men:
I hate to talk about myself,
But here's one time I must!
Your confidence I'll trust,
I have to speak or bust!
It's funny how I get the girls,
I never try at all;
I seem to hypnotise them,
I'm bound to make them fall!
They go wild, simply wild, over me!
They go mad, just as mad as they can be!
No matter where I'm at,
All the ladies, thin or fat,
The tall ones,
The small ones,
I grab them off like that!
Every night, how they fight over me!
I don't know what it is that they can see!
The ladies look at me and sigh,
In my arms they wanna die!
They go wild, simply wild, over me!
I get so many pretty girls,
I give a few away!
They bother me each day,
They're leading me astray!
There's lots of fellows go with girls
And never get their drift;
I always get the women,
It's just a natural gift!
They go wild, simply wild, over me!
They go mad, just as mad as they can be!
No matter where I'm at,
All the ladies, thin or fat,
The tall ones,
The small ones,
Why, I grab them off like that!
Every night, how they fight over me!
I don't know what it is that they can see!
I can never be alone,
I have to choke the telephone!
They go wild, simply wild, over me!
And for the girls:
I hate to talk about myself but here's one time I must
Your confidence I'll trust, I have to speak or bust
It's funny how I get the boys, I never try at all
I seem to hypnotize them, I'm bound to make them fall
They go wild, simply wild, over me
They go mad, just as mad as they can be
No matter where I'm at, all the fellows thin or fat
The tall ones, the small ones, I grab them off like that
Every night how they fight over me
I don't know what it is that they can see
The fellows look at me and sigh, in my arms they want to die
They go wild, simply wild, over me
I meet so many funny men, no matter where I go
They're waiting in a row, they seem to love me so
There's lots of girlies go with boys but never get their drift
I seem to understand them, why, it's just a natural gift
They go wild, simply wild, over me
They go mad, just as mad as they can be
No matter where I'm at, all the fellows thin or fat
The tall ones, the small ones, why, I grab them off like that
Every night how they fight over me
I don't know what it is that they can see
Why I can never be alone, I have to choke the telephone
They go wild, simply wild, over me
They go wild, simply wild, over me
They go mad, just as mad as they can be
I meet so many kind, I leave a few behind
They love me, they kiss me, why, I guess they must be blind
Every night how they fight over me
I don't know what it is that they can see
I'm very skinny I'll admit but when I when I smile just a smidge
They go wild, simply wild, over me
***
Whatever that guy had in the last song, the man in the next song clearly lacked. To Any Girl by the hugely successful and prolific lyricist Lew Brown with music by the equally successful and prolific Albert Von Tilzer (whose most famous song was Take Me Out To The Ballgame). This song is a lament, for the young lover has no girl to write to. Any girl will do...as long as she cooks and sews and is true.
A lovesick fellow wrote it, and here's what he had to say,
"O haven't any sweetheart, so I don't know what to do,
I wish I had a girl to send this to.
I won't put on an address, I won't put on a name,
But still I'm going to send it just the same.
To any girl who's feeling lonesome,
To any girl who's feeling blue,
I write these lines today
here's what I have to say
I've got a lot of loving that I'd like to give away,
To any girl who'll love me only
To any girl who will be true,
But if you have a beau,
Is there any girl you know
who's not as lucky as you.
He says he wanta a girl who sews and one who also cooks,
But then he doesn't mention anything about her looks
The boy is not particular,
I think that he's in wrong,
For he'll take any girl who comes along,
He can't expect an answer,
He doesn't make it plain,
I'll have to read the postal card again. (Chorus)
***
Harry Von Tilzer, Albert's brother, often worked with Andrew B. Sterling including on this 1915 song, Those Musical Eyes, about Ragtime sex appeal.Stirling and Von Tilzer are my favorite pair to collect. Learn more about Von Tilzer at The Parlor Songs Academy.
"Want you near me," they say and sweet is the music they play,
O those great big eyes how they harmonize,
Even when we're apart,
They play on the strings of my heart
Ragtime love tunes till I'm almost crazy,
Those "G sharp" eyes they seem to play for me.
Oh, those eyes, those great big musical eyes,
Such "harmony" lies,
In those sweet "Come and kiss me" eyes
"Say you'll miss me," eyes,
Roll them, roll them, roll them up to the skies,
Each glance at me, a "Rhapsody,"
Oh, those eyes they say "come on...and spoon!"
Oh, those eyes they play a wedding tune,
Oh, the love that lies and lies, In those musical eyes!
When I'm feeling bad, when I'm feeling sad,
Everything has gone wrong
those eyes, play the cheerfullest song,
They just look at me, strike a chord in "C"
sorrow puts on his hat,
Those eyes soon will sing in "A Flat"
Every glance starts my heart beating "Forte," (Chorus)
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