ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/> <title>Richard Rodgers</title> <meta name="description" content="popularsong.org feature article on Richard Rodgers"> <meta name="keywords" content="Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Sound of Music, Victory at Sea, songwriter"> <meta name="revisit-after" CONTENT="30 Days"> <meta name="robots" CONTENT="All"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="songwriter.css" type="text/css" charset="utf-8" /> </head> <body> <div id="wrapper"> <div id="header"> </div> <div id="nav"> <a href="sitemap.html">Table of Contents</a> <a href="artist4.html">Artist</a> <a href="forgotten-gem4.html">Forgotten Gem</a> <a class="lastchild" href="tidbits4.html">Tidbits</a> </div> <div id="body"> <div id="body-top"> <div id="body-bot"> <div id="about-box"> <h2><b>Richard </b> Rodgers</h2> <img src="images/rodgers.jpg" alt="richard rodgers" class="left" /> <P>When discussing the musical impact of composer Richard Rodgers, serious students of popular song do not question his success or lasting influence. They may never agree which of his 900 songs is most important, nor which of his crowning achievements in musical theatre charted the direction of Broadway for decades to follow. Opinions vary on those topics, probably because almost any of the answers <i>could</i> be supported.</P> <P>It is a much simpler question that draws the most passionate response from the armchair musicologist: Rodgers and Hart...Rodgers and Hammerstein...which combination had more of an impact on the American musical scene?</P> <P>The answer, really, is that Richard Rodgers is at the top of the list of iconic composers in the history of musical theatre, and arguably the entire realm of popular song.</P> <P>Richard Rodgers met Lorenz Hart in 1919 and the pair became a songwriting team almost immediately. Success, however, was anything but immediate. They started their career with the song "Any Old Place With You," which was featured in a 1919 Broadway musical comedy. The team's first professional production was <i>Poor Little Ritz Girl</i> in 1920. These forgettable affairs were followed by other, equally forgettable efforts until Rodgers and Hart first tasted success in 1925. The song "Manhattan" was one of a few they composed for a single-performance benefit show, but it received so much critical acclaim that the show was reprised and the feature tune became a huge hit. As dismal as their careers had been to this point, Rodgers and Hart suddenly enjoyed stunning praise and success.</P> <P>As the Twenties roared on, Rodgers and Hart's Broadway efforts roared right along. <I>Dearest Enemy</I> was first, followed by <i>The Girl Friend</I> and <i>Peggy-Ann</i>, both in 1926, and the incredibly successful <i>A Connecticut Yankee</I> in 1927. These shows resulted in standards such as "Here In My Arms," "Mountain Greenery," "Blue Room," "My Heart Stood Still" and "You Took Advantage of Me."</P> <P>Following years of success and hard work on the Great White Way, Rodgers and Hart moved to Hollywood when the Depression hit during the 1930s. Living somewhat on past success, the duo more or less coasted along in Hollywood. Some of the hits included "Lover," "Mimi", and "Isn't It Romantic?." It is also noteworthy that the pair's most lasting composition, "Blue Moon," was created during their stint in Hollywood. <P>They returned to Broadway in 1935 and immediately resumed their success. Songs from this period include "Where or When," "My Funny Valentine," "The Lady Is a Tramp," "Falling In Love With Love," "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "Wait Till You See Her." Success followed success until it became clear to Rodgers that Hart's personal troubles were tearing the duo apart. The pair split in 1943, and although they had a brief reunion for a revival of <i>Connecticut Yankee</i>, Hart died shortly afterward. <P>Knowing the end was near, Rodgers called on his old friend Oscar Hammerstein II, whom he had dabbled in songwriting with during his Julliard days circa 1918. Their first official collaboration was merely a show called <i>Oklahoma!</i>, which was the biggest leap forward in musical theatre since <i>Porgy and Bess</i>. <P>Rodgers and Hammerstein followed the timeless <i>Oklahoma</i> with four shows that are simply overwhelming. These were <i>Carousel</I> in 1945, <i>South Pacific</i> in 1949, <i>The King And I</i> in 1951, and <i>The Sound Of Music</i> in 1959. There were a few modest hits and clunkers along the way, but in the context of five of the most significant musicals of all time, the others simply don't matter.</P> <P align=right><i>continues above, in column at right...</i></P> </div> <div id="express-box"> <h2><b>featured</b> performance</h2> <object width="300" height="250"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gpuEXQtA5D4"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gpuEXQtA5D4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="300" height="250"></embed></object> <P>Here's a classic video from the 1960s of Eddie Fisher, Andy Williams and Bobby Darin -- three icons of American Popular Song -- doing an incredible version of "Do-Re-Mi."</P> <script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "pub-0751440218004690"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; google_ad_format = "300x250_as"; google_ad_type = "text_image"; //2007-06-12: popularsong google_ad_channel = "2075110773"; google_color_border = "FFFFFF"; google_color_bg = "FFCCCC"; google_color_link = "5F3E2F"; google_color_text = "1D110B"; google_color_url = "862E06"; //--> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <HR> <P><B>Richard Rodgers</b>, <i>continued from column at left</i></P> <P>Songs from these shows saw mixed success on the top pop charts, but collective record sales for each song can only be described as phenomenal. First came the "original soundtrack", and in the 1940s and early 1950s, rival record companies would rush out "competing" soundtracks recorded in a studio. Next, the top pop vocalists would hand-pick the best songs to release as singles, and then competing versions of those would be released. So a song like "You'll Never Walk Alone," from <i>Carousel</I>, hit the charts for John Raitt as an original soundtrack in 1943, on competing "soundtracks" in 1944, as hit singles for both Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland in 1945, as a hit for Perry Como in 1949, and a massive hit for Mario Lanza in 1950. As much as it has enjoyed lasting popularity due to the show, it was the hit recordings that firmly established the song as a "standard."</P> <P>Other Rodgers and Hammerstein songs that are unquestionably regarded as standards include:</P> <UL><LI>"Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'" <LI>"People Will Say We're In Love" <LI>"It Might As Well Be Spring" <LI>"Some Enchanted Evening" <LI>"Getting To Know You"<LI>"Bali Ha'i" <LI>"My Favorite Things" <li>"Climb Ev'ry Mountain" <LI>"Do-Re-Mi"</ul> <p>Sadly, Oscar Hammerstein II would pass away just after <i>The Sound of Music</i> opened, and never knew of its lasting success. "Edelweiss," which was a late addition to the show, turned out to be his last song. Rodgers "borrowed" from Austrian waltz for the melody, but really "Edelweiss" is in every way an American original. Interestingly enough, Austrian and German natives are even convinced it is an old Austrian folk song! <P>When all was said and done, Rodgers and Hammerstein racked up 35 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards, and two Emmy Awards. One of the great Richard Rodgers compositions that really can't be considered "popular song" is the score from "Victory at Sea". Written in the early 1950s, this classical music showed just how talented Richard Rodgers really was. <P>In the genre of American Popular Song, Rodgers' biggest hit without question is "Blue Moon." A version by Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra topped the charts in 1935, and The Marcels's doo-wop influenced version rocketed to the top of the charts in 1961. <BR><BR> <P><center><EMBED SRC="http://www.mp3fiesta.co.uk/listen/13843.m3u" WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=45 AUTOSTART="true"><BR><B>Blue Moon</B><BR>Sinatra's version</center></p> <P>To re-visit last month's feature songwriter, Sammy Cahn, <a href="songwriter3.html">please click here</A>. </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="foot"> <div id="foot-top"> <div id="foot-bot"> <div id="what-box"> <h2><b>spotlight</b> album</h2> <table><tr><td><P>Certainly the most important representation of Richard Rodgers songs is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BFNZAQ?ie=UTF8&tag=slackpacker-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000BFNZAQ">The Sound of Music 1965 Film Soundtrack</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=slackpacker-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000BFNZAQ" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> and especially this version, which was remastered in honor of the film's 40th Anniversary in 2005. Lead performances by Julie Andrews and Bill Lee (although the part of Captain Von Trapp was indeed played by Christopher Plummer) are simply the standard for these songs, even though the earlier stage version (starring Mary Martin) seems to garner more critical acclaim. No, in every way the film soundtrack is the one to have. The link above goes to Amazon.com, which enables you to purchase the soundtrack at discount.</td></tr></table> </div> <div id="news-box"> <h2><b>also</b> recommended</h2> <table><tr><td> In this day and age of music for I-pod, Mp3 players, or simply burning your own CDs, it's all the rage to "download" songs, one at a time, to your computer. Did you ever think you'd see the day? Well, the folks at Amazon.com sell lots of CDs, but now they realize that downloading is the coming trend, so they're in on it too. Good thing, because they have the best combination of price and selection. For example, you can grab the Marcels' 1961 smash of Richard Rodgers <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QQDE2Y?ie=UTF8&tag=slackpacker-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000QQDE2Y">Blue Moon, simply by clicking here</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=slackpacker-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000QQDE2Y" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />. Here's another download, to give you an example of how much variety is available with these things, of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QPKT82?ie=UTF8&tag=slackpacker-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000QPKT82">You'll Never Walk Alone / Climb Every Mountain from Carousel & Sound of Music, an awesome arrangement by Steve Amerson</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=slackpacker-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000QPKT82" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />. Believe it or not these downloads cost about as much as a 45 RPM record did almost 40 years ago. </td></tr></table> </div> <div class="clear"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footer"> <p>&copy; 2007 popularsong.org all right reserved</p> </div> </div> </body> </html>