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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | R 781.63 JAS | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
First Published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Reviews (3)
Booklist Review
Here is a book you can use if you have a patron who wants to know who wrote "I Heard It through the Grapevine" or in what year "It Had to Be You" was introduced. Songs are listed alphabetically by title, with composers, publishers, publication dates, and a brief history. The author selected "songs that the reader/researcher was most likely to be searching for." Indexing is by composer, publisher, and publication year.
Choice Review
Prolific author and editor Jasen has compiled those songs he believes have survived the test of time during the past century to become American classics. Mere chart success does not guarantee inclusion. Arranged alphabetically by title, entries provide composer, lyricist, publisher, copyright date, first film or stage production, and brief anecdotal information about some popular recordings of each title, including label and record number. Separate indexes are provided for composer (not lyricist), publisher, and year published. A list of Academy Award winners for Best Song is included. Any list of "best remembered" songs will as a matter of course be controversial (no songs from West Side Story?), so Jasen should be prepared for criticism. Although he includes titles that appear "interesting or unusual" to him, a quick scan of the "Index by Year of Publication" reveals a bias toward songs from the early to mid-20th century. Overall the book is fun to read despite occasional awkward descriptions, but is rather expensive. Libraries already owning sources like Joel Whitburn's based on Billboard charts (which Jasen cites among his sources) may not need it. J. A. Badics Eastern Michigan University
Library Journal Review
The editor of numerous ragtime collections, Jasen (communications, Long Island Univ., C.W. Post) draws on his authoritative background to create this useful and entertaining reference work featuring "most popular, best remembered, historically important, and interesting or unusual" songs. He broadly defines popular songs to include parlor songs, jazz instrumentals, big band standards, movie music, easy listening, blues, rock, country, and rap to arrive at about 2000 titles; browsing through the contents encourages nostalgic reflection and humming. The main body of the work is an alphabetical listing by song title indicating composer, lyricist, publisher, copyright date, source (if from a show or film), who first sang or played it, later popularizers (if any), and recording chart positions with label name/number. Contributions by non-Americans, such as the Beatles, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Franz Lehar, are also present. Undoubtedly, some readers will miss their favorites and question why some others made the cut. For example, there is nothing by Leonard Bernstein or from A Chorus Line or Les Misrables, but almost every song from Guys and Dolls is included. Jasen routinely provides enlightening comments to accompany the listing, an effort that is at times hindered by grammatical errors, misspellings, and personal biases with annoying exclamation points. Indexes by composer (but not lyricist), publisher, and year and a listing of Academy Award-winning songs round out the volume. Jasen acknowledges relying on Donald Stubblebine's Cinema Sheet Music and Billboard charts as compiled by Joel Whitburn. Libraries owning these titles and Nat Shapiro's "Popular Music" series can probably skip this secondary source; for others, it is recommended as an affordable, one-stop reference. Barry Zaslow, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Introduction The Songs: A to Z Academy Award Winners Composer |
| Index Publisher |
| Index Chronological |
| Index by Copyright |
| Date Index to Song Notes |
