May 15, 2024
Time for a new miniseries! This time, we're looking at songs
originally from Broadway shows that found a greater life outside of
them as anthems. Anthems of movements, times, places, industries --
Broadway has given us many anthems over the years. Arguably one of
its earliest is one that everyone knows but may not know that it
originated in a Broadway show: "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" by
Y.E. Harburgh and Jay Gorney. The song, written for a 1932 revue
called Americana appropriately enough, quickly became
an anthem of the Great Depression and has maintained its status
ever since.
The NPR piece from 2008 mentioned on the episode
The Kennedy Center resource for teachers about this song
All clips are from 2004's Broadway: The American
Musical featuring Bing Crosby and are protected by the
Fair Use guidelines of Section 107 of the Copyright Act for
criticism and commentary. All rights reserved to the copyright
owners. (N.B.: Erik adores this documentary and strongly recommends
it for anyone who wants to sounds smart about Broadway
history.)
Buy/stream the album on Amazon!
Listen to the SMSTS playlist on Spotify!
Follow SMSTS on Instagram: @somuchstufftosing
Email the show: somuchstufftosing@gmail.com