Music and Songs Americans Have Loved      
 
Fasttrack to America's Past



On the YouTube screen playback settings, select "480p" or higher if it is available for best quality. 


Music from America's past,
listed with oldest at top:



1600s - 1880s:

Scarborough Fair  This very old song is about a love that seems hopelessly lost.  Early versions trace back to England in the 1600s.  It remains well known even today.

Music for the Royal Fireworks  The music was composed in England in the 1700s, at the time America was part of Great Britain.  It is still a favorite of school and professional orchestras!

Oh Shenandoah  This traditional folk song dates to the early 1800s.  It takes its title from the beautiful Shenandoah River in Virginia.

Simple Gifts and its backstory  One of the best known old songs in America!  This short video includes the song and tells the interesting story behind it.  Simple Gifts is still performed today by school chorus groups and many professional singers.
  Even the COVID pandemic couldn't stop this high school chorus from their performance!  The melody is also famous for its use by the modern composer Aaron Copland in Appalachian SpringThis link jumps to 20:30 for the best known part of that work.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot  This old song of African American heritage is a type called a spiritual because of its religious references. 
Lyrics about crossing over the Jordan River represent dying or going to Heaven.  Kumbaya is another well known old spiritual, and traces back to the African American communities in the Southeast region.  This is a piano version.

Days of '49  An old folk song about the California Gold Rush of 1849, with some good photos.  A "bummer" is slang for a man who drifts from town to town, without work.  The "bummer's shore" was the West Coast of the Gold Rush era.  A "gin sot" is slang for a drunk.

When Johnny Comes Marching Home  A popular song of the Civil War era.  On both sides, families tried their best to keep up hope that their sons would return alive.  The first half of this video is instrumental, with singing in the last half.


1880s to 1920:

Spanish Lady  This is one of many old Irish songs that came to America along with the immigrants in the 1800s.  Another is Siúil a Rúin (Walk My Love), with lyrics partly in the old Irish language, and partly in English.  The music of Ireland had a big impact on the development of American musical styles.

Washington Post  From 1889, music of John Philip Sousa on an organ.  This was music to dance to in the 1880s and 1890s, and is still heard in parades, at festivals, and on merry-go-rounds.

The Entertainer  The 1902 ragtime piano hit written by Scott Joplin, an African American who became a famous composer of ragtime and jazz.

Waltzing Matilda  A famous old tune often sung by soldiers from Australia (one of the Allies) during World War I.  It became popular with Americans as well.  The song can still bring memories and emotions to the surface among performers and audiences.


1920s, 1930s, 1940s:

Yes, We Have No Bananas  A fun song from the 1920s.  This is played on a very old Edison cylinder phonograph.  The song  captures the optimistic spirit of an immigrant grocery store owner who wants to answer "Yes!" to everything.

Honky Tonk Train Blues  This old-time boogie woogie piano hit from the 1920s is still played today.

Over the Rainbow  The song Dorothy (Judy Garland) sings in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.

Jumpin' Jive features swing music of the famous jazz band leader Cab Calloway.  The clip is from a 1943 movie - don't miss the tap-dancing scene that starts about 1:30!

In the Mood is a jazz classic, performed here by the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Appalachian Spring  Aaron Copland's famous 1944 composition.  This link jumps to 20:30 for the best known part of this music.  Click here for a selection from Copland's music for the modern ballet titled Rodeo.

Look to the Rainbow  A well-known song with a father's advice to his daughter about finding the right man.  It's from the 1947 Broadway musical Finian's Rainbow. This clip is from the movie based on the show.


1950s, 1960s:

Rock Around the Clock  Bill Haley & His Comets perform in this 1955 movie featuring their famous song that helped launch the start of the rock and roll style.

Uptight (Everything's Alright)  Although blind from birth, Stevie Wonder was singing professionally at age 12, and recorded this hit song in 1965 at age 15.  The video is from a British TV pop music show.

If I Had A Hammer  Peter, Paul and Mary perform this song from the early 1960s that reflects the rising social conscience of that era.

Heatwave  Martha and the Vandellas bring the Motown music style alive in this performance of their 1963 hit.  Another Motown hit: My Girl, by the Temptations.

Get Together  The lyrics of this popular song from the mid-1960s express the hope many had in that decade for a world of peace and brotherhood.

In the Year 2525  This strange song hit the #1 spot in 1969.  The twists and turns of the decade had left many people wondering just where the human race was headed.      

Class favorites
& bonus tracks:



What a Wonderful World  This is the fantastic shadow puppet performance, done with Louis Armstrong's well known song.  Voted the class favorite!

Spanish Lady is a song that came to America with the Irish immigrants in the late 1800s.  Scarborough Fair is even older, and is originally from England.  Both of these traditional folk songs are still widely performed today.

Titanic Theme: My Heart Will Go On  A young man stops by a music store, sits down at a piano, and plays music from the movie about one of history's most famous ships.  Another piano attracted these six young men and their sister for a creative approach to a more recent popular song that became a world-wide hit, Shut Up And Dance.

Simple Gifts  This song, dating to around 1850, is still a favorite with school chorus groups and professional singers!  Even the COVID pandemic school closings couldn't stop this high school group from doing a performance.  See the link in the first column (on the left) for a short video that tells the interesting backstory.

Summertime  A 12 year old girl with a puppet performs the famous 1935 song from the Broadway musical Porgy and Bess.  Her talent won a standing ovation on the TV show America's Got Talent.

Jumpin' Jive features swing music of the famous jazz band leader Cab Calloway.  The clip is from a 1943 movie.

Jurassic Park and Colors of the Wind - Taylor Davis has built a huge YouTube following with her violin covers of popular movie music.  See how her videos are made here.

The Entertainer  The 1902 ragtime piano hit written by Scott Joplin, an African American who became a famous composer of ragtime and jazz.

Heatwave  Martha and the Vandellas bring the Motown music style alive in this performance of their 1963 hit.  Another Motown hit: My Girl, by the Temptations.


More class favorites!
Especially popular with chorus, band,
orchestra, and drama
students 

Story of My Life  A tree, a boy, and a girl.  A swing, and a new friend.  A marriage and a child.  Sketches of the memories that give life meaning.  The music is a Piano Guys cover of the 2013 hit by One Direction.

Homeward Bound  This powerful song draws on traditional American folk and choral styles.  Over 300 choral students joined Peter Hollens for this recent performance.

I See the Light - This is the Grammy Award winning song from the 2010 Disney animated film Tangled.  The movie is based on the classic fairy tale "Rapunzel," which itself dates back hundreds of years to Germany, France, and Italy.  The scene from the movie with this song is here.

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot  This is a spectacular performance of one of the best known African American spiritual songs.  The lyrics about crossing over the Jordan River represent dying or going to Heaven.

River Flows in You  Does anyone still play a harp?  Watch this beautiful version of the well-known piano music.

Fight Song / Amazing Grace / Scotland the Brave   The music of a recent popular song is combined with the music of two much older songs.  The Piano Guys went to Scotland to get just the right setting and sound for this video.

Siúil a Rúin (Walk My Love) is an old traditional folk song that came to America with the Irish immigrants.  It is still popular with singers and audiences today. The lyrics are partly in the old Irish language, and partly in English.

Ode to Joy / Beethoven's 9th Symphony "flash mob"  A city in Portugal celebrated it's 130th birthday by arranging this performance in the city square.  The famous music from 1824 celebrates the joy of life and the brotherhood of all mankind.

Yes, We Have No Bananas  A fun song from the 1920s.  This is played on a very old Edison cylinder phonograph.  The song  captures the spirit of an immigrant grocery store owner who wants to answer "Yes!" to everything.  An old player piano version is here.

Appalachian Spring  Aaron Copland's famous 1944 composition.  This link jumps to 20:30 for the best known part of this music.  Click here for a selection from Copland's music for the modern ballet titled Rodeo.

Music for the Royal Fireworks  The music was composed in England in the 1700s, at the time America was part of Great Britain.  It is still a favorite of school and professional orchestras!

Theme from The Mission  This is from the music by a modern Italian composer for the 1986 movie The Mission.  You need to be in a quiet place and in the right mood to experience it.

Pachelbel's Canon in D Major  This music, with its expressive dignity, is often played at weddings.

Kumbaya is a well known old spiritual, and traces back to the African American communities in the Southeast region.  This is a solo piano version.



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