Old Joke Archaeology

     The problem of dealing with archaic humor is that you often run into jokes which are amusing primarily if you know the context, and know something about the times.  That joke about why Santa Claus won’t bring you a television because he has so much trouble with antennas on the roof isn’t quite theContinue reading “Old Joke Archaeology”

Postcards from Tin Pan Alley

     We considered in Friday’s column a few series of song postcards, and publishers who brought out lines of postcards devoted strictly to popular songs.  Today, we are going to look at a few where the publisher  just took a hit song and made a joke of it, knowing the audience would get the reference. Continue reading “Postcards from Tin Pan Alley”

Sing Me a Song of Postal Significance

     Ir has been a while since we took up the question of popular song.  This is a subject which is a lot more fun in retrospect.  If I say a little ditty from 2010 was popular, I must be challenged by people who tell me it was NOT a “pop song”, that it wasContinue reading “Sing Me a Song of Postal Significance”

Unsung Heroes

   I cannot offer any explanation for WHY you sometimes find yourself humming certain songs.  A phrase or a word may trigger the memory, or that background music at the grocery store, hardly noticed while you’re picking up an emergency supply of potato chips, may resurface later.  Nor can I explain why certain songs areContinue reading “Unsung Heroes”