There are a lot of great songs, once well-known, that aren’t performed or listened to much anymore. Here are some that I especially like.
Thine Alone. This beautiful song sounds like it might be a hymn, but it’s actually a love song, from the 1917 operetta Eileen. I only know it because it’s on a Victor Herbert album that belonged to my parents.
Duncan Gray. A fun song, with lyrics written by Robert Burns in 1792. The tune seems to be much older, dating as far back as 1700. The Scottish lyrics are only partly understandable to English-speakers and are translated here.
Three for Jack. My father liked to sing this song from 1902.
Softly as in a Morning Sunrise. My father also liked this one. Nelson Eddy, from his 1940 movie New Moon. Originally from the 1928 operetta of the same name.
10,000 Miles Away. The singer’s wife or girlfriend has been convicted of a crime and is being deported to Australia. Seems to date from the early 1800s.
Lorena. Written by a Reverend in 1856 after a broken engagement. Popular among both sides during the Civil War.
Carrier Dove. From 1841.
Summertime Love. I heard this song on the radio once and really liked it but could never locate it again. Finally found it at the link shown here…but I can’t quite manage to decode all the lyrics. Any help would be appreciated.
Seeman (Sailor). A German song from 1959. Also heard on the radio once and not rediscovered until many years later. I think the version I heard was the US hit version of 1960, which includes an English-language overlay of some of the words.
When the Wind Changes. A most unusual 1960s protest song, by PF Sloan.
Where e’er You Walk. From the musical dram Semele, 1744, libretto by William Congreve and music by Handel. Another favorite of my father’s, who sang it beautifully.
Westron Wynde. This song fragment dates in published form from 1530, but the lyrics are believed to be several hundred years older.
Some of my previous music posts:
Softly as in a Morning Sunrise. That video was a feast for the eyes. Nelson Eddy, for the ears. I first heard the song from John Coltrane .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e57F_Rm3xI4
Also: Perfidia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVmkOwE_TY4
There is also a version of Seeman / Sailor by Petula Clark:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERy5sp3-jf0
…pretty much flips the meaning of the song, in the German version, the female singer is accepting that the man’s first love will always be the sea, in Petula’s version, she is expecting him to give it up.
Ssummertime Love- New Christy Minstrels.
I saw the New Christy Minstrels in concert nearly 60 years ago.
I never found it on YouTube, but if you can find The Irish Rovers’ version of Lorena, from their 90s album The Boys Come Rollin’ Home, it’s worth a listen. A rarity, Jimmy Ferguson gives the lead vocals in what I assume is bass baritone. The others are backing or instrumentals.
It’s worth listening to. The whole album is the usual mix of trad folk, pop folk, and novelty songs. It also gas excellent ballad content in the form of fine takes on Isle of Inisfree and Bonnie Kellswater.
Westron Wynde (along with a lot of other Elizabethan songs) was recorded for solo acoustic guitar by John Renbourn in the 70s. I used to like to play it in the 80s.