1916 Play A Simple Melody - Billy Murray & Elsie Baker (as ‘Edna Brown’)

Would you believe that more than a century ago when Irving Berlin wrote this clever tune, people were already bemoaning the current raucous state of the American popular song and longing for a return to the ‘good old days’ when music was music? That’s the premise of “Simple Melody,” performed here by two top vocal figures from the early years of pre-electrical recording. And unlike the familiar Bing & Gary Crosby hit of 1950, this version also includes Berlin’s original verses that help clarify the conflict: Billy wants to hear the current hot ragtime tunes instead of that ‘longhair’ stuff, while Elsie prefers the old favorites that her mother used to sing.

“Simple Melody” was part of Irving Berlin’s musical score for the 1914 stage production “Watch Your Step,” which starred Vernon and Irene Castle, the famed dance team portrayed by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 1939 film “The Story Of Vernon And Irene Castle.”

Transferred at 76.59 rpm from the original Victor 18051 - Simple Melody (Berlin) by ‘Edna Brown’ (Elsie Baker) and Billy Murray, orchestra conducted by Rosario Bourdon, recorded in Camden NJ May 2, 1916

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