They Say It’s Wonderful

Words and music, Irving Berlin (1888–1989)

For details about Berlin, see “Blue Skies” (1927). One more detail concerning Berlin’s early life, which was a bit like a Dickens novel. His earliest memory, as a very young child in Russia, was watching his house burn down. In New York, all the children in the family hustled for money. Berlin sold newspapers and sang on the street for tips. When the kids all got home at the end of the day they would pour all their change into momma’s apron. One day on the docks, Berlin became so engrossed watching the ships he didn’t see a swinging boom coming his way. He was knocked into the water. A rescuer pulled him up as he was going down for the third time. Berlin still had five pennies clutched in his hand.

This song is from “Annie Get Your Gun”. Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern were supposed to write the music but when Kern died, Berlin took over him. Fields had already written the book, which Berlin used.