All Through The Day

Music, Jerome Kern (1885–1945); words, Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960)

Jerome Kern died of a stroke in 1945 at the age of 60. His creative powers were still at their peak, as this song attests. It was written for the film Centennial Summer, referring to the US celebration in 1876. I’m curious to see it, although its low profile doesn’t suggest the highest quality. Kern wrote exclusively for the movies after his heart attack in 1939.

Oscar Hammerstein is better known for his collaborations with Richard Rogers: Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King And I, Carousel and The Sound Of Music, among others. Unlike Kern, those two eventually lost it. Flower Drum Song, Cinderella, yuck. Hammerstein also collaborated with Kern for the music in Show Boat, back in 1927. Show Boat and Oklahoma! are acknowledged to be the first modern musicals. Although Hammerstein’s father and grandfather were both involved in theater, from the production side, he was discouraged from entering show business. He studied law at Columbia and played first base on their baseball team. After his father died unexpectedly at the age of 40, Hammerstein quit law school in 1920 and began writing for the theater. His last song, “Edelweiss”, from The Sound Of Music, was written a few months before his death.

Back to this one: although this song has a somewhat similar structure to “Long Ago And Far Away”, I consider it one of the greatest beauties of American music and had to include it here. I don’t know another song that so perfectly captures the feeling of anticipation one can have for meeting one’s lover.