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The fog of media memory, or: What do FDR and Fred Astaire have in common?
Foggy media memories
Steve Cohen
I watched four network telecasts of ten presidential inaugural balls on January 20th and heard all of them introduce the music for the presidential dance as "Etta James's At Last." Clearly, this was no coincidence. Some publicist for the ceremonies handed this factoid to the media, and every network swallowed it whole.
At Last was written in 1941 by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren. It was introduced in a movie, then recorded by Glenn Miller and became a big hit. The song was recorded again by Nat King Cole, Ray Anthony and other performers in the 1950s and made the popularity charts again. Later, Etta James recorded it. She is only one of many singers who've recorded it, and she had no hand at all in composing it and no claim of ownership. A quick search in Wikipedia would reveal this to anyone.
Almost as annoying was the fact that no commentator commented on the source of President Obama's catch phrase, "Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again." Not until the next day did Peggy Noonan, a former Reagan speechwriter, observe in the Wall Street Journal that this line was based on the Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields 1936 song, Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again, popularized by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. I'd like to think that Obama intentionally invoked the image of Fred and Ginger dancing happily out of the Great Depression.
There's nothing shameful about Obama referencing this landmark phrase; it is a useful cultural connection, not plagiarism. But media commentators were negligent in not recognizing it.
Considering all the common points between politics and show biz, there's no excuse when misinformation about music is fed by officials and regurgitated by uncritical media.
Permit me one more nitpick (unrelated to show biz. The media routinely refer to President Roosevelt's "First 100 Days" (usually capitalized that way) as a reference-point concerning expectations for Obama. Actually, FDR took office on March 4, 1933. Congress didn't convene until March 9 and adjourned 100 days later. This accidentally round number was convenient for headline writers. But it was Congress's first 100 days, not Roosevelt's.
To be sure, any media hotshot who doesn't remember Glenn Miller or Jerome Kern can't be expected to recall FDR's first term either. I eagerly await the day when some blow-dried TV commentator informs the nation who Pearl Harbor was. A dancer at the Troc, maybe?
At Last was written in 1941 by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren. It was introduced in a movie, then recorded by Glenn Miller and became a big hit. The song was recorded again by Nat King Cole, Ray Anthony and other performers in the 1950s and made the popularity charts again. Later, Etta James recorded it. She is only one of many singers who've recorded it, and she had no hand at all in composing it and no claim of ownership. A quick search in Wikipedia would reveal this to anyone.
Almost as annoying was the fact that no commentator commented on the source of President Obama's catch phrase, "Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again." Not until the next day did Peggy Noonan, a former Reagan speechwriter, observe in the Wall Street Journal that this line was based on the Jerome Kern-Dorothy Fields 1936 song, Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again, popularized by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. I'd like to think that Obama intentionally invoked the image of Fred and Ginger dancing happily out of the Great Depression.
There's nothing shameful about Obama referencing this landmark phrase; it is a useful cultural connection, not plagiarism. But media commentators were negligent in not recognizing it.
Considering all the common points between politics and show biz, there's no excuse when misinformation about music is fed by officials and regurgitated by uncritical media.
Permit me one more nitpick (unrelated to show biz. The media routinely refer to President Roosevelt's "First 100 Days" (usually capitalized that way) as a reference-point concerning expectations for Obama. Actually, FDR took office on March 4, 1933. Congress didn't convene until March 9 and adjourned 100 days later. This accidentally round number was convenient for headline writers. But it was Congress's first 100 days, not Roosevelt's.
To be sure, any media hotshot who doesn't remember Glenn Miller or Jerome Kern can't be expected to recall FDR's first term either. I eagerly await the day when some blow-dried TV commentator informs the nation who Pearl Harbor was. A dancer at the Troc, maybe?
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