Donaldson, You’re Driving Me Crazy

Tin Pan Alley exerted a strong influence on American music for more than half a century beginning in the late 1880s. The name refers to a specific block in Manhattan, 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue.

Music publishing houses were congregated there. In order to interest a publisher in a new song, pitch men would play them on the piano. The windows were open, and the resulting cacophony on the street of so many songs being pitched simultaneously was compared to the sound of rattling tin pans.

Carol and I stood on that spot a few years back, camera in hand, in the hopes of capturing some brief commentary for our courses on American music. Although the music publishers are no longer there, the decibel level has only increased and it was impossible to record anything usable.

Out of Tin Pan Alley came many of the best tunes by well-known composers: George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, and Walter Donaldson (1893-1947) to name a few. Donaldson’s name may not be quite as familiar as some of the others, but most of you will likely recognize his songs “My Blue Heaven,” “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby,” “Makin’ Whoopee,” “How Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm,” “Carolina in the Morning,” and Al Jolson’s signature song “My Mammy.”

Donaldson often worked with lyricist Gus Kahn, but he composed both music and lyrics to “You’re Driving Me Crazy,” released in 1930.

I find it encouraging to see well-executed performances of songs from this era by small groups playing acoustical instruments. I confess that the live music I encounter in local establishments most often has me looking for the exits, and I wish it were easier to find something more like this.