While written by lyricist E. Y. "Yip" Harburg, sensational entertainer, Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. popularized this record with his rendition. The song exudes anti-capitalistic lyricism, which builds on the growing criticism of Americans failing economic platform. The song itself tells the introspective dialogue of a working American who finds himself poor and without a job during the depression. He describes himself initially as a hardworking laborer who helped build American, building the railroad who was always right on the job. At the time however the jobs he rightly deserved as a hard working human had vanished, and it was not due to demand. Due to this unfortunate circumstance, someone seen a righteous America is scene having to beg on a street, asking passers to spare a dime. It felt to him it would be more likely spending his days in a bread line than securing a future.
This eerie tone was commonplace for Depression era music. There was little hope for a better future, instead dwelling on a better past, which wouldn't be seen for many years to come. This active political stance the songs brought were important in shaping public opinion surrounding political and economic issues.
https://genius.com/Bing-crosby-brother-can-you-spare-a-dime-lyrics
https://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/dec/11/american-masters-bing-crosby-rediscovered/
I found this article very interesting. It never occured to me before that the music of the Great Depression would cause even more, well, depression. I think the research behind this article is very well done. However, I feel like it would be interesting to mention other popular artists and songs at the time, which would further reinforce your claim. I really enjoyed reading this article. Well done!
ReplyDeleteIt is really interesting to see how much of the music produced during the Great Depression was mostly a reflection of the attitudes of many Americans negatively affected by it. However, celebrities like Shirley Temple created a very opposite effect on the Americans dispirited by the Great Depression. During the 1930's, she swept the nation with her charisma and her breakout musical "Stand Up and Cheer," which signified the importance of resilience, an idea seldom found in the minds of so many struggling people.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2014/04/12/the-little-girl-who-fought-the-great-depression-shirley-temple-and-1930s-america/7515875/
I found it so interesting that popular music during the Great Depression reflected the mood of the working class in America. I feel like today, popular music reflects modern culture as well, but does not have many political/economic meanings behind it. After doing some further research on music during the Great Depression, I found that many popular songs also had similar "depressing" titles much like "Brother Can You Spare a Dime". These titles included "I Ain't Got No Home", "We Sure Got Hard Times", and "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live". These songs clearly also reflect the economic depression at the time and the overall negative mood of the country.
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