Nora Bayes - When John McCormack Sings a Song (1916)

When John McCormack Sings a Song
Words by William Jerome and E. Ray Goetz
Music by Jean Schwartz
Performed by Nora Bayes
With orchestra conducted by Josef Pasternack
Victor 45105
Recorded October 27, 1916

Nora Bayes sings a sentimental tribute to fellow Victor artist, John McCormack. McCormack was noted for his Irish songs and the lyrics of this song contains many Irish terms and phrases.

"Acushla," a short form of the anglicized "acushla machree," is from "a chuisle mo chroí," "the pulse of my heart" or more usually "My darling, love of my heart"

"Erin Mavourneen" means "Ireland, my love"

The Colleen Bawn: A young Irish boy has fallen in love with a poor girl and wants to marry her, but his mother will stop at nothing, including murder, to see that he marries his rich cousin. Thus ends the tragic story of the Colleen Bawn, a story of infinite pathos and stark, unrelieved tragedy.

Nora Bayes (1880 - 1928), born Leonora Goldberg in Joliet, Illinois, moved east as a teenager and had her Broadway debut in 1901. Her first national success came in 1910 with the song "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" She was a colorful, tempestuous figure, one of the biggest names in vaudeville and one of the first women to become a star on the American popular stage.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Nora Bayes
• John McCormack
• Vaudeville
• sentimental
• comedy
• Irish
• Ireland
• Machree
• Mavourneen
• Acushla
• Coleen Bawn
• 1916
• Victor
• 45105
• acoustic
• Broadway
• stage
• theatre
• St. Patrick
• March 17

[ThePeaceableKingdom]

Thanks for posting a great old tune, and double thanks for the Irish lesson. I knew what "mavourneen" meant, but not about Colleen Bawn, nor "machree" (mo chroi). It throws a little light (perhaps) on the impenetrable chorus of "Cruiskeen Lawn", which I've always wondered about.

"Gra-ma-chree ma-cruiskeen, slainte geal mavoorneen Gra-machree a cool-in bawn, bawn, bawn, Oh! gramachree a coolin bawn"

("cruiskeen lawn" means "full jug" (of whiskey))

[bsgs98]

@ThePeaceableKingdom Thanks for the additional information. It seems that these nostalgic songs about Ireland were very popular in America around this time.

[Boldorion1958]

A great recoding with superb choreography. Thanks for including the lyrics.

[bsgs98]

@Boldorion1958 Thanks! Nora sings in the Irish dialect so some of the words are not clear, but I found the sheet music, which helps.

[HarborGuy]

Two of the early greats - the sound is great thank you.

[bsgs98]

@HarborGuy You're welcome. Two great entertainers of 100 years ago!

[klokheten]

Here is a proof of the enormous popularity of Count John McCormack and an enourmously charming little ditty about him.