April Showers: A Song History

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"April Showers" is a 1921 popular song, with music by Louis Silvers and words by B. G. "Buddy" DeSylva; a Library of Congress music blog sets it beside earlier April-shower pieces, among them an 1875 song and a piano piece of about 1882.[1] Harms of New York issued the sheet music that year, and the Morgan Library catalogs its copy as a possible first edition.[2] One printing's cover presents it as one of Al Jolson's hits in Bombo, Lee and J. J. Shubert's musical extravaganza.[3] Bombo opened on October 6, 1921, at Jolson's 59th Street Theatre; the Internet Broadway Database credits its music to Sigmund Romberg, with additional music and lyrics by Pete Wendling, and its book and lyrics to Harold Atteridge; and its song list for that production does not include "April Showers."[4]

Japanese woodblock print of travellers crossing a red bridge in falling rain, with rooftops and Mount Fuji beyond

Utagawa Hiroshige, Sunshower at Nihonbashi, woodblock print, 1833–34. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Public domain (CC0). Shown for its rain; it has no connection to the song.

Jolson recorded the song with orchestra for Columbia in New York on October 21, 1921, and it was issued on Columbia A3500.[5] Paul Whiteman's orchestra made a Victor recording six days later, released that December, and the tenor Charles Harrison recorded it for Victor in January 1922.[6][7] The American Film Institute notes that Jolson sang it in the 1926 Warner Bros. sound short A Plantation Act.[8] He recorded it again for Decca on August 10, 1945, with Carmen Dragon's orchestra.[9] It is also among the songs in The Jolson Story, which premiered in New York in October 1946, with Jolson providing the singing voice for the actor Larry Parks.[8]

When One Night of Love won the Academy Award for Music (Scoring) at the 1935 ceremony, the award went to Columbia's studio music department, with Silvers named as head of department.[10] The Discography of American Historical Recordings credits him with music used in more than 250 films and lists later Victor recordings of "April Showers" by the singer Dennis Day in 1946 and Sammy Kaye's band in 1947.[11]

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Sources

  1. Library of Congress, In the Muse: "Sheet Music Spotlight: April Showers Edition".
  2. The Morgan Library & Museum: "April Showers".
  3. Connecticut College, Historic Sheet Music Collection: "April Showers".
  4. Internet Broadway Database: "Bombo".
  5. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Columbia matrix 80041. April showers / Al Jolson".
  6. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Victor 18825".
  7. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Victor matrix B-25979. April showers / Charles Harrison".
  8. AFI Catalog of Feature Films: "The Jolson Story (1947)".
  9. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Decca 23470".
  10. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: "The 7th Academy Awards (1935)".
  11. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Louis Silvers".