When I hear popular songs of the 1940s and ‘50s, I smile both inside my heart and brain, and, of course, outside on my face. The songs bring back pleasant memories from childhood to marriage, nostalgic reminiscences of another time in other places with people of my past.
The song that probably best exemplifies this feeling of the past for me is “As Time Goes By,” which was a 1943 hit. I do not remember it in 1943, but all of my life whenever I hear it, it makes me think of the past and that time is fleeting and none of us lives forever.
The first song I can remember was a 1935 hit called, “The Lady in Red,” which I recall my mother singing around the house. Some songs from my past were during World War II when I was a Garfield Grade School student. We sang “Grandfather’s Clock,” “Columbia the Gem of the Ocean” and “Over There” in school. The first World War II song I remember was “There’s a Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere.”
When I was in the sixth grade, there was a 1945 hit called “Rum and Coca-Cola,” and it, like all the records, was on 78 rpms. When I was in the eighth grade, there was a funny song called “Civilization,” with words like, “Bingo, bango, bongo, I don’t wanna leave the Congo, oh no, no, no, no.” I had started to notice girls by that time and I remember KRLC radio playing it on a request program and girls from my class had called in; the host would say something like, “This next song is for Dick, Bud and Digger from Mary, Rosie and Shirley at Alice Rae’s house.” “Slow Boat to China” was also popular then and I remember some of the words like “I’d love to get you on a slow boat to China, all to myself alone.”
In 1948, I remember playing baseball in Yakima and hearing Margaret Whiting singing, “Tree in the Meadow,” and I liked it then and still do. One of my favorite songs of 1947 was “Linda,” with words like, “When I go to sleep, I never count sheep, I count all the charms about Linda.” A popular instrumental tune then was, “Sabre Dance,” and my friend Digger played it on the piano at a party at Shirley’s house.
A couple of songs from my last two years of high school were “Goodnight Irene” and “Tennessee Waltz.” Those songs are ballads that tell stories like, “Last Saturday night I got married. Me and my wife settled down. Now me and my wife are parting. Gonna take another stroll downtown. Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene. I’ll see you in my dreams.” The words go on to say that the man contemplates suicide as told in these words, “Sometimes I take a great notion to jump in the river and drown.” His wife has left him for another man and for him to succeed in marriage he must “stop rambling, stop gambling and stop staying out late at night.”
“Tennessee Waltz” is also about a man losing his wife to a friend. My girlfriend and classmates used to play it on the jukebox at Tony’s Diner in the 300 block of Main Street. Tony’s Diner is long gone but “Tennessee Waltz” and all of the other songs are still available to us. My great-grandchildren will be able hear our 1940s and 50s songs just as we heard them when they were new.
The Homecoming Parade was and is a big, fun event at the University of Idaho, and all of us living groups spend many hours making our floats for the parade. We Phi Delts thought we had a winner, but a rival fraternity won with a big cake that said, “We knew you were coming so we baked you a cake.” They had the popular song “If I knew you were comin’, I’d have baked a cake.” playing. Other 1952 songs I remember include “Wheel of Fortune,” by Kay Starr; “Cry,” by Johnnie Ray; “You Belong to Me,” by Jo Stafford and “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” by Hank Williams. I remember those songs playing on the front lawn of my fraternity house as we watched the girls walk by.
I remember hearing “You Belong to Me” on my car radio and in a tavern or two (or three). The words were something like this, “See the Pyramids along the Nile, see the sunset on a tropic isle, but remember darling you belong to me.” Remembering a lady in a downtown tavern sing “Wheel of Fortune” brings a big smile, even laughter. A few of us college guys were sipping suds in a downtown bar when suddenly we heard a nice voice singing “Wheel of Fortune.” It was a lady dressed up and walking around the bar singing the “Wheel” song. We asked if she wanted money for her singing, and she said no — she was just happy because she had gotten married that day. Her new husband was with her and we bought them a drink.
Johnny Ray put on a concert at the University of Idaho when I was a student there, and when he sang “Cry,” he ended up on the floor acting like he was crying. I was at ROTC Army summer camp in 1954. and I remember the song “Sh-boom” as I rode to Seattle with my friend Joe McDonald hearing the words, “Sh-boom bi-o, sh-boom do doody do,” etc.
A new, young singer named Elvis Presley had three top 1956 songs, “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Hound Dog,” but I best recall “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White” and “Green Door.” I was in the U.S. Army in South Korea all of 1956, and I remember hearing very good Japanese bands and singers playing those songs in Tokyo. I also heard them in Korea on the radio station AFKN (Armed Forces Korean Network). “Green Door” made us think of our BOQ living quarters because it had a green door.
A final song I want to tell you about was 1960s “Theme from a Summer Place.” I remember it so well because I met my beloved Barbara that year and we got married Aug. 19. I remember hearing it with Barbara those many years ago.
Riggs, 90, is a lifelong Lewistonian. He’s an avid Warriors fan, a retired educator, coach and school superintendent and volunteers his time at the Nez Perce County Historical Society. He can be reached at bdriggo@gmail.com.
