1.   Cecil Mack  -  Charleston

Charleston is a 1923 song by James P. Johnson, with lyrics by Cecil Mack. It was written to accompany the Charleston dance in the Broadway show 'Running Wild.' It is most commonly performed as an instrumental work and has featured in a number of film that evoke the 20s, such as 'Roxie Hart' (1942), 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946) and Woody Allen's 'Midnight in Paris' (2011).

CHORUS LYRICS:
Charleston! Charleston! Made in Carolina!
Some dance, some prance, I'll say there's nothing finer than the
Charleston, Charleston, gee how you can shuffle;
Ev'ry step you do, leads to something new.
Man I'm telling you, it's a lapazoo!

Charleston

2.   Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)

'Day-o' is a work song that likely originated in the Jamaican dock area, where work was carried out at night to avoid the heat. Its form, call and response, is African in origin. The song was popularised in 1956 by Harry Belafonte in 1956. It has been covered by many artists since and has been particularly popular in advertising, having been used to promote brands of bubble gum, breakfast cereal and even cars.

LYRICS:
Day-O, Day-O, Daylight come and I wanna go home
Day-O, Day-O, Daylight come and I wanna go home

Come, Mister Tally Man, tally me banana
Daylight come and I wanna go home
Come, Mister Tally Man, tally me banana
Daylight come and I wanna go home

Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)

3.   Elvis Presley  -  Are You Lonesome

Though this song is most associated with Elvis Presley, who recorded it in April 1960, it was written in 1926 by Roy Turk and Lou Handman. The song is known for its spoken bridge, including the words from Shakespeare's 'As You Like It': 'You know someone said that the world's a stage. And each must play a part.' It was well-known before Presley performed it, though his association with it turned it into an all time classic, going double platinum in 1992.

CHORUS LYRICS:
Are you lonesome tonight
Do you miss me tonight
Are you sorry
We drifted apart
Does your memory stray
To a bright summer day
When I kissed you
And called you sweetheart
Do the chairs in your parlour
Seem empty and bare
Do you gaze at your doorstep
And picture me there
Is your heart filled with pain
Shall I come back again
Tell me dear
Are you lonesome tonight

Are You Lonesome

4.   Jones  -  It Had To Be You

'It Had to Be You,' published in 1926, was written by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn. It quickly became a number one single and the fourth best selling single of the year.

CHORUS LYRICS:
It had to be you
It had to be you
I wandered around, and finally found
The somebody who
Could make me be true
Could make me be blue
And even be glad
Just to be sad - thinking of you

It Had To Be You

5.   Irving Berlin  -  What'll I Do?

Irving Berlin's 'What'll I do', written in 1923, was likely written in response to his fiancée, Ellin Mackay being set away to Europe by her father in the hope that she would forget Berlin. It has been covered by many artists, including Frank Sinatra, Cher and Bob Dylan.

CHORUS LYRICS:
What'll I do when you are far away
And I am blue, what'll I do?
What'll I do when I am wondering who
Is kissing you, what'll I do?
What'll I do with just a photograph
To tell my troubles to?
When I'm alone with only dreams of you
That won't come true
What'll I do?

What'll I Do?

6.   Lovie Austin  -  Down hearted Blues

Lovie Austin composed his 'Down Hearted Blues' to lyrics by singer Alberta Hunter, who also sang the first performances. A subsequent recording by Bessie Smith sold 780,000 copies in just six months, the song eventually being included in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2002 as being a work that is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

LYRICS:
Gee, but it's hard to love someone
When that someone don't love you
I'm so disgusted, heartbroken, too
I've got those down-hearted blues

Down hearted Blues

7.   Jerome Kern  -  Ol' Man River

'Ol' Man River' was written by Jerome Kern, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein for the musical 'Show Boat', premiered in 1927. The song, unusual in this genre for featuring the bass voice, became especially associated with the singer Paul Robeson, who recorded it for the first time in 1928.

CHORUS LYRICS:
Ol' man river,
Dat ol' man river
He mus'know sumpin'
But don't say nuthin',
He jes'keeps rollin'
He keeps on rollin' along.

Ol' Man River

8.   Walter Donaldson  -  Yes Sir, That's My Baby

Walter Donaldson's 'Yes Sir, That's My Baby,' with lyrics by Gus Kahn, is a classic song from 1925. It may have been inspired by a child's toy, the composer translating the sounds made by a friend's daughter's mechanical pig into music. There were a number of successful recordings of it made in 1925, with the song being widely covered through the century and beyond.

CHORUS LYRICS:
Yes, Sir, That's my Baby, No, Sir, Don't mean "Maybe"
Yes, Sir, That's my Baby now.
Yes ma'am, we've decided, No ma'am, we won't hide it,
Yes, ma'am, you're invited now.
By the way, By the way,
When we reach the preacher I'll say,
Yes Sir, That's my Baby, No, Sir, don't mean "maybe",
Yes Sir, That's my Baby now.

Yes Sir, That's My Baby

9.   Louis Silvers  -  April Showers

'April Showers' was written by Louis Silvers with music by B.G. De Sylva for the 1921 musical 'Bombo'. It became particularly associated with Al Jolson, though has been covered by many other artists. It has also featured in a number of movies, including 'A Plantation Act' (1926), 'April Showers' (1948) and 'Wet Hare' (1962). It was also famously used in a comedy routine by British comedians Morecambe and Wise.

CHORUS LYRICS:
Though April showers may come your way,
They bring the flowers that bloom in May
So if it's raining, have no regrets
Because it isn't raining rain you know,
(It's raining violets,)
And where you see clouds up on the hills,
You soon will see crowds of daffodils,
So keep on looking for a blue bird
And list'ning for his song,
Whenever April showers come along.
Though April long.

April Showers

10.   Benny Davis  -  Baby Face

'Baby Face', written in Tin Pan Alley by Harry Ask and Benny Davis, is a popular 1926 jazz song. A number one hit in the year it was written it has been subsequently covered by artists including Little Richard, Paul McCartney, Guy Lombardo and Julie Andrews. It also featured on The Muppets second album, performed by Muppet Chickens.

CHORUS LYRICS:
Baby face, you've got the cutest little baby face
There's not another one could take your place, Baby face
My poor heart is jumpin', you sure have started somethin'
Baby face, I'm up in heaven when I'm in your fond embrace
I didn't need a shove, 'cause I just fell in love
With your pretty baby face

Baby Face

11.   Richard A. Whitin.. -  Ain't We Got Fun

'Ain't We Got Fun' is a 1921 song written by Richard A. Whiting with lyrics by Raymond B. Egan and Gus Kahn. A musical icon of the Roaring 20s it was referred to widely in literature of the time, including in 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Big Blonde.' The black humour of the lyrics have been seen by some, including George Orwell, as a social commentary on poverty.

CHORUS LYRICS:
Ev'ry morning, ev'ry evening ain't we got fun?
Not much money, oh, but honey, ain't we got fun?
The rent's unpaid dear, we haven't a bus
But smiles were made dear for people like us

Ain't We Got Fun

12.   Eddie Green  -  A Good Man is Hard to Find

LYRICS:
My heart's sad and I am all forlorn
My man's treatin' me mean
I regret the day that I was born
And that man of mine I'd ever seen
My happiness, it never lasts a day
My heart is almost breaking while I say

A good man is hard to find, you always get the other kind
Just when you think that he is your pal
You look for him and find him fooling round some other gal
Then you rave, you even crave to see him layin' in his grave
So, if your hubby's nice, take my advice
And hug him in the mornin', kiss him ev'ry night
Give him plenty lovin', treat him right
For a good man nowadays is hard to find

Yesterday, my heart from care was free
I sang all through the day
Now the blues have overtaken me
Since my lovin' man has gone away
I tried my best to treat him nice and kind
But now these words are running thro' my mind

A Good Man is Hard to Find