The thirty-second song: White Christmas - Bing Crosby
This is, of course, a famous song. I feel all later renditions are a bit faster, but the sentimentality really works with this version. It sets up Christmas as a more formal experience than we hear in more contemporary songs, but it suits the mood of the year and gets you in a slightly different version of that mood. Overdone, at times, perhaps, but this feels like a more of a classic Christmas song than most of the ones that followed.
The thirty-third song: Good Rockin' Tonight - Roy Brown
And back to the jazz from before. Rock hasn't quite hit yet, but the sound is there in the trumpets and this originally being performed before a boogie woogie pianist makes sense. We certainly are getting towards more danceable, swinging music and this really feels like a step for contemporary music evolution.
The thirty-fourth song: Nature Boy - The Nat King Cole Trio
This is a fairy tale, a story told in song. Lovely vocals, it's the instruments that draw you in and take you on a journey. Different from Route 66, this feels slower and sweeter. Really an enchanting song and, almost, experience.
The thirty-fifth song: Saturday Night Fish Fry - Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
That title sounds bizarre, doesn't it? Another New Orleans swinging song leading up to rock, you wouldn't expect this type of music when the lyrics are about a police raid on a party. A lot of it is about people having a good time at a party that probably would have this style of music (and indeed that's part of the lyrics - them playing at it), but the music slowly switches to it.
The thirty-sixth song: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Hank Williams
It's odd, isn't it? Black music of the era was swinging and upbeat, while white music is melancholic, sad and sentimental. It seems to have been autobiographical, a sad feeling considering Hank Williams was in his twenties at the time. This is pure country - probably the first song like it that we've heard.
The thirty-seventh song: Autumn Leaves - Jo Stafford
Apparently a jazz standard, this version isn't even a notable recording according to Wikipedia, but it works really well here. A sad love song, you can see how this would ahve been a hit with servicemen, reminding them of their girl at home. The emotions are simple and naked, a feeling of longing being clear in the song.
The thirty-eighth song: Summertime - Sarah Vaughn
Here's another song that feels at odds with itself. It sounds like it should be an upbeat, happy song, but with Sarah Vaughn's song, it becomes sadder, almost threatening. It's good, very impressive, but sounds different than it feels it should. Perhaps that's my influence from later renditions of the song, or other songs that used part of its lyrics. Wonderfully well performed though, that's good about it.
The thirty-ninth song: Goodnight, Irene - The Weavers
Listening to this song, the original themes - suicide because the singer misses Irene, possibly as a threat - shine through in the music and implicit references. Here they obviously become more tame, making it seeter and more appropriately folksy.
The fourtieth song: Mambo No. 5 - Perez Prado
It's mostly instrumental (other than some grunts and heys). This is odd in part because we're used to Lou Bega's rework, which adds full lyrics, but the wordless version works well here. There's some anticipation in what's going to come, but mostly it just swings along. This is clearly the better version.
The fourty-first song: Rocket 88 - Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats
Listed here as possibly the first rock 'n' roll record, this instruments in the song - less focus on horns, more on guitars - certainly lean towards it. An ode to a car, that matters little, as you can just enjoying following along to the song.
The fourty-second song: Cry - Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads
Another crooner appears. Apparently fans were in tears at concerts, listening to this. It doesn't work as well for me - yeah, it sounds sad, but it somehow doesn't get through to me as much as it apparently should. A bit unfortunate, as it feels like there's more to it than that in here.
The fourty-third song: How High the Moon - Les Paul and Mary Ford
Apparently the inventor of several musical techniques, aswell as being known for his guitars, Les Paul's guitar play on this song is as important as the vocals from Mary Ford. They work well together, the vocals almost adding a nice backdrop and some variation to the faster guitar play. It's pretty simple, but fun and upbeat enough.
The fourthy-fourth song: London Is the Place for Me - Lord Kitchener
A happy song that doesn't entirely feel like it's describing London, there's a lot of happiness and good feeling in the calypso-based music that feels like a great celebration (although certainly more orchestrated than the earlier calypso songs we had). Great fun as a song.