The music of the 1930’s isn’t one of my favourite periods, it is the most alien to me. The changes of attitudes after the 1940’s is amazing. From what I have read it was a very hard time to live especially after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 the ensuing Great Depression that had a traumatic effect worldwide creating the opportunity for authoritarian regimes to emerged to take the world into the 2nd war. If that wasn’t bad enough it was a period of severe dust storms that caused major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands this triggered a mass migration, food shortages, multiple deaths and illness from sand inhalation, and a severe reduction in the going wage rate.

We are at this time looking at similar things happening today, as people are migrating to our country, our jobs are even being outsourced to other countries, our wages suppressed while the cost of living is rising.

Below is a very short list of songs that I think it is worth listening to from this period

  • Moonglow – Claude Bolling
    This song I heard while I was watching the chick flick “The Holiday” which stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black & Eli Wallach. It was great and sad to see Eli in this movie as I fondly remember him from watching “The Good Bad & The Ugly” and “Tough Guys“
  • Boum – Charles Trénet
    I have heard this song featured in many adverts and it has been use in the movie “A Good Year”  which starred Russell Crow.  I enjoyed the movie, but  I loved the  book by Peter Mayle and would recommend it. The song was also used in the James Bond movie “Skyfall“.
  • Crossroad Blues – Robert Johnson
    This song I came to love from  watching the movie Crossroads which starred Ralph Macchio

The following songs are just classic songs from the time.

  • Over the Rainbow – Judy Garland from “The Wizard of Oz”
  • In the Mood – Glenn Miller
  • Moonlight Serenade – Glenn Miller
  • They Can’t Take That Away from Me – Fred Astaire and was song in the movie The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)
  • Cheek to Cheek -Fred Astaire it was featured in Top Hat (1935)

The 30s ended in war and the next decade would introduce may recording artist that would make a huge impact on the music world.