Saturday Rave: Summertime by DuBose Heyward.

How do you know if a song is going to be a classic?

Well, if people have made 25,000 recordings of it that's probably a bit of a clue.

Summertime is an aria (aria just means song, as opposed to a chanted section) from George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess. The lyricist, DuBose Heyward (Ira Gershwin is sometimes given a co-credit), also wrote Porgy, the novel on which the opera is based.

Summertime is a lullaby. The words are simple and smooth and happy. And that's just what a lullaby ought to be.

Summertime, and the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy's rich and your ma is good-lookin'
So hush little baby, Don't you cry

One of these mornings you're gonna rise up singing
And you'll spread your wings and you'll take to the sky
But 'til that morning, there ain't nothin' can harm you
With Daddy and Mammy standin' by.

Here's one of the 25,000 recordings of the song. It isn't the most technically accurate rendition of Gershwin's notes, but it might be the best one.

 

 

Word To Use Today: easy. This word comes from the Old French aise, ease or opportunity, from the Latin adjacēns, neighbouring area.