As I mentioned in one of my first posts, Songbird is a musical in words. I love the big band music of the 1940's era! Here is another one of my favorites from the book. It is Kay Kyser’s “Who Wouldn’t Love You.” The song was a huge hit in 1942!
"The vigorous melody of the harmonizing big band instruments hushed the pre-show chatter and filled Lloyd’s Crystal Ballroom and Banquet Hall. Ava sat beside Ernie with her hands folded in her lap, her legs crossed underneath her pleated yellow skirt, and her red lips upturned into an expectant smile. Even though the music was coming from the many instruments on the stage, it seemed to have absorbed into her skin and to be pounding out its rhythm on her heart. A young lady moving across the front of the room caught her attention. The girl met a man in the center of the stage and turned toward the audience just as he began to sing. She was tall and poised and wore a white dress that seemed to float about her figure. Her silky, brown hair was parted in the middle and curled away from her face and down to her shoulders, and her dark-brown eyes seemed to mirror her suppressed smile as they peered down at the audience. She dangled her hands, which were covered in long, white gloves, unclasped and assuredly by her side, and Ava marveled at her composure. The older, tuxedoed man finished his solo, and her white-gloved hands reached for the microphone standing in front of them.
“Who wouldn’t love? Who wouldn’t care?” her clear voice began to sing, and Ava was mesmerized by its fluidness and the unassuming way she accented each word and traveled over each note. “Who wouldn’t buy the west side of heaven if you just winked your eye?”
Songbird, Chapter 13
For more on this song, Kay Kyser, and the music of The War Song Series, check out the "Follow The Music Page."