Night and Day

Steyn On-Line ^ | February 19, 2023 | Mark Steyn

[Twotone]

Question: What's the connection between the Muslim call to prayer and Fred Astaire?

Answer:

Night and Day You are the one Only you beneath the moon and under the sun...

Well, that's the way Cole Porter told it, some of the time: His biggest hit was supposedly inspired by hearing the muezzin summon the faithful in Morocco during one of Cole's Mediterranean wanderings. If so, it must rank as Islam's greatest contribution to American popular music (along with "What Is This Thing Called Love?"). Morocco-wise, it seems more attuned to the country's nocturnal near namesake in Manhattan: "The crowds at El Morocco punish the parquet," as Porter wrote on another occasion. Not the Middle East, not the middle west, not the middle anything, but the heights - the height of a particular kind of New York sophistication and elegance: parquet, cocktails, the rustle of gowns... History does not record whether any Moroccan imams were present eighty-two-and-a-third years back to return the favor and hear Broadway summon the faithful to Fred Astaire. But it was on November 29th 1932 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre that "Night And Day" was formally unveiled to the world. Within weeks it had hit Number One, and remained America's bestselling record well into 1933, ninety years ago, all the way to the end of February.

Wow! Imagine being present that evening and getting in on the ground floor not just of any old hit song but of one of the ten most popular songs of the 20th century! So what did the crowd make of it that first night? As Astaire recalled it, they were a little distracted:

The swells were really out that night, very elegant, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, nothing but white ties, chinchillas, jewels... They were very obnoxious!..

[JennysCool]

Great piece by Steyn, as usual. Thanks for the post!

[higgmeister]

I’m marking this for later.