'September Song'
Wallow in the wistful lyrics to this 1938 hit by composer Kurt Weill and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Maxwell Anderson
But it's a long, long while from May to December And the days grow short when you reach September And the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame And I haven't got time for waiting game And the wine dwindles down to a precious brew September, November, And these few vintage years I'd share with you Those vintage years I'd share with you But it's a long, long while from May to December And the days grow short when you reach September And I have lost one tooth and I walk a little lame And I haven't got time for waiting game And the days turn to gold as they grow few September, November And these few golden days I'd spend with you These golden days I'd spend with you.
What we love about this…
‘September Song’ is not just a sumptuous piece of music (you might know it in Frank Sinatra’s rendition, or from the old movie September Affair, or sometimes sung a capella in close harmony)…it also has some intriguing literary origins and connections.
The song featured in the musical Knickerbocker Holiday (1938) by Weill and Anderson, which was based on American writer Washington Irving’s 'History of New York’ (1809) about the Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam in the 17th century. Weill and Anderson retained the parodic tone of Irving’s work, using it to skewer Roosevelt’s New Deal.
Anderson, now almost forgotten, was a highly successful American writer of the 20th century who wrote dozens of plays and screenplays, including many adaptations of work by other writers such as All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque and Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country.
‘September Song’s composer, Kurt Weill, also collaborated with many other lyricists, including most famously Bertolt Brecht. Weill’s ‘Mack the Knife’ is one of his best-known songs; it was written for Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera (1928). Weill and Anderson were in the midst of writing a musical based on Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn when Weill died.
You might enjoy some of our other newsletters featuring song lyrics, such as Tropical Thirst and The Leapling Song.
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