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"The Sidewalks of New York" is a popular song about life in New York City during the 1890s. It was created by lyricist James W. Blake (23 September 1862 – 24 May 1935) and vaudeville actor and composer Charles B. Lawlor in 1894. The song proved successful afterwards, and is often considered a theme for New York City. Many artists, including Mel Tormé, Duke Ellington, Larry Groce and The Grateful Dead, have performed this song. Governor Al Smith of New York used it as a theme song for his failed presidential campaign in 1928.〔 The song is also known under the title "East Side, West Side" from the first words of the chorus. \new Score >> } } == History == The tune, a slow and deliberate waltz, was devised by Lawlor, who had been humming the tune while stopping by the hat store where Blake worked. As the two became increasingly enthusiastic about the song, they agreed to collaborate, with Lawlor putting the tune to sheet music and Blake creating the lyrics. The words of the song tell the story of Blake's childhood, including the friends with whom he played as a child, namely Johnny Casey, Jimmy Crowe, Nellie Shannon (who danced the waltz), and Mamie O'Rourke (who taught Blake how to "trip the light fantastic" — an extravagant expression for dancing). The song is sung in nostalgic retrospect, as Blake and his childhood friends went their separate ways, some leading to success while others did not ("some are up in 'G' / others they are on the hog"). Governor Al Smith of New York is credited for the legacy of the song having used it as a theme for his 1928 presidential campaign.〔 The urban-centric tune proved symbolic of a campaign that failed to find its footing in America's more rural areas, where Herbert Hoover was more popular.〔(Trip the Light Fantastic on the Sidewalks of New York ), events-in-music.com〕 The song was used as the parade to the post song for the Belmont Stakes horse race, the third jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown until 1996. Then, the management of the Belmont, trying to appeal to a younger demographic, decided to alter tradition and changed the post parade song to "New York, New York". As a result, there is speculation that a jinx has fallen over any horse attempting to win the Triple Crown of after having won the first two legs, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. Four horses between 1979 to 1996 had already failed to win the Triple Crown after winning the first two races. , another eight horses have failed since the song was changed, seven as competitors, and one horse, I'll Have Another, who was scratched the morning of the race due to lameness. It is said that the ghost of Mamie O'Rourke will never let another Triple Crown winner emerge unless and until "The Sidewalks of New York" is reinstated as the post parade song for The Belmont Stakes. The curse finally ended when American Pharoah won the Triple Crown with his wire-to-wire win at the Belmont Stakes on June 6, 2015. Max Fleischer and his brother Dave Fleischer made a cartoon ''The Sidewalks of New York'' with the song in 1925, using the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process. The Fleischers re-released the song on 5 February 1929 with a new soundtrack in the RCA Photophone system. Both cartoons used the "follow the bouncing ball" gimmick.〔("The Sidewalks of New York" (1925) at IMDB )〕 〔("The Sidewalks of New York" (1929) at IMDB )〕 Although the song achieved cultural success shortly after its release, the two authors earned only $5,000 for their efforts.〔 Lawlor died penniless in 1925, while Blake fell ill and died in 1935, their song reputedly having sold 5,000 copies a year by the time of Blake's passing.〔 After the deaths of Blake and Lawlor, "Sidewalks of New York" achieved fame as a standard among jazz artists, namely Mel Tormé and Duke Ellington, and recorded by musicians of various backgrounds. The song appeared in a 1954 medley (along with two other 1890s songs, "Daisy Bell" and "The Bowery") in a version by Don Cornell, Alan Dale, and Buddy Greco. It is also a standard among barbershop quartets. The durability of the song was demonstrated once again in 2011, on the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when recording artist Richard Barone and collaborator Matthew Billy re-wrote the lyrics to reflect the fallen towers and honor the victims of the attack. While celebrating the perseverance of the city itself, the revised song was released as a single (''The Sidewalks of New York 2011''), receiving strong airplay and favorable reviews 〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Sidewalks of New York」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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