You Look Nice Today

In our most recent episode, The Tux Age, Merlin sings a few bars of “Since You’ve Been Goin’ Goin’ Gone (to Indiana),” a 1921 Perlstein/Barreford gem. Today the average cretinous 15 year-old would recognize that same tune as Kelly Clarkson’s most famous hit single.

Fact: because there are only 12 tones in Western music, there are only 47 possible songs. Every pop song written today, from the melody to the rhythm to the lyrics, is merely a note-for-note cover version of one of those 47 original tunes written between 1919 and 1922.

What’s more, the original recordings of all of those songs are kept in the 3rd sub-basement of the Brill Building in New York City.

And Adam knows the night watchman.

So, in the comments to this post, suggest a well-known pop song whose original version you would love to hear. We’ll pick one of your suggestions and try to dig up that recording for you.