Last Updated on September 16, 2022
Why was Yip Harburg relieved when the stock market crashed? The crash made him richer than ever, and he did not have to pretend to work. He was a songwriter and found that business was not his cup of tea. The crash helped him get out of business, and he began to write songs about the hard times. He was grateful that the crash came just when he needed it most.
Jay Gorney
The legendary lyricist Yip Harburg was a human rights activist and a fan of FDR. He viewed the Yellow Brick Road characters as avatars of the late president’s best intentions. Roosevelt called for freedom from want, time for learning and the arts, and he saw these values as embodied in the characters. But what was his personal connection to the Yellow Brick Road? In fact, he wrote lyrics about himself and others, including himself.
Harburg collaborated with 31 composers between 1929 and 1934. His collaborations were often:
Edgar Yipsel Harburg
Yip Harburg was a famous lyricist and social commentator. He favored liberal ideas such as racial and gender equality. He also embraced trade unionism. His musicals tended to be very political in nature. For example, “Finian’s Rainbow” was a social commentary on race and gender, and the title song is a parody of a childhood lullaby in Russia.
Yip Harburg was born in New York on April 8, 1896. His parents were Orthodox Jewish immigrants who moved to the United States in the early 1900s. He grew up on the Lower East Side and was nicknamed “Yipsel.” As a child, he was extremely active and was attracted to the stage. He wrote several hit songs, including “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Gold Rush.”
Harold Arlen
Yip Harburg felt relieved when the stock market crashed because it allowed him to write maudlin songs instead of trying to work. He was already rich and did not need to pretend to want a job. His relief was based on the fact that he suddenly had to use his creativity and delve into a new, exciting world. This is why many people feel relieved when the stock market crashes.
In the early 1920s, Harburg helped support his poor parents through his writing. He then landed a job with a meat company in Uruguay and made a quarter-million dollars. He also got married and started contributing a light verse to newspapers. However, he lost his fortune in the stock market crash of 1929. While his career took a downturn, his wife was a whiz with words.
Lydia the Tattooed Lady
Harold Arlen wrote the famous song “Lydia the Tattooed Lady,” which was performed by Groucho Marx in the Marx Brothers movie “At the Circus” in 1925. It became a classic tune and became a signature song for Groucho. The lyrics made references to Grover Whalen and the stock market, as well as the opera composers Gilbert and Sullivan.
Brother Can You Spare a Dime
“Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” is a song about the great depression in 1929. It asks the question, “Why are the men who worked so hard to build this country suddenly abandoned when the work is done?” These men had fought in World War I, plowed the earth, and did what was required of them. Now, they are facing breadlines and financial collapse.
In a satirical way, Harburg’s writings were a reflection of her political and social views. Her 1951 book musical “Finian’s Rainbow” mocked the financial practices of America and criticized reactionary politicians. In her book, she satirized racism, mistreatment of working class Americans, and racist attitudes. She continued to write about political and social issues.
About The Author
Pat Rowse is a thinker. He loves delving into Twitter to find the latest scholarly debates and then analyzing them from every possible perspective. He's an introvert who really enjoys spending time alone reading about history and influential people. Pat also has a deep love of the internet and all things digital; she considers himself an amateur internet maven. When he's not buried in a book or online, he can be found hardcore analyzing anything and everything that comes his way.