The latest Jaywalking podcast, I begin with a song: “Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?” Music by Revel (not to be confused with Ravel), lyrics by Gordon. It was a hit of 1933. And it has a connection to WFB, NR, and the conservative movement.
In 1970, WFB edited an anthology of essays and gave the volume that very title: “Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?” The subtitle was “American Conservative Thought in the Twentieth Century.” If you would like to see how it “holds up,” go here.
If you’d like to hear the song, sung by Gene Austin, go here. And if you’d like to hear that Jaywalking, go here.
WFB is known for his love of Baroque music, and Bach above all. But, man, did he love the American Songbook — cherished it, as so many of us do.
P.S. While we’re talking of music, here is my latest post at The New Criterion. It’s mainly about Yefim Bronfman, the Russian-born pianist, and Bartók’s Concerto No. 2 — a finger-bender, and a masterpiece.