*** Songs My Father Played for Me *** More of My Father's Favorites

1. "Don't Fence Me In" is a popular American song written in 1934, with music by Cole Porter and lyrics by Robert Fletcher and Cole Porter. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. "Don't fence me in" is a phrase expressing a desire for freedom and a rejection of limits or restrictions. It conveys a yearning for adventure, independence, and the ability to explore without physical or metaphorical barriers. The expression became widely recognized through the Cole Porter song of the same name, which has been interpreted in various contexts to symbolize personal and professional autonomy. My father played this song quite often, I know the words by heart. Have you heard this song before?

2. The song "My Dreams Are Getting Better All The Time" (1944) was composed by Vic Mizzy with lyrics by Manny Curtis. The song was introduced in the 1944 film "In Society" by singer Marion Hutton. My father told me this song reminded him of meeting my mother. He worked as a Bank Teller in a small town in the South Okanagan, Keremeos,. My mother had a summer job working at the fruit cannery. She would come in the bank to cash her pay cheques. My mother didn't notice him until she saw him playing piano in the band "The Jive Five" at the local Dances, Have you heard this song before?

3. "Shine On, Harvest Moon" was written by Nora Bayes (music) and Jack Norworth (lyrics), a married vaudeville duo. They debuted the song in the 1908 Ziegfeld Follies. However, there is some debate, with some sources crediting other writers, such as Edward Madden and Gus Edwards, while others suggest Dave Stamper as the composer. The song was debuted by Bayes and Norworth in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1908 to great acclaim. It became a pop standard, and continues to be performed and recorded in the 21st century. My father would sing this song and I would ask him what a Harvest Moon was. In the Fall, he would point to the golden moon, and say "there is the Harvest Moon!" Did you see the Harvest Moon this Fall?