Before he started collaborating with Richard Rodgers on some of the most beloved musicals in Broadway history, Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) had helped create some three dozen Broadway productions over a quarter of a century, most often writing both the lyrics and the libretto. Of course, he began with an in:  His uncle Arthur Hammerstein produced the musical, “Furs and Frills,” for which the young Hammerstein, at age 22 in 1917, wrote his first Broadway lyrics — for a song composed by Silvio Hein entitled “Make Yourselves at Home.” Arthur wasn’t his only relative in the business.  His father William Hammerstein was a theater manager; his grandfather, Oscar Hammerstein I, an impresario who helped create the theater district we know today.  But if family connections helped to make Oscar Hammerstein II feel at home on Broadway from the get-go, he soon transformed the place.

“Hammerstein, first with Kern then with Rodgers, revolutionized musical theater,” his protege Stephen Sondheim wrote in the introduction to the reissue of Hammerstein’s collection of his favorite lyrics. He accomplished  this, Sondheim says, “by combining the traditions of musical comedy with operetta while nudging story, character and lyrics towards the kind of naturalism that had overtaken the nonmusical stage since World War I.”

Still, there is some satisfactions in sifting through his individual songs — he reportedly wrote more the lyrics for more than a thousand of them —  and realizing how many vocal artists and musicians of many stripes and many generations have interpreted them — and so so still, 60 years after his death.

Check out the rest of the Broadway Alphabet series

The New Moon, 1928

With composer Sigmund Romberg.
Hammerstein worked on four Romberg shows.

From this one comes  “Lover, Come Back To Me,” sung by Barbra Streisand, accompanied, conveniently, by a scroll of Hammerstein’s lyrics.

Show Boat, 1927

Music by Jerome Kern, with whom Hammerstein collaborated on some half dozen musicals.

Paul Robeson sings “Ol Man River” in the 1936 movie of the musical.
Hammerstein’s original lyrics were problematic in the way he referred to African-Americans. In the movie version, it’s been changed to “darkies,” which to modern ears isn’t much better than the original epithet.

I’ll quote here just the first few verses:

Dere’s an old man called the Mississippi,
Dat’s the old man dat I’d like to be,
What does he care if the world’s got troubles,
What does he care if da land ain’t free?

Old Man River,
Dat Old Man River,
He mus’ know somepin’,
But don’t say nothin’
He just keeps rollin’
He keeps on rollin’ along.

He don’t plant taters,
He don’t plant cotton,
And dem dat plant ’em,
Is soon forgotten,
But old man river,
He jus’ keeps rollin’ along.

You an’ me,
We sweat an’ strain,
Body all achin’,
An’ wracked with pain,
Tote dat barge,
Lift dat bale,
Get a little drunk,
And ya lands in jail.

I gets weary,
An’ sick of tryin’,
I’m tired of livin’,
And scared of dyin’,
But old man river,
He jus’ keeps rollin’ along.

After 1938, Robeson changed the lyrics to the son in his concerts, not just omitting the denigrating references but cleaning up the dialect and changing the character of the singer from resigned to empowered. Instead of ” Git a little drunk, / An’ you land in jail…”, Robeson sang ” You show a little grit / And you lands in jail..”
He changed “I gits weary / An’ sick of tryin’; / I’m tired of livin’ / An scared of dyin’,” to “But I keeps laughin’/ Instead of cryin’ / I must keep fightin’; / Until I’m dyin'”

Billie Holiday sings Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man in 1937, with Teddy Wilson on the piano.

Fish got to swim and birds got to fly
I’ve got to love one man till I die
Can’t help lovin’ that man of mine

Tell me he’s lazy tell me he’s slow
Tell me I’m crazy maybe I know
Can’t help lovin’ that man of mine

When he goes away
That’s a rainy day
And when he comes back that day is fine
The sun will shine

He can come home as late as can be
Home without him ain’t no home to me
Can’t help lovin’t dat man of mine

Sweet Adeline, 1929

Music by Jerome Kern

Helen Morgan sang “Why Was I Born” in the original production
Here’s Irene Dunne singing it five years later

Why was I born?
Why am I livin’?
What do I get?
What am I givin’?
Why do I want a thing I daren’t hope for?
What can I hope for?
I wish I knew.
Why do I try to draw you near me?
Why do I cry?
You never hear me
I’m a poor fool,
but what can I do?
Why was I born to love you?

Music in the Air, 1933

Music by Jerome Kern

Ten years later, Frank Sinatra sang “The Song Is You” which has been covered by singers as diverse as Mario Lanza and Mary Wilson

I hear music when I look at you,
A beautiful theme of every Dream I ever knew.
Down deep in my heart
I hear it play.
I feel it start,
then melt away.
I hear music when I touch your hand,
A beautiful melody from some enchanted land.
Down deep in my heart,
I hear it say,
Is this the day?
I alone have heard this lovely strain,
I alone have heard this glad refrain:
Must it be forever inside of me,
Why can’t I let it go,
Why can’t I let you know,
Why can’t I let you know the song My heart would sing?
That beautiful rhapsody Of love and youth and spring, The music is sweet,
The words are true
The song is you.

Very Warm for May, 1939

Music by Jerome Kern

Ella Fitzgerald sings “All The Things You Are” (accompanied by lyrics!)

Carmen Jones, 1943

Music by Georges Bizet. Hammerstein basically supplied a new setting and new lyrics to the opera Carmen

Dorothy Dandridge sings ‘Dat’s Love’ (set to the song “Habanera) in

Oklahoma, 1943

Hammerstein’s first collaboration with Richard Rodgers, and the musical still most credited with creating the modern Broadway musical.

Barbara Cook sings Many a New Day

Kristin Chenoweth sings “I Can’t Say No”

Bette Midler sings Oklahoma!

State Fair, 1945 film

This is the only Rodgers and Hammerstein musical written directly for film. It was brought to a Broadway stage in 1996.

Jeanne Crain sings “It Might As Well Be Spring” from the movie.(Actually her singing voice was dubbed by Louanne Hogan.) Song begins at around 2:00

I prefer Rosemary Clooney with Harry James on horn

I’m as restless as a willow in a windstorm
I’m as jumpy as a puppet on a string
I’d say that I had Spring fever
But I know it isn’t Spring

I am starry-eyed and vaguely discontented
Like a nightingale without a song to sing
Oh, why should I have Spring fever
When it isn’t even Spring?

I keep wishing I were somewhere else
Walking down a strange new street
Hearing words that I have never heard
From a girl I’ve yet to meet

I’m as busy as a spider spinning daydreams
I’m as giddy as a baby on a swing
I haven’t seen a crocus or a rosebud or a robin on the wing
But I feel so gay in a melancholy way
That it might as well be Spring

It might as well be Spring

Carousel, 1945

Joshua Henry and Jessie Mueller perform ‘If I Loved You’

Allegro, 1947

Part of a London production of the musical in 2016 at Southwark Playhouse, Katie Bernstein sings “The Gentleman is a Dope.”

The gentleman is a dope, a man of many faults
A clumsy Joe who wouldn’t know a Rumba from a Waltz
The gentleman is a dope and not my cup of tea
Why do I get in a dither? He doesn’t belong to me

The gentleman isn’t bright, he doesn’t know the score
A cake will come, he’ll take a crumb and never ask for more
The gentleman’s eyes are blue but little do they see
Why am I beating my brains out? He doesn’t belong to me

He’s somebody else’s problem, she’s welcome to the guy
She’ll never understand him half as well as I

The gentleman is a dope, he isn’t very smart
He’s just a lug you’d like to hug and hold against you heart
The gentleman is a dope doesn’t know how happy he could
Look at me crying my eyes out, as if he belonged to me
He’ll never belong to me

He’s somebody else’s problem, she’s welcome, welcome to the guy
She’ll never understand him half as well, well as I

The gentleman is a dope, he isn’t very smart
He’s just a lug you’d like to hug and hold against you heart
The gentleman is a dope doesn’t know how happy he could
Look at me crying my eyes out, as if he belonged to me
He’ll never belong to me

South Pacific, 1949

Mitzi Gaynor (actually) sings “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair”

Bing Crosby sings Younger than Springtime

Derek Klena’s “pop” version of Younger than Springtime. (Song starts at around 8:00)

You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught

In what amounts to a Public Service Announcement on Brotherhood Week, Oscar Hammerstein introduces the song, while Richard Rodgers plays the piano and while William Tabbert, who originated the role of the character Lt. Joseph Cable, sings

Here’s Mandy Patinkin’s interpretation

And Billy Porter

You’ve got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught
From year to year,
It’s got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff’rent shade,
You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You’ve got to be carefully taught

Alex Newell sings “Wonderful Guy”

The King and I, 1951

Kelli O’Hara sings “I Whistle A Happy Tune”

Whenever I feel afraid
I hold my head erect
And whistle a happy tune
So no one will suspect
I’m afraid.
While shivering in my shoes
I strike a careless pose
And whistle a happy tune
And no one ever knows
I’m afraid.
The result of this deception
Is very strange to tell
For when I fool the people
I fear I fool myself as well!
And ev’ry single time
The happiness in the tune
Convinces me that I’m not afraid.
Make believe you’re brave
And the trick will take you far.
You may be as brave
As you make believe you are
You may be as brave
As you make believe you are
LOUIS
While shivering in my shoes
I strike a careless pose
And whistle a happy tune
And no one ever knows,
I’m afraid.

Jelani Alladin and Matt Doyle sing “We Kiss In A Shadow” in 2019 (a gorgeous version that’s part of the unfortunately named R&H Goes Pop series)

Pipe Dream, 1955

Perry Como sings “All At Once You Start to Love Her”

You start to light her cigarette
And all at once you love her
You’ve scarcely talked
You’ve scarcely met
But all at once you love her

You like her eyes, you tell her so
She thinks you’re wise and clever
You kiss goodnight and then you know
You’ll kiss goodnight forever
You wonder where your heart can go
Then all at once you know
(All at once you know)

You like her eyes (‘like her eyes)
You tell her so (‘tell her so)
She thinks you’re wise and clever
(You’re wise an’ clever)
You kiss goodnight and then you know
You’ll kiss goodnight forever
You wonder where your heart can go
Then all at once you know

Flower Drum Song, 1958

Miyoshi Umeki sings the first song “A Hundred Million Miracles” in this long segment on the Ed Sullivan Show

This is followed by “You Are Beautiful”, “I Enjoy Being A Girl”, “Love Look Away”, and “Sunday”. sung by members of the cast Pat Suzuki, Ed Kenney, Juanita Hall, Arabella Hong, Larry Blyden, Patrick Adiarte.

The Sound of Music, 1959

My Favorite Things

Julie Andrews sings it in the movie

But it’s been embraced by singers the world over, especially jazz singers.

Sarah Vaughn

Bobby McFerrin

Tony Bennett

Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells
And schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver-white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad

The Sweetest Sight

In 1939, Oscar Hammerstein spotted an old couple on the beach, and was moved to write lyrics set to a melody Jerome Kern had written several years before. Here in 1981,
Isaac Stern plays the violin violin and then Mary Martin sings “The Sweetest Sight I Have Seen” Starts at around 3:00

I have seen a line of snow-white birds
Drawn across an evening sky.
I have seen divine, unspoken words
Shining in a lover’s eye.
I hae seen moonlight on a mountaintop,
Silver and cool and still.
I have heard church ells fairly echoing
Over a distant hill.
Close enough to beauty I have been.
And, in all the whole wide land,
Here’s the sweetest sight that I have seen —
One old couple walking hand in hand.