The Great American Songbook

Will singers still be singing Taylor Swift songs fifty to a hundred years from now? Time will tell. Time HAS weighed in on a canon of American songs dubbed “The Great American Songbook.” These are songs that have withstood the test of time.

The Great American Songbook Foundation defines these songs like this:

The “Great American Songbook” is the canon of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century that have stood the test of time in their life and legacy. Often referred to as “American Standards”, the songs published during the Golden Age of this genre include those popular and enduring tunes from the 1920s to the 1950s that were created for Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musical film.

To this day, Five Star Entertainment gets these songs requested at Fayetteville weddings. Take the song “Over the Rainbow,” first sung by Judy Garland in the legendary film, “The Wizard of Oz.” Harold Arlen wrote the music and Yip Harburg the lyrics. Can anyone top Judy’s version?

Over the Rainbow

Of course, no one can top Judy’s version, but they don’t have to. Arlen and Harburg crafted a song of such supreme beauty that it begs for other artists to sing it … or even play it without the words … and make it their own.

Keith Jarrett

Arlen’s melody is so compelling, that a jazz great like Keith Jarrett transports you to “a land that I heard of once in a lullaby” without a single lyric being sung. That shows the power of the music of this classic from the Great American Songbook.

Kelly Clarkson

American Idol legend, Kelly Clarkson, adds to the legend of “Over the Rainbow” with her lovely interpretation.

Ariana Grande

Pop star Ariana Grande uses her extraordinary range to add her name to the list of artists who made this song their own. You can see she’s barely able to get through the song, because the sense of longing expressed in the lyrics touches the very soul of even a seasoned professional like Ms. Grande.

That’s why we encourage engaged couples to remember the rich canon of songs that awaits their discovery in a treasure chest known as The Great American Songbook.

What sets the songs apart is the exceptional artistry used to make the words and music unite into a single work of art that expresses the timelessness of the human experience.

Can you ever imagine singing the words “somewhere over the rainbow” to any other melody than that of Harold Arlen’s?

Time will tell if a Taylor Swift or an Olivia Rodrigo ever writes a song that makes its way into the Great American Songbook. For now, you’ve got “Over the Rainbow” and other timeless classics that await your wedding day with great anticipation.

Five Star Entertainment can play any of these classics on high-end equipment with such clarity that you’d think Judy Garland was actually standing at the mic. Learn more. Check out our availability today.