From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American song
Just a Girl That Men Forget is an American
waltz
ballad song, written by
Al Dubin ,
Fred Rath and
Joe Garren with
sheet music published in 1923 by
Jack Mills, Inc. .
[1] It was an in-demand
Tin Pan Alley
hit song in 1923 and 1924, popularized by singers
Herbert Payne and
Lewis James .
[2]
[3]
[4] It was also a well purchased piece of sheet music,
[5] and during the Tin Pan Alley era, the sheet music sales determined if a song was a "hit" rather than charts.
1923
Lewis James advertisement by
Okeh Records
The lyrics are about a modern and
promiscuous
flapper girl who would be passed over for marriage, because men like "old fashion" girls.
[3]
[6]
[7]
[8] The song begins with the lyrics "Dear little girl, they call you a vamp, a flapper with up to date ways."
[1] Flappers did not appreciate the song's lyrics, and hundreds of letters of "resentment" were written to Jack Mills, Inc..
[9]
It has been recorded by several musicians including Herbert Payne (1923),
[3]
Lewis James (1923),
[3]
[10] the Courtney Sisters (1923),
[2]
Henry Burr (1923),
[11] The Troubadours (1923),
[12]
Vernon Dalhart (1923),
[13]
Jimmie Davis (1937),
[14]
Ozie Waters (1951),
[15]
Carmen Prentice (1923),
[16]
Irving Kaufman (1923),
[10]
Jim Doherty ,
Ben Selvin and His Orchestra (
Vocalion Records ), Charles Hart, and the
DeMarco Sisters .
The
Library of Congress archive has a 1923 recording of the song performed by Henry Burr with Celeste and orchestra.
[17] In 1986, a
Dear Abby advice column was published, with memories of this song as a subject.
[18] Sheet music for the song are extant.
[1]
^
a
b
c Dubin, Al; Rath, Fred; Garren, Joe (January 1, 1923).
"Just A Girl That Men Forget" . Sheet Music Collection, Mississippi State University Libraries .
^
a
b "New Mills Sentimental Ballad Scores Hit".
Music Trades . Vol. 65. Music Trades Corporation. 1923. p. 166.
^
a
b
c
d Tyler, Don (2007-04-02).
Hit Songs, 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era . McFarland. p. 128.
ISBN
978-0-7864-2946-2 .
^
"Want 'Holy Night' As Christmas Nears" . The Post-Crescent . 1923-12-10. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-04-01 .
^
"City Sings About 'Girl Men Forget' " . The Post-Crescent . 1923-12-10. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-04-01 .
^ Conor, Liz (2004-07-16).
The Spectacular Modern Woman: Feminine Visibility in the 1920s . Indiana University Press. p. 240.
ISBN
978-0-253-21670-0 .
^ Doggett, Peter (2015-08-27).
Electric Shock: From the Gramophone to the iPhone – 125 Years of Pop Music . Random House. p. 78.
ISBN
978-1-4481-3031-3 .
^
Cosmopolitan . Vol. 179. Hearst Corporation. July 1975. p. 191.
^
"Flappers Resent Sentimental Song" . The Morning Post . 1923-11-23. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-04-01 .
^
a
b
"Best Sellers, Music" . Daily News . 1923-09-16. p. 15. Retrieved 2023-04-01 .
^
"Just A Girl That Men Forget by Henry Burr (1923)" – via Internet Archive.
^
"The Troubadours / Green-Arden Orchestra - Just A Girl That Men Forget" – via music.metason.net.
^ Thomas, Billie W.; Sutton, Allan (2006).
The Plaza-ARC Discography: U.S. issues, 1922-31 (Mxs. 5001-10082) . Mainspring Press. p. 13.
ISBN
978-0-9772735-3-9 .
^ Ginell, Cary; Coffey, Kevin (2001).
Discography of Western Swing and Hot String Bands, 1928-1942 . Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 233.
ISBN
978-0-313-31116-1 .
^
"Music Popularity Chart, Country and Western" . Billboard : 31. June 9, 1951.
ISSN
0006-2510 .
^
"Willow Sapling on Brink of Precipice Saves Lois Wilson" . Honolulu Star-Bulletin . 1923-11-28. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-04-01 .
^
"Just a girl that men forget" . Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA .
^
"Dear Abby, The Song of An Old-Fashion Girl Rings of Praise For Good Ol' Days" . The Courier-Journal . 1986-05-26. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-04-01 .