"Down with Love"- An Anti-Romance Song Arlen and his many collaborators wrote a great number of positive love and romance songs. Arlen, himself, had a great love for his wife Anya Taranda. Ted Koehler, E.Y Harburg, Johnny Mercer, Leo Robin and Ira Gershwin all collaborated with Arlen on the power and necessity of love.
However, in 1937, Arlen and E.Y. Harburg decided to provide a reality check on too optimistic a view of the romantic ideal. After all, not all relationships and marriages do end on a happy note.
In the musical " Hooray for What", staged by Vincente Minelli, Arlen and Harburg took an angry swipe at " Moon and June and Roses and Rainbow's End. ( Note ironically that two years later they also wrote " Over The Rainbow").
Harburg even suggested that we should " Give it back to the birds and the bees and the Viennese " . This well-orchestrated diatribe against too rosy a view of relationships is clearly provided in Audra McDonald"s forceful performance. Listen especially to the last two minutes of her astonishing version of the song. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and Audra performs that sentiment as a most accomplished singing actress.
In the same show, " the boys" wrote more positive songs which we will feature in the next post. Stay tuned!
LINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYE-gSTwB20
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