Rodgers and Hart: “My Funny Valentine”
Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart were one of the most prolific teams of songwriters in U.S. History. From their start in New York writing hundreds of songs for the booming Broadway revues of the 20's and 30's, to full blown musicals and Hollywood films, their work illustrates the development of the theater and with it the change in American culture and politics in the early 20th century. From the fun and frivolous follies shows and songs like “To keep my love alive” through the early development of the Broadway musical with its maturing use of themes and even political satire and commentary (songs like “Ten cents a dance“ and shows like “I'd rather be right”), to swing numbers like “Lady is a Tramp” and “This can't be love”, to classic American love songs like “My Funny Valentine”, “Blue Moon”, “Where or When”. Rodgers and Hart covered it all.
Following Hart's death, Rodgers went on to write with Oscar Hammerstein and create a completely different flavor of American musical (but, that's another show).