Popular culture

Peggy Lee: Is That All There Is?

tomkapostasy6 Comments

THE existentialist challenge of the late 1960’s. Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller wrote 70 top hits across 6 decades. Think Elvis Presley. This was a very unusual song for them, based on novelist Thomas Mann’s late 19th century writings and echoing the 1930’s German world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Leiber_and_Mike_Stoller

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertolt_Brecht

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabaret_(musical)

Peggy Lee had performed and won critical acclaim since 1936. Her last popular hit was “Fever” in 1958. This top 10 song boosted her career.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggy_Lee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is_That_All_There_Is%3F#:~:text=The%20lyrics%20of%20this%20song,love%20for%20the%20first%20time.

https://www.vulture.com/2015/04/is-that-all-there-is-mad-men-peggy-lee.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2019/02/19/finding-my-purpose-is-that-all-there-is/?sh=5736458a7497

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/may/26/peggy-lee-perfect-is-that-all-there-is-coronavirus

http://www.fainebooks.com/blog/peggy-lee-is-that-all-there-is

Point/counterpoint. Challenge/hope. Malaise/potential. Disappointment/possibility. Tragedy/perspective. Dejection/perhaps. Despair/maybe.

I always thought that this was a song in Cabaret. Life sucks and then you die. Today, I see it as a more positive tune. Despite the challenges of life, we always have a positive path forward.

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