The year 1911 gave life to the first Homecoming weekend in college history. That same year, Irving Berlin’s first international chart-topper, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band.”
Irving Berlin is considered one of the greatest composers and lyricists of all time, responsible for masterpieces such as “God Bless America” and “White Christmas,” alongside countless Hollywood hit soundtracks and Broadway musicals. “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” was what ultimately brought Berlin into the spotlight, and consequently launched a ragtime dance frenzy into popularity at the same time.
Therefore, it is easy to believe that Irving Berlin might have been one of the most popular artists playing at that first Homecoming dance, had the radio been available. However, all we can do is imagine, since widespread radio programming wasn’t mainstream until the 1920s.
First, the soothing piano riffs come over the loudspeakers, and girls in slim floor-length skirts would leap out of their seats, knocking their exquisite floral hats askew and dragging young men in smart suits by the hand to the dance floor.
By the time the squeals and shuffle to the floor settled, the signature 1910ss quartet sound will have begun, crooning invitations to come listen to “the best band in all the land.” Then, the piano will marry with some bouncing trumpet bars, and the crowd will begin to dance, slowly at first.
There are several different versions of the track, but my personal favorite is the original (which can be heard here), featuring Eliza Johnson, who sounds remarkably like Zoe Deschanel. If that original song were the one playing at said Homecoming festivities, by the time Johnson’s voice could be heard, the pairs would be reeling about the dance floor in time to the jazzy rhythm of the trumpets in the song.
However, apart from the marvelous and contagious melody of “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” the best part of this timeless song is just that: its timelessness. There have been countless versions of the track recorded and released over the years, from the original show stopper in 1911, all the way up to a cover performed by the BeeGee’s on The Midnight Special TV show in 1973. It has been performed by several household names, from Bing Crosby to Judy Garland, and from Ella Fitzgerald to Louis Armstrong.
Whether played live by a band in 1920, or heard over a radio for a throwback in 2016, there is no doubt that “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” has kept Irving Berlin’s spirit alive and well, and has kept our toes tapping since that first Homecoming weekend in the good ol’ days of 1911.