Sadie Salome (Go Home)

Written by Irving Berlin and J. B. Madden in 1909, “Sadie Salome (Go Home)” was one of Berlin’s earliest comic songs from the Tin Pan Alley era. It drew on the popular fascination with Salome and the “Dance of the Seven Veils,” while blending biblical reference with the everyday voice of New York’s Jewish immigrant neighborhoods. The song belongs to a period of vaudeville when ethnic humor was a common form of popular entertainment, often exaggerating dialect and character types for comic effect. Berlin, himself a recent immigrant from Russia, wrote from inside that milieu, reflecting both its humor and its stereotypes. Though its style belongs to another age, “Sadie Salome” captures the intersection of Old World identity and the new rhythms of American popular music – a moment when Berlin was finding his voice and Tin Pan Alley was finding its audience. #IrvingBerlin #TinPanAlley #Vaudeville #VintageSong #shorts

Written by Irving Berlin and J. B. Madden in 1909, “Sadie Salome (Go Home)” was one of Berlin’s earliest comic songs from the Tin Pan Alley era. It drew on the popular fascination with Salome and the “Dance of the Seven Veils,” while blending biblical reference with the everyday voice of New York’s Jewish immigrant neighborhoods. The song belongs to a period of vaudeville when ethnic humor was a common form of popular entertainment, often exaggerating dialect and character types for comic effect. Berlin, himself a recent immigrant from Russia, wrote from inside that milieu, reflecting both its humor and its stereotypes. Though its style belongs to another age, “Sadie Salome” captures the intersection of Old World identity and the new rhythms of American popular music – a moment when Berlin was finding his voice and Tin Pan Alley was finding its audience. Original art by Jason Paul. Inquire about prints and original works at jason@jasonpaul.net #IrvingBerlin #TinPanAlley #Vaudeville #VintageSong #shorts