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"The Near Future" is a song written by
Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russi ...
and performed in the ''
Ziegfeld Follies of 1919 The ''Ziegfeld Follies of 1919'' was a revue produced by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Billed as the thirteenth edition of the Ziegfeld Follies series, it had a tryout at Nixon's Apollo Theatre in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on June 10, 1919 and opened at Br ...
''. It is better known for the small part of its lyric that took on a life of its own: "How Dry I Am".


Origins

The origins of the song and its components are somewhat obscure, as are the factors that differentiate "The Near Future" from "How Dry I Am."


Melody

The origin of the melody predates Berlin's song. The distinctive four-note motif was used by Ludwig van Beethoven in his Sonata, Op. 10 No. 3, published in 1798. The motive is also used in ''
Oh Happy Day "Oh Happy Day" is a 1967 gospel music arrangement of the 1755 hymn by clergyman Philip Doddridge. Recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers, it became an international hit in 1969, reaching No. 4 on the US Singles Chart, No. 1 in France, Germany, an ...
, ''the earliest known printing of which is in ''The Wesleyan Sacred Harp'' from Boston in 1855 (although the words to ''Oh Happy Da''y can be traced even further back to 1755). This melody is in turn attributed to English composer Edward F. Rimbault. The notes' positions in the major scale are 5 < 1 < 2 < 3 as numbered diatonically and 8 < 1 < 3 < 5 as numbered chromatically (''e.g.'', G < C < D < E in C major, C < F < G < A in F major, and D < G < A < B in G major). The transition of the melody from a hymn to a song associated with drinking caused some confusion. In one example from 1931, courthouse chimes playing "Oh Happy Day" were thought by "respectable Minnesotans" to be playing "How Dry I Am."


Lyrics

The term "Dry" in the lyrics means abstinence from alcohol. While the lyrics are often associated with Prohibition in America, the lyrics were written before 1920. An early precursor to the lyrics was published in an 1874 edition of ''Gem of the West and Soldiers' Friend'', a journal of curious miscellany. The passage describes a "sleeping car adventure" in which "one lady exclaimed in a slow and solemn voice, 'Oh, how dry I am" several times until someone brings her some water, after which "came the same solemn tones, 'Oh, how dry I was," much to the annoyance of the rest of the passengers on the train. The phrase "how dry I am" had become structured into song and referred specifically to drinking alcohol by at least 1898, as one journal describes a college drinking song that goes:
How dry I am, How dry I am!
God only knows How dry I am.
When the State of Kansas passed a Prohibition law in 1917, which was signed by the governor on "the 23rd" f February or Marchthe legislature greeted the event by singing "How Dry I Am." This also strongly suggests that a song with these lyrics existed prior to Irving Berlin's treatment of the melody. A 1919 book entitled ''Out and about: A Note-book of London in War-time'' describes a group of Americans drinking in London and singing "some excellent numbers of American marching-songs," including one described as "the anthem of the 'dry' States" whose lyrics were:
Nobody knows how dry I am, How dry I am, How dry I am.
You don't know how dry I am, How dry I am, How dry I am.
Nobody knows how dry I am, And nobody cares a damn.
The 1921 musical comedy ''Up In The Clouds'' included a similar song entitled "How Dry I Am" with music by Tom A. Johnstone and words by Will B. Johnstone.


Musical influence

"How Dry I Am" (also widely heard in the variant form, "How Dry Am I") has come to represent a four-pitch sequence widely used to begin both popular and classical works. Other songs influenced by the melody include
Will B. Johnstone William Breuninger Johnstone (13 March 1881 – 4 February 1944) was an American writer, cartoonist, and lyricist. His writing credits include the Marx Brothers's Broadway revue ''I'll Say She Is'' and, with S.J. Perelman, their first two Hol ...
and Benny Bell. There is an old Greek song called Bufetzis (Μπουφετζής) written by
Yiorgos Batis Yiorgos Batis ( el, Γιώργος Μπάτης, also Giorgos Batis) (1885 – 10 March 1967) was one of the first rebetes influential to ''rebetiko'' music. His real name was Yiorgos Tsoros although he was known as Yiorgos Ampatis. He had a g ...
made with the music of "How Dry I Am". Composer, television producer, and humorist
Allan Sherman Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...
included in his concert album ''Peter and the Commissar'' a
quodlibet A quodlibet (; Latin for "whatever you wish" from ''quod'', "what" and '' libet'', "pleases") is a musical composition that combines several different melodies—usually popular tunes—in counterpoint, and often in a light-hearted, humorous man ...
titled "Variations On 'How Dry I Am'" and quoting works ranging from "
Home on the Range "Home on the Range" is a classic cowboy song, sometimes called the "unofficial anthem" of the American West. Dr. Brewster M. Higley (also spelled Highley) of Smith County, Kansas, wrote the lyrics as the poem "My Western Home" in 1872 or 1873 ...
" to " The Flying Trapeze" to the final section of the ''
William Tell William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...
'' overture and the Russian military theme from Tchaikovsky's ''
1812 Overture ''The Year 1812, Solemn Overture'', Op. 49, popularly known as the ''1812 Overture'', is a concert overture in E major written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to commemorate the successful Russian defense against Napoleon ...
''. The song is used as the theme of
P. D. Q. Bach P. D. Q. Bach is a fictional composer invented by the American musical satirist Peter Schickele, who developed a five-decade-long career performing the "discovered" works of the "only forgotten son" of the Bach family. Schickele's music combines ...
's fugue in F major from The Short-Tempered Clavier (S. 3.14159265, easy as). In a 1959 television broadcast titled "The Infinite Variety of Music",
Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...
found similarities between the opening notes of "How Dry I Am" and 22 other well-known melodies: the French song :fr:Il était une bergère, the Moldau (Vltava) theme from Smetana's
Má vlast ''Má vlast'' (), also known as ''My Fatherland'', is a set of six symphonic poems composed between 1874 and 1879 by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. The six pieces, conceived as individual works, are often presented and recorded as a single ...
, the waltz from Lehár's
The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt t ...
, Handel's
Water Music The ''Water Music'' is a collection of orchestral movements, often published as three suites, composed by George Frideric Handel. It premiered on 17 July 1717, in response to King George I's request for a concert on the River Thames. Struct ...
, Schubert's
Arpeggione Sonata The Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in A minor, D. 821, was written by Franz Schubert in Vienna in November 1824. The sonata is the only substantial composition for the arpeggione (which was essentially a bowed guitar) extant today. The sonata wa ...
, the second movement of Beethoven's Symphony No.2, Brahms's Piano Concerto No.1, the ending of Strauss's
Death and Transfiguration ''Death and Transfiguration'' (german: Tod und Verklärung, link=no), Op. 24, is a tone poem for orchestra by Richard Strauss. Strauss began composition in the late summer of 1888 and completed the work on 18 November 1889. The work is dedicate ...
, the
nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' 'of the night') was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...
from Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream, the Simple Gifts melody used by
Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...
in
Appalachian Spring ''Appalachian Spring'' is a musical composition by Aaron Copland that was premiered in 1944 and has achieved widespread and enduring popularity as an orchestral suite. The music, scored for a thirteen-member chamber orchestra, was created upon c ...
, the 1956 song
The Party's Over The Party's Over may refer to: Film and TV * ''The Party's Over'' (1934 film), starring Stuart Erwin and Ann Sothern, based on the 1933 Broadway play * ''The Party's Over'' (1965 film), directed by Guy Hamilton, starring Oliver Reed, with a ...
from the musical Bells Are Ringing, Strauss's
Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks ''Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks'' (german: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, ), Opus number, Op. 28, is a tone poem written in 1894–95 by Richard Strauss. It chronicles the misadventures and pranks of the German peasant folk hero Till Eul ...
, the
Westminster chimes The Westminster Quarters, from its use at the Palace of Westminster, is a melody used by a set of four quarter bells to mark each quarter-hour. It is also known as the Westminster Chimes, Cambridge Quarters or Cambridge Chimes from its place of ...
, Sweet Adeline, the finale of Prokofiev's 5th symphony, Wagner's
Siegfried Siegfried is a German-language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements ''sig'' "victory" and ''frithu'' "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate ''Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr'', which gives rise to Swedish ''Sigfrid' ...
, the finale of Brahms's symphony no.1, Strauss's
Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...
and
Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel ''Les amours du chevalier de Faublas'' ...
, Beethoven's Pathétique Sonata, the overture to Raymond by
Ambroise Thomas Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas (; 5 August 1811 – 12 February 1896) was a French composer and teacher, best known for his operas ''Mignon'' (1866) and ''Hamlet'' (1868). Born into a musical family, Thomas was a student at the Conservatoire de ...
, and the finale of Shostakovich's fifth symphony.


Use in popular culture

This portion of the song...
How dry I am, how dry I am
It's plain to see just why I am
No alcohol in my highball
And that is why so dry I am
... became known for its ironic use as a drinking song in all manner of popular media, especially Warner Bros. cartoons in which that behavior became a stock substitute for the explicit mention of alcohol and/or drunkenness. That use necessitated removal of the phrases that overtly mentioned drinking, leading to the song's frequently being condensed to these two lines:
How dry I am, how dry I am
Nobody knows how dry I am... Hooow dryyy I aaaaaam!
A Westinghouse
clothes dryer A clothes dryer, also known as tumble dryer or simply dryer, is a powered household appliance that is used to remove moisture from a load of clothing, bedding and other textiles, usually shortly after they are washed in a washing machine. Many dry ...
from 1953 played the song when clothes were dry. Played in the opening montage of the 1932 film ''
Three on a Match ''Three on a Match'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime drama released by Warner Bros. The film was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and stars Joan Blondell, Warren William, Ann Dvorak and Bette Davis. The film also features Lyle Talbot, Humphrey Boga ...
''. The song is referenced in
Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of '' I Am Legend'', a 1954 science ficti ...
's 1954 novel '' I Am Legend''. The song is used in the plot of ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
'' episode "
Mr. Denton on Doomsday "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" is episode three of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series), The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on October 16, 1959, on CBS. It was the first ''Twilight Zone'' episode to be rer ...
", and is sung by
Dan Duryea Dan Duryea ( , January 23, 1907 – June 7, 1968) was an American actor in film, stage, and television. Known for portraying a vast range of character roles as a villain, he nonetheless had a long career in a wide variety of leading and seconda ...
. The song was referenced in a lyric by
Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of t ...
in a
Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...
ad for St. Ides malt liquor. The Salvation Army, to celebrate sobriety, uses the song (without lyrics) in both band and piano arrangements, in street concerts and meetings. This may be one reason for the raucous band arrangement of
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's " Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" (a.k.a. "Everybody Must Get Stoned") from his album "
Blonde on Blonde ''Blonde on Blonde'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released as a double album on June 20, 1966, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions began in New York in October 1965 with numerous backing musicians, ...
." Apparently the producer and Dylan agreed at 4:30 in the morning that they wanted the sound of a Salvation Army band.


References


External links


"How Dry I Am" Lyrics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Near Future, The 1919 songs Songs written by Irving Berlin Songs about alcohol