A RIOT OF COLOR IN A WORLD OF GRAPHITE: songs referenced in traci chee's "we are not free"
"Those blazing trumpets. Those syrupy saxophones. They're a riot of color in a world of graphite, like everything for years has been dull, dull, dull, rendered in grays, and all of a sudden I'm remembering rainbows, sunsets, forests, reds." —Chapter XVI: Home
Harbor Lights - Bing Crosby (1950) "[Joe's] favorite song is 'Harbor Lights' by Frances Langford, and when he sings a few bars under his breath, I think I might die of happiness."
Chattanooga Choo Choo - Glenn Miller Orchestra (1941) "Aiko traipses ahead, belting out the words to 'Chattanooga Choo Choo.' Her voice is sweet and clear in the cold, and beside me, I can hear Tommy humming under his breath, smooth and dark as syrup."
Bésame Mucho - Jimmy Dorsey (1943) "The song on the radio changes. Jimmy Dorsey croons 'Bésame Mucho' from the speakers, and you wonder if, whenever you all hear it again, wherever you are, when Twitchy's in some little French hamlet or Shig pops open his suitcases in a dank Chicago hostel, you'll still be bound together."
Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland (1939) "Frisco, 1939: I was singing 'Over the Rainbow to get baby Fumi to sleep. I know it's stupid, but I wanted to believe if I kept singing, I'd fill her dreams with bluebirds, stars and lemon drops."
Pennies from Heaven & One O'Clock Jump - Count Basie (1937) "That night, Stan takes me out to see Count Basie at the Golden Gate... The band plays hits like 'Pennies from Heaven' and 'One O'Clock Jump,' and the crowd goes wild over every solo, every bright note, every swinging beat."
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - Cab Calloway (1931) "As Stan and I turn toward Japantown, he starts singing, 'Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,' swinging around streetlights like he's in a Hollywood musical, even though he's got a voice like a raven."