[on early 20th-century American popular songs] They
put love on an angelic throne. Love is the same today, except it's gone
down to a more debased situation. Too many do's and don'ts. I want to
thrill the audience with these songs from the days of the Victrola. You
know, everyone talks of black man's soul, rhythm, and blues. No one
talks about the white man's soul. The white man's soul, in music, was
songs like "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree" and "Give My Regards to
Broadway".