“Good Night, Angeline”

Sissle and Blake’s association with bandleader James Reese Europe introduced them to the world of music publishing. Europe had cowritten popular songs with several black lyricists throughout his career, and had a strong relationship with major publishers, including Julius Witmark and Sons. Upon returning from World War I, he and Sissle began a tour on vaudeville with the Hell Fighter’s Band. At the same time, Witmark published “Good-night Angeline,” a sentimental ballad credited to Sissle for lyrics and Blake and Europe for its melody. (As was typical for the time, Europe may have simply added his name as a composer because he employed both men in his organization.)

The song is in the mainstream, sentimental style, with a descriptive verse leading into a snappier, up-beat chorus. “Angeline” is mostly written without dialect–save for the substitution of “dat” for “that”–and the style and subject matter is very much in keeping with white pop song of the day. The song’s protagonist could easily be white, expressing his love in the language and terms of sentimental verse. The original sheet featured a picture of Europe in his band uniform, with an inset of Sissle on the lower left. It obviously was playing up their “Hell Fighters” and World War I connections.

After Europe’s death, Sissle and Blake continued to perform the song as part of their vaudeville act, and Witmark reissued it with a new cover. This cover did not feature the degrading art found on coon songs, but rather a genteel-looking Victorian (white) lady being courted by her “beau” sporting a straw hat—emphasizing again that the duo was marketing their songs to a white audience.  The song itself is a romantic ballad much in the style of similar compositions by (white) composers of the period.

After Blake was “rediscovered” in the ‘70s, popular duo Bill Bolcom and Joan Morris featured this song in their act as a homage to Blake.