April Showers

This week at Glyn Wilton’s Mixed Music Bag,
he’s asking us to write about a song in which
the title or a line mentions the current month.
Here’s my featured April artist and his song.

Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian, and actor dubbed “The World’s Greatest Entertainer” at the peak of his career. His performing style was brash and extroverted, and he popularized many songs that benefited from his sentimental, melodramatic approach. In the 1920s, Jolson was America’s most famous and highest-paid entertainer.

Although best remembered today as the star of the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he starred in a series of successful musical films during the 1930s. After his death in 1950, his influence continued unabated with such performers as Sammy Davis Jr., Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Jackie Wilson and Jerry Lee Lewis all mentioning him as an inspiration.

“April Showers” is a popular song composed in 1921 by Louis Silvers with lyrics by B.G. DeSylva. In that same year, the song was introduced in the Broadway musical Bombo, where it was performed by Al Jolson. It soon became well-known as a Jolson standard and was the first of his several recordings while at Columbia Records.

The meaning behind the song is fairly simple: “April Showers” generally carries a message of hope and resilience, suggesting that even though times might be tough, brighter and happier days are on the horizon. It acknowledges the possibility of unpleasant circumstances (such as April showers) while emphasizing the eventual arrival of positive outcomes (like May flowers). It’s a sweet and simplistic approach to life. And sometimes in our hectic lives, that’s exactly what we need …. a little time to stop and smell the flowers.

This is “April Showers” by Al Jolson

LYRICS

Life is not a highway strewn with flowers
Still, it holds a goodly share of bliss
When the sun gives way to April showers
Here’s the point you should never miss

Though April showers may come your way
They bring the flowers that bloom in May
So if it’s raining, have no regrets
Because it isn’t raining rain, you know
It’s raining violets

And when you see clouds upon the hills
You soon will see crowds of daffodils
So keep on looking for a bluebird, and listening for his song
Whenever April showers come along

And when you see clouds upon the hills
You soon will see crowds of daffodils
So keep on looking for a bluebird, and listening for his song
Whenever April showers come along

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Louis Silvers/B.G. DeSylva
April Showers lyrics © Redwood Music Ltd., Chappell Music Ltd.

Mixed Music Bag 2025 – April Sun in Cuba

Big thanks to Glyn Wilton for hosting Mixed Music Bag each week. Please be sure to follow the link and check out Glyn’s site.

Thanks for joining me today and spinning some tunes.

See you on the flip side. 😎

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