Won’t You Play a Simple Melody (1914)
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(wm) Irving Berlin (I) Musical: Watch Your Step (Berlin’s first stage show) by Sallie Fisher & Charles King. 1953 Movie: There’s No Business Like Show Business by Ethel Merman and Dan Dailey (RR) 1950 Gary Crosby & “friend”
Main Melody:
Won’t you play a simple melody like my mother sang to me?
One with good old fashioned harmony, play a simple melody.

Rag Version Counter-Melody:
Musical Demon, set your honey a–dreamin’,
Won’t you play me some rag?
Just change that classical nag to some sweet beautiful drag.
If you will play from a copy of a tune that is choppy,
You’ll get all my applause.
And that is simply because I want to listen to Rag.