My Wild Irish Rose, 1899

Songs of the 19th century were a series of verses, poems set to music, without refrain, or “chorus,” until the 1840s, when refrains began to be added. A new style was developed by Tin Pan Alley songwriters in the 1890s, a short piano introduction followed by the verse-chorus form, but with much more emphasis on the chorus. My Wild Irish Rose, Chancellor John (‘Chauncey’) Alcott, follows this form. There are two long verses. Here’s the first:

If you listen I’ll sing you a sweet little song
Of a flower that’s now drooped and dead,
Yet dearer to me, yes, than all of its mates,
Though each holds aloft its proud head.

‘Twas given to me by a girl that I know;
Since we’ve met , faith, I’ve known no repose.
She is dearer by far than the world’s brightest star,
And I call her my Wild Irish Rose.

In 1947, 48 years after its publication, My Wild Irish Rose was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture for its appearance in the film of the same name. In 1990, 91 years after its publication, this song (second verse and chorus) was sung with musical and lyrical embellishments by The Naturals to win a bronze medal in the Society International Contest.

Chauncey Olcott, a leading singer in sentimental operettas on Irish themes as well as a composer and lyricist, commanded a large and loyal audience among the Irish-American community. Other credits are the lyrics to Mother Machree (1911) and When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1912).

Abridged from historical research by Tom Pearce, Richmond, Virginia, Chapter

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