With each passing year comes every creative's favorite lesser-known holiday: Public Domain Day.
On January 1, 2024, thousands of new songs and recordings hit the public domain for music producers to freely sample as they see fit. This year features an impressive slate of music and recordings, giving artists plenty of fresh inspiration to start the new year.
Duke University School of Law Center for the Study of the Public Domainhas shared a comprehensive list of notable recordings and songs, including James Francis' “Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby” and Bessie Smith's “Pick Pocket Blues,” among many others.
In addition to music, several influential films have also reached the public domain. Since it features the original appearance of Micky Mouse, Walt Disney's 1928 animated short film. Willie the steamboat It is one of the most significant, just like Charlie Chaplin's iconic one. The circus. You can read Duke's full list below.
songs
- animal cookies (musical starring the Marx Brothers; book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind and lyrics and music by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby)
- Mack the knife (original German lyrics by Bertolt Brecht and music by Kurt Weill; from The Threepenny Opera)
- Let's do it (Let's fall in love) (Cole Porter; from the musical Paris)
- young guy (George Gard DeSylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson; from the film The singing fool starring Al Jolson)
- when you are smiling (words by Mark Fisher and Joe Goodwin and music by Larry Shay)
- Empty bed depression (J.C. Johnson)
- I wanna be loved by you (words by Bert Kalmar and music by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby; from the musical Good Guy)
- Making screams! (words by Gus Khan and music by Walter Donaldson)
- You are my need, you are the cream of my coffee (George Gard DeSylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson; from the musical Hold everything!)
- I can't give you anything but love, baby (words by Dorothy Fields and music by James Francis)
- ramona (words by L. Wolfe Gilbert and music by Mabel Wayne)
- There's a rainbow around my shoulder (Al Jolson, Billy Rose, Dave Dreyer; from the film The singing fool)
- Beau Koo Jack (lyrics by Walter Melros
sound recordings
- Charleston (recorded by James P. Johnson)
- Yeah! We don't have bananas (recorded by Billy Jones; Furman and Nash; Eddie Cantor; Belle Baker; The Lanin Orchestra)
- Who feels it now? (recorded by Lewis James; The Happy Six; the Original Memphis Five)
- Disheartened Blues (recorded by Bessie Smith; Tennessee Ten)
- Lawdy, Lawdy Blues (recorded by Ida Cox)
- southern blues and moonlight blue (recorded by Ma Rainey)
- Down with the southern blues (recorded by Hannah Sylvester; The Virginians)
- blue wolverine (recorded by the Benson Orchestra of Chicago)
- tin roof blue (recorded by the New Orleans Rhythm Kings)
- That American boy of mine and Wooden Soldiers Parade (recorded by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra)
- dipper mouth blues and Frog More (recorded by King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, with Louis Armstrong)
- border (recorded by the Ray Miller Orchestra)
- Swinging down the lane (recorded by the Isham Jones Orchestra; The Shannon Four; The Columbians)
Films
- Willie the steamboat and crazy plane (the silent version) (directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks)
- The cameraman (directed by Edward Sedgwick and Buster Keaton)
- New York lights (directed by Bryan Foy; billed as “the first talking film”)
- The circus (directed by Charlie Chaplin)
- The Passion of Joan of Arc (directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer)
- The singing fool (directed by Lloyd Bacon; follow-up to The jazz singer)
- Fast (directed by Ted Wilde; last silent film release by Harold Lloyd)
- In old Arizona (Movie “100% All Talking” starring singing cowboys)
- the man who laughs (directed by Paul Leni; features a character who inspired the appearance of the Joker from bat Man)
- Should married men go home? (directed by Leo McCarey and James Parrott; the first Laurel and Hardy film to feature them as a team)
- Wind (directed by Victor Sjöström)
- The wedding march (directed by Erich von Stroheim)
- The crowd (directed by King Vidor)
- The last command (directed by Josef von Sternberg; Emil Jannings won the first Academy Award for Best Actor)
- street angel (directed by Frank Borzage; Janet Gaynor won the first Academy Award for Best Actress)
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