°- A Bowl of Pop Corn, a Radio and You (1930)

My sweetie is marvelous company Wherever we happen to go, When she's at a dance no one else has a chance, And she's just as much fun at a show. [Break romantic] But the evenings when she says, "Bring popcorn tonight, you're a fireside beau," They're the evenings that I call The best of them all. [Bridge] Yeah yeah It's gonna be a poppin' night (Pop pop pop pop-pop pop, pop pop! pop-pop pop, pop pop! Pop pop pop pop-pop pop, pop pop pop-pop pop, pop pop!) [Chorus] And I sing while the fire burns low, Just a bowl full of popcorn, A radio and you, Just a chair by the fireplace, That's big enough for two. Just a heart full of happiness, Not a care can break through, With a bowl full of jolly-time popcorn, A radio and you. Just a you... [Instrumental] Luv' it when she says Bring popcorn tonight Bring popcorn tonight Honey, Bring popcorn tonight Baby, Bring popcorn tonight She says Bring popcorn tonight Luv' it when she says that Bring popcorn Bring popcorn Bring popcorn tonight (Pop pop pop pop-pop pop, pop pop! pop-pop pop, pop pop! Pop pop pop pop-pop pop, pop pop pop-pop pop, pop pop!) [Chorus] And I sing while the fire burns low, Just a bowl full of popcorn, A radio and you, Just a chair by the fireplace, That's big enough for two. Just a heart full of happiness, Not a care can break through, With a bowl full of jolly-time popcorn, A radio and you. Just a you... [Spoken word DJ] That was the 1930 theme song of the 'Jolly Time Pop Corn Revue', "A Bowl of Pop Corn, a Radio and You."! Here's a little bit of radio history. In 1930, the American Pop Corn Company of Sioux City, Iowa sponsored a radio program called the 'Jolly Time Pop Corn Revue'. The show aired on a network of western stations and featured "General Jolly Time and his Pop Corn Colonels," along with orchestra leader Mart Grauenhorst and vocalist Clarence Hayes. The 15 minute program aired every Wednesday at 8:45pm featuring other musical numbers. But this (pop! Pop! Pop!) But this song you just heard wasn't just associated with the program—it was written specifically for it. The cover of the original sheet music proudly states that it was "composed expressly" for the 'Jolly Time Pop Corn Revue', and the back cover identifies it as the show's theme song. The lyrics paint a picture that millions of Americans could relate to in 1930: a cozy evening by the fireplace, a bowl of popcorn, and the family radio bringing music and entertainment into the home. In many ways, it's a snapshot of radio's golden age, when gathering around the radio was one of America's favorite pastimes.