The Near Future
The Near Future is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1919.[citation needed] It is better known for the small part of its lyric that took on a life of its own: "How Dry I Am".
The term "Dry" in that time period meant abstinence from alcohol, and support of Prohibition. Those who took the opposite approach and/or view were often called "Wet". Prohibition became fact in 1920, in "the near future" after the song was issued.
This portion of the song...
- How dry I am, how dry I am
- It's plain to see just why I am
- No alcohol in my highball
- And that is why so dry I am
...became known for its ironic use, by people getting drunk and singing it, sometimes in harmony, in all manner of popular media, especially Warner Bros. cartoons. That usage necessitated removing the parts that overtly denied drinking, which tended to reduce the song to these two lines:
- How dry I am, how dry I am
- Nobody knows how dry I am... Hooow dryyy I aaaaaam!
On the other hand, the origin of the ditty “How Dry I Am” predates Berlin's song and the prohibition era. It is documented as a song being sung by day-laborers in 1907 and is certainly much older.[citation needed]
“How Dry I Am” (also widely heard in the variant form, "How Dry Am I") has come to represent what may be the single most widely used four-note sequence to begin a popular song[citation needed]. The notes, in the key of C, are G4-C5-D5-E5 
Play (help·info). In any key, the notes, based on their position in the major scale, are 5-8-9-10 (alternatively, 5-1-2-3). See blues turnaround.
The idea that “How Dry I Am” is based on an old spiritual is probably valid[citation needed]. A scan through a church hymnal may reveal dozens of songs and hymns with that same beginning sequence. One hymn that matches the "How Dry I Am" tune very closely is Oh Happy Day; [1] it was almost certainly the basis for future songs on the "How Dry I Am" theme[citation needed], notably by Will B. Johnstone [2] and Benny Bell. [3] There is an old Greek song called Bufetzis (Μπουφετζής) written by Yiorgos Batis made with the music of "How Dry I Am".
References [edit]
- ^ Time Magazine - Oh Happy Day
- ^ Archive of Popular American Music - How Dry I Am
- ^ Judaica Sound Archives - The Hilarious Musical Comedy of Benny Bell, Volume 7
