by Debbie Burke
Y’know what they say about great minds?
Well, Kay DiBianca and I independently had the same idea this week: Public Domain Day 2026.
When I went to schedule my post, I noticed Kay had already scheduled hers. So we put our great minds together and decided that1930 was such an exceptional year for books, films, and music, there was enough to cover without duplicating each other.
So here is Part 2 featuring music and recordings.
George and Ira Gershwin published four great tunes: I Got Rhythm, I’ve Got a Crush on You, But Not for Me, and Embraceable You.
More hummable earworm songs: Georgia on My Mind, Dream a Little Dream of Me, Body and Soul, Just a Gigolo.
Music and lyrics have their own copyright dates as sheet music but recordings of those songs by particular musicians may fall under different later dates. For 2026, these specific performances entered the public domain:
- Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen, recorded by Marian Anderson
- Yes Sir, That’s My Baby, recorded by Gene Austin
- Sweet Georgia Brown, recorded by Ben Bernie and His Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra
- The St. Louis Blues, recorded by Bessie Smith, featuring Louis Armstrong
- Fascinating Rhythm, recorded by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra
- I’ll See You in My Dreams, recorded by Isham Jones, with Ray Miller’s Orchestra
In an interesting side note, the soundtracks for a number of cartoons were built on musical compositions that had earlier gone into public domain. For boomers, our first introduction of these tunes often came from cartoons, singing along to: “A Hunting We Will Go”, “The Farmer in the Dell”, and “Pop Goes the Weasel”. I have clear memories of several cartoon heroes playing a flute to coax a cobra from a basket with the “Snake Charmer Song”.
How many of us boomers were called to the TV by the siren song of the “William Tell Overture,” the theme for The Lone Ranger?
Want to stroll farther down memory? Check out Duke University’s annual public domain summaries.
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TKZers: Did any of these characters, books, films, cartoons, or music inspire your writing? Which ones and why?
Would any of these songs play well for the soundtrack of a movie based on your book? Which ones?
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Tawny Lindholm Thrillers will probably enter public domain around the beginning of the 22nd century. Meanwhile, you can read them at this sales link.
And here I thought “Just a Gigolo” originated with the Village People back in the 70’s. 😎
Brenda, I’m also surprised by how many songs date back far earlier than their “hit” versions.
Everything old is new again…eventually.
I remember all of those songs, and not from cartoons. Again, I’m feeling old. Waiting to feel “new” again.
Terry, we may feel older but we’re definitely wiser.