"There have been numerous theories proposed to remedy the current recession, but surprisingly none has focused on the historical lesson known as the Song and Laffer curve: The more upbeat the songs of an era, the fewer the economic woes. Songwriters, in other words, are critical to the nation?Ûªs recovery, although, to be sure, their job?Ûªs not easy. In fact, it?Ûªs downright ditty work.</br></br>One of the most prosperous decades was the 1950s, when the tunes were lively and positive in their titles. Remember ?ÛÏSh-Boom?Û? (not ?ÛÏSh-Bust?Û?) and the 1958 album, ?ÛÏSing Along with Mitch (Miller),?Û? that eventually got Americans to warble in their homes?ÛÓand in front of their TVs? Take another example, the 1920s, perhaps the most upward-stroking years of American capitalism and replete with melodies that sparked business people.</br></br>The decade didn?Ûªt begin that way, however. Immediately after World War I, the songs were neither ample nor bullish, and the economy slid into a two-year recession. ?ÛÏI. Never Knew?Û? and ?ÛÏWhat?Ûªll I Do??Û? reflected the doldrums. So too did ?ÛÏSecond Hand Rose?Û? and ""Look for the Silver Lining.?Û?</br></br>Some modulation could be discerned after the congressional elections. ?ÛÏLinger a While,?Û? advised one song. Another equivocated in ?ÛÏI Won?Ûªt Say I Will But I Won?Ûªt.?Û? But by 1923 songwriters got their notes and the economy took off. First, they got back to basics: ?ÛÏMama Love Papa, Papa Love Mama.?Û? Then they moved to material matters in ?ÛÏCut Yourself a Piece of Cake?Û? and ?ÛÏYes, We Have No Bananas.?Û?</br></br>ing stock market, and general prosperity yrere inevitable results of the change of times. There were the speculative songs, with fluctuations ranging from ?ÛÏDoo Wacka Doo?Û? to ?ÛÏDoodle Doo Doo?Û? to ?ÛÏDig Diga Doo.?Û? And there were rhythms pointing investors to new futures: ?ÛÏCalifornia, Here I Come?Û? and ?ÛÏFollow the Swallow Back Home.?Û? Conservative bankers could find collateral meaning in ?ÛÏTea for Two,?Û? brokers instructions in odd lots in ?ÛÏDon?Ûªt Bring Lulu.?Û? For average Americans there was the prospectus of holding companies in ?ÛÏYes, Sir, That?Ûªs My Baby?Û? and ?ÛÏI?Ûªll See You in My Dreams.?Û? Glamour stanzas were on the horizon by middecade with ?ÛÏMy Blue Heaven,?Û? ?ÛÏBlue Skies,?Û? and ?ÛÏ . . . the Red Red Robin.?Û? The promise of windfall gains was evident in such songs as ?ÛÏI Found a Million Dollar Baby?Û? and ?ÛÏReaching for the Moon.?Û?"