[Dixielandjazz] Re: Correct spelling

[Bill Haesler]

My friend Gerard asks: > Again I have a question about the correct spelling
of a song title. This time it concerns
 1) 'S WONDERFUL     or
 2) S'WONDERFUL
Note the place of the apostroph.
I should say the first spelling is correct because the S is short for IT'S.
But I see it many times as S'Wonderful.<

Dear Gerard,
'S Wonderful (1927. Gershwin-Gershwin).
Always "'S Wonderful" and never "S'Wonderful".
For some unknown reason it is frequently misspelt.
As you correctly point out "the S is short for It's [It is].
"S'Wonderful" does not make sense in English.
This misspelling occurs regularly in chord/fake books prepared by musicians,
who are notorious for mangling the names of tunes.
I have one well known chord book in my library using "S'Wonderful"
It is also difficult to find "'S Wonderful" in the tune index in many jazz
reference works and presumably depends on whether they are published in the
US or another English speaking country.
(I hope this does not lead to a long DJML thread regarding the confusing
'rules' of alphabetical indexing.)
Here are some examples:
'S Wonderful in Kinkle - at the the beginning of the S section.
'S Wonderful in Sudhalter's 'Lost Chords' - at the the beginning of the S
section.
'S Wonderful in Phillip Furia's 'Poets of Tin Pan Alley" - at the the
beginning of the S section.
'S Wonderful in Phillip Furia's 'The Art of the Lyricist Ira Gershwin' -
immediately following "Swing Trot".
'S Wonderful in Rust's Jazz Records - immediately following "Switch It Miss
Mitchell".
'S Wonderful in Rust's British Dance Bands on Record' - immediately
following "The Switchback".
'S Wonderful in Alec Wilder's 'American Popular Song' - immediately
following "Swingin' Down The Lane".
Kind regards,
Bill.