"Dawn of a New Day" (Official Song of the 1939 New York World's Fair)
by Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights, 1939
(2:30) [title]
 
If the file does not automatically play, try clicking here. This file is available on CD0310. This CD contains over 46 hours of historical audio.
The New York World's Fair opened on April 30, 1939. Boldly futuristic, its theme was "The World of Tomorrow." Like the Fair, the 'official song' offered by the Gershwins was an affirmation that the Depression was over, though songs had promised that since it began! Joan Peyser, author of The Memory Of All That: The Life Of George Gershwin, believes "Dawn of A New Day" was pieced together by Ira and Kay Swift from George's posthumous notebooks. Horace Heidt's band is remembered by one veteran of the era as "a very controlled Mickey Mouse band with good musicianship."