Love Song of the Waterfall

Bob Nolan/Bernard Barnes/Carl Winge
Original copyright: Undetermined

Ev’rything under the sun has a love song
And someone or something to sing that love song to.
I’ve heard each one to some loved one call
But the sweetest of all is the song of the waterfall.

I hear through virgin timber tall
The love song of the waterfall
And there it mingles through the trees,
A love song borne upon the breeze.

Plunging over rugged rocks
Hear the waters sign,
“Come to me where you are.
“Dear one, here am I.”

For this is Heaven’s mating call,
The love song of the waterfall.

Still a favorite with western music aficionados, “The Love Song of the Waterfall” demonstrates Bob Nolan’s ability to see love in all of Nature. Bob told Ken Griffis that Carl Winge, founder of Cross and Winge Publishing Inc., sent him two beautiful lines and asked Bob to finish the song for him.

I hear through virgin timber tall
The love song of the waterfall.

From these two lines, Bob penned a song he considered in the Charles Wakefield Cadman tradition. The sheet music was available by 1936, the song was used in The Old Wyoming Trail in 1937 and the Sons of the Pioneers recorded it for ARC on October 26, 1937 but it was unissued. Other than that, it was never commercially recorded by the Sons of the Pioneers although it was picked up by Slim Whitman, Eddie Dean and countless others. The Pioneers included it in their Orthacoustic Symphonies of the Sage in 1940 and their other NBC Thesaurus radio transcriptions, the 10-2-4 Ranch radio shows with Martha Mears (1945), the Teleways Radio Productions transcriptions (1947-8), and for Smokey the Bear radio show (1955) transcriptions as well as live for their radio programs such as Lucky U Ranch radio shows after Bob had left the group.

It was an immediate favorite of Jimmy Wakefield who recorded it in 1936. Forty years later, Jimmy interviewed Bob Nolan backstage of the Palladium after the Hollywood Walk of Fame show. Part way through the interview, he played his recording of the tune for Bob. Jimmy was backed vocally by Linda and Johnny Wakely with guitarist, Charlie Hodge.

Slim Whitman's biographer, Loren Knapp, said that while Slim Whitman was with the Louisiana Hayride, he and his steel guitar player, Hoot Rains, created what would become part of the Slim Whitman signature sound, the “singing guitar.” The soaring notes of the steel guitar can be heard in many of Slim’s early songs. It all started by accident in the classic Love Song of the Waterfall. One night while performing the song, Hoot overshot a note and sent it soaring skyward. Slim liked what he heard and worked the unusual sound into his songs. They called this technique “shooting arrows.” “Love Song of the Waterfall” was released in 1951 and shot up the charts to the number two position. Knapp also stated that this song was used in a Sigmund Romberg operetta.

Love Song o the Waterfall (Cross & Winge, Inc.)

SONS OF THE PIONEERS TRANSCRIPTION RECORDINGS

Orthacoustic Symphonies of the Sage, transcription, (059250)

10-2-4 Time radio show, No. 485 (21499-04) (February 21, 1945)

Teleways Radio Productions transcriptions, No. 43, 82, and 134

Lucky U Ranch radio shows (courtesy of Larry Hopper)
- Transcriptions disc TR-81/82 (November 12, 1951
- Transcriptions disc TR-216/217 (January 29. 1952)
- Transcriptions disc TR-310/311 (April 3, 1952)
- Transcriptions disc TR-579/580 (November 26, 1952)

Smokey the Bear radio shows, episode No. 9 (1955), episode No. 1 (1958)