Avalon

Vincent Rose probably wrote most of the tune, but Al Jolson's fame got him a share of the credit. The 1920 Remick sheet music names Jolson and Rose, and Buddy DeSylva's name was added later. Jolson sang it in the musicals Sinbad and Bombo, and his record reached number two in 1921.

The opening strain is close to "E lucevan le stelle" from Puccini's Tosca, moved to a major key. Puccini's publishers sued in 1921 and won $25,000 and all later royalties. The Benny Goodman Quartet turned it into a swing number and played it at the 1938 Carnegie Hall concert.