Tiptoe Through the Tulips

“Tiptoe through the window, By the window, that is where I'll be, Come tiptoe through the tulips with me!” This is the first stanza of “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” with lyrics by Alfred Dubin, music by Joseph Burke. I first heard Tiny Tim perform this tune with his wavy long hair swaying as he played his ukulele on the Johnny Carson Show or what most young people refer to now as The Tonight Show. Now is the time if you have ever wanted to record this song, because it is now in the public domain. You will not pay royalties to anyone if you record the floral song.

Another year dawns and another mound of works dusts off their copyright and emerges fresh-faced, full of hope, into the public domain. Public Domain Day falls on each January 1st. Copyrighted works from 1929 and sound recordings from 1924 enter the US public domain, meaning they can be used and shared freely without permission or fees. While copyright laws protect works from being used without creators’ permission, U.S. copyright laws also recognize that as time passes, there is a point at which works must no longer have strict rules against their use by others, 95 years for most works. This gives the public free access to works created a lifetime ago as well as the ability to turn the old new again without limitations, costs or restrictions.

Besides the aforementioned Tiny Tim song, a revamped version of “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” lyrics by Andy Paul Razaf, music by Thomas W. (“Fats”) Aller & Harry Brooks could be a chart topper today. George Gershwin’s ““Rhapsody in Blue” and “It Had To Be You” with music by Isham Jones and lyrics by Gus Kahn have always been two of my favorite musical works. The idea that an artist could adapt and record these extraordinary pieces of art and not pay royalties is staggering.

The major literary works entering public domain encompass various genres, including classic fiction, detective novels, and even some non-fiction pieces. For The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner created the fictional Yoknapatawpha County as the backdrop for his story. His works often deal with themes such as race, identity, and the passage of time, all filtered through his unique style of prose. Drawing upon his own experiences as an ambulance driver during World War I, Ernest Hemingway painted a story that explored light and dark themes that resonated deeply with readers at the time: love, loss, and the brutality of war in A Farewell to Arms. Agatha Christie wrote The Seven Dials Mystery as sequel to her earlier work, The Secret of Chimneys. Unlike her more famous works starring Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, this thriller introduces readers to a secretive organization called “The Seven Dials Club,” adding an exciting air of espionage and mystery.