Tin Pan Alley
noun
: a district that is a center for composers and publishers of popular music
also
: the body of such composers and publishers
Examples of Tin Pan Alley in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hints of Cuban clave rhythms, Tin Pan Alley harmonies, Jewish melodies and piano licks swim through its overarching Romantic theme.
—
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024
The first date on Canal’s U.K. tour was at the Lower Third, an industrial-chic venue on Denmark Street—a street that was once London’s version of Tin Pan Alley and still has a residual, slightly beleaguered music-industry presence.
—Hugh Morris, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2023
From earlier eras, the city had spawned minstrelsy, Broadway show tunes, and the Tin Pan Alley recordings, producing superstar performers like Irving Berlin and Tony Bennett.
—TIME, 13 Oct. 2023
In the ensuing decades, O’Connor continued to produce albums, calling on many different styles, including punk, rap, rasta, hip-hop, torch songs, Tin Pan Alley standards, and Disney showtunes.
—Daphne Merkin, The New Republic, 11 Aug. 2023
The brassy showtunes of Broadway, the finesse of folk and blues, and the simmering songs of jazz, R&B and Tin Pan Alley’s standards were this lyric baritone’s playgrounds.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 25 Apr. 2023
That pop and rock revolution came after the ages of Manhattan’s Tin Pan Alley and the Brill Building songwriting machine, when performers were less likely to write and own their material.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2022
Here, the duo take on classics by Cole Porter, reigning GOAT of the Tin Pan Alley poets.
—Joe Gross, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2021
As a child in Ferguson, Mo., Mr. McDonald played banjo to accompany his father, who used to sing Tin Pan Alley and ragtime songs, before moving on to keyboards and Top 40 cover bands.
—Alan Paul, WSJ, 25 Dec. 2020
Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024
The first date on Canal’s U.K. tour was at the Lower Third, an industrial-chic venue on Denmark Street—a street that was once London’s version of Tin Pan Alley and still has a residual, slightly beleaguered music-industry presence.
—Hugh Morris, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2023
From earlier eras, the city had spawned minstrelsy, Broadway show tunes, and the Tin Pan Alley recordings, producing superstar performers like Irving Berlin and Tony Bennett.
—TIME, 13 Oct. 2023
In the ensuing decades, O’Connor continued to produce albums, calling on many different styles, including punk, rap, rasta, hip-hop, torch songs, Tin Pan Alley standards, and Disney showtunes.
—Daphne Merkin, The New Republic, 11 Aug. 2023
The brassy showtunes of Broadway, the finesse of folk and blues, and the simmering songs of jazz, R&B and Tin Pan Alley’s standards were this lyric baritone’s playgrounds.
—A.d. Amorosi, Variety, 25 Apr. 2023
That pop and rock revolution came after the ages of Manhattan’s Tin Pan Alley and the Brill Building songwriting machine, when performers were less likely to write and own their material.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2022
Here, the duo take on classics by Cole Porter, reigning GOAT of the Tin Pan Alley poets.
—Joe Gross, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2021
As a child in Ferguson, Mo., Mr. McDonald played banjo to accompany his father, who used to sing Tin Pan Alley and ragtime songs, before moving on to keyboards and Top 40 cover bands.
—Alan Paul, WSJ, 25 Dec. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Tin Pan Alley.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Tin Pan Alley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Tin%20Pan%20Alley. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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