In common with many others on this forum (probably), I take an interest in music that was written well before I was born. Here is a list of songs that first became popular in the first 3 decades of the last century. These songs mainly became popular through sheet music sales, up until the 1920s when records began to gain in popularity and the wireless came along. They are in order of the year that they became well known, although the performers in most cases are more modern. These old songs have certainly stood the test of time. All these songs (and performances) are available on Spotify if anyone wants to hear them.
A BIRD IN A GILDED CAGE - JAQUELINE ALLEN (1900).
WHEN YOU WERE SWEET SIXTEEN - FOSTER AND ALLEN (1901).
IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME - THE PETE MOORE CHORUS (1902).
IN THE SWEET BYE AND BYE - PEORIA JAZZBAND (1903).
SILVER THREADS AMONG THE GOLD - LOUISE MORRISSEY (1904).
GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADWAY - BILLY RANDOLPH & THE HIGH HATTERS (1905).
WAIT TILL THE SUN SHINES NELLIE - GUY LOMBARDO & HIS ROYAL CANADIANS (1906).
THE MERRY WIDOW WALTZ - RICHARD TAUBER (1907).
O SOLE MIO - BENIAMINO GIGLI (1908).
I WONDER WHO'S KISSING HER NOW - BING CROSBY (1909).
MEET ME TONIGHT IN DREAMLAND - JUDY GARLAND (1910).
DOWN BY THE OLD MILL STREAM - HARRY MACDONOUGH (1911).
ON MOONLIGHT BAY - DORIS DAY (1912).
THE ROAD TO MANDALAY - PETER DAWSON (1913).
IF I HAD MY WAY - VERA LYNN (1914).
THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE ME - JULIE LONDON (1915).
SANTA LUCIA - BENIAMINO GIGLI (1916).
THE DARK TOWN STRUTTERS BALL - FATS WALLER (1917).
I'M ALWAYS CHASING RAINBOWS - HELEN FORREST, DICK HAYMES (1918).
I'M FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES - HIGH SOCIETY JAZZBAND (1919).
AVALON - AL JOLSON (1920).
SONG OF INDIA - TOMMY DORSEY (1921).
THE SHIEK OF ARABY - KID CLAYTON'S BAND (1922).
SWINGIN DOWN THE LANE - FRANK SINATRA (1923).
IT HAD TO BE YOU - BETTY HUTTON (1924).
ALL ALONE - AL JOLSON (1925).
WHO - GEORGE OLSEN MUSIC (1926).
BLUE SKIES - DORIS DAY (1927).
AMONG MY SOUVENIRS - CONNIE FRANCIS (1928).
AIN'T MISBEHAVIN - FATS WALLER (1929).
BODY AND SOUL - DINAH SHORE (1930).