James F. Hanley

James F. Hanley was an American songwriter, born in Indiana in 1892 and died in 1942. He wrote songs for Broadway shows and for singers of the day. His best-known song is Back Home Again in Indiana, from 1917, with words by Ballard MacDonald. It is the song traditionally sung before the Indianapolis 500 auto race.

Hanley wrote in the popular style of the 1910s and 1920s: tunes that are easy to sing, a steady beat and chords that a pianist or a small dance band can play from a sheet. Back Home Again in Indiana has a warm, rolling melody that rises toward its title phrase and settles back, with a gentle swing that makes it feel like a stroll. The lyrics are sentimental about home. It is often played in a slow, stately arrangement, as at the race, or in a quicker jazz version. The song lasts about two to three minutes and ends on a held, confident final note.

James F. Hanley was born in 1892 in Rensselaer, Indiana. He played the piano and began writing songs as a young man, then moved to New York, where he found work as a songwriter and as a pianist for music publishers.

Back Home Again in Indiana appeared in 1917 and became a lasting favorite. Hanley went on to write for Broadway, including songs for the Ziegfeld Follies, and was a successful writer of songs sung by popular performers. His other well-known songs include Second Hand Rose, made popular by Fanny Brice, and Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart.

Hanley died in 1942 in New York State.