Where Are You?

By Jimmy McHugh & Harold Adamson
1936

A delightfully moving composition from the McHugh/Adamson team that also gave us such songs as "I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night" and "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening". A favorite of the early Depression years, it was introduced by Gertrude Niesen (pictured) in 1937, and shortly followed by a slew of other artists. Its lilting melody and plaintive lyrics are typical of the era, and the song was admired so much by Frank Sinatra that in 1957 it became the only standard song to ever title one of his albums.

Lyrics:

Where are you
Where have you gone without me
I thought you cared about me
Where are you

Where's my heart
Where is the dream we started
I can't believe we're parted
Where are you

When we said good-bye love
What had we to gain
When I gave you my love
Was it all in vain

All life through
Must I go on pretending
Where is my happy ending
Where are you

Recorded By:

Aretha Franklin
Johnny Mathis
Jack Teagarden
Sonny Rollins
Dinah Washington