I'll Be Around

By Alec Wilder
1942

A gorgeous standard from the classically trained Wilder, who first got the idea for it while riding a taxicab in Baltimore. Said the composer, "I spotted [the title] as I was crumpling up the envelope some days later. Since I was near a piano, I wrote a tune, using the title as the first phrase of the melody. I remember it only took about 20 minutes. The lyric took much longer to write." A sad lament of the neglected, unrequited lover, the tune is a melancholy gem. Introduced by Mildred Bailey.

Lyrics:

I'll be around,
No matter how
You treat me now.
I'll be around from now on.

Your latest love
Can never last,
And when its past,
I'll be around when he's gone.

Goodbye again,
And if you find a love like mine,
Just now and then,
Drop a line to say you're feeling fine.

And when things go wrong,
Perhaps you'll see
You're meant for me.
So I'll be around when he's gone.

Recorded By:

Frank Sinatra
Tony Bennett
Les Brown
Cab Calloway
Vic Damone