"More addictive than a goddam video game" - Balloon Juice
"One of my very favorite music blogs ever..." - Singer/Songwriter Emma Wallace
"Fascinating... really GREAT!!! You'll learn things about those tunes we all LOVE to play and blow on... SOD is required reading for my advanced students. It's fun, too!" - Nick Mondello of AllAboutJazz.com
"I never let a day go by without checking it." - Bob Madison of Dinoship.com
"I had dinner the other night with some former WNEW staff members who spoke very highly of your work." - Joe Fay
A sweepingly melodious ballad from the Rodgers & Hart musical Spring Is Here, introduced on stage by John Hundley and Lillian Taiz. It was featured in numerous film musicals for decades after, but firstly in the full-length film version of Spring Is Here in 1930 (pictured).
Lyrics:
Though I know that we meet ev'ry night and we couldn't have change since the last time, to my joy and delight, it's a new kind of love at first sight. Though it's you and it's I all the time ev'ry meeting's marvelous pastime. You're increasingly sweet, so whenever we happened to met I greet you ...
With a song in my heart I behold your adorable face. Just a song at the start but it soon is a hymn to your grace.
When the music swells I'm touching you hand It tells that your're standing near, and ..
At the sound of your voice heaven opens his portals to me. Can I help but rejoice that a song such as ours came to be?
But I always knew I would live life through with a song in my heart for you.
Recorded By:
Ella Fitzgerald Perry Como The Supremes Doris Day Sammy Davis Jr.
Another infectious and marvelous old tune that may not perfectly jibe with our modern politically correct sensibilities, but should never be forgotten. Introduced by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, it was one of the earliest traditional jazz songs to become a standard. It's believed to have been inspired by the 1915 Pacific-Panama Expo in San Francisco. I have a personal fondness for it, as my great-aunt (born 1920) used to sing it to me when I was a small child as I danced around her living room. This jumping dance composition will always be a favorite of mine.
Lyrics:
I'll be down to get you in a taxi, Honey, You better be ready about half past eight, Now dearie, don't be late, I want to be there when the band starts playing.
Remember when we get there, Honey, The two-steps, I'm goin' to have 'em all, Goin' to dance out both my shoes, When they play the "Jelly Roll Blues," Tomorrow night at the Darktown Strutters' Ball.
Recorded By:
Ella Fitzgerald Dean Martin Jimmy Dorsey Fats Waller Lou Monte
A breezy, swingin' jazz number if ever there was one, this tune was composed specifically for the Count Basie orchestra, then in its post-World War II phase. Then band singer Joe Williams, who would soon go on to an illustrious solo career, introduced the song on Basie's May 17, 1955 recording. It has remained a popular song with traditional pop singers of a jazzy bent.
Lyrics:
Well alright, okay, you win I'm in love with you Well alright, okay, you win Baby, what can I do I'll do anything you say It's just got to be that way
Well alright, okay, you win I'm in love with you Well alright, okay, you win Baby, what can I do Anything you say I'll do As long as it's me and you
All that I am asking All I want from you Just love me like I love you And it won't be hard to do
Well alright, okay, you win I'm in love with you Well alright, okay, you win Baby, what can I do I'll do anything you say It's just got to be that way
All that I am asking All I want from you Just love me like I love you And it won't be hard to do
Well alright, okay, you win I'm in love with you Well alright, okay, you win Baby, one thing more If you're gonna be my man Sweet baby take me by the hand
Recorded By:
Bette Midler Peggy Lee Ella Fitzgerald Nancy Wilson Elvis Presley
Arguably the finest product of the legendary teaming of Arlen and Mercer, two songwriters of equally titanic stature. It has become the all-time classic saloon song, thanks in great part to its iconic interpretation by Frank Sinatra, who turned it into something of a performance piece. However, it was originally written for Fred Astaire, who introduced it in the musical film The Sky's the Limit. It doesn't get any better than Arlen's laconic, smoky melody paired up with Mercer's timeless, aching lyric...
Lyrics:
Its quarter to three, There's no one in the place, except you and me. So set 'em up, Joe, I got a little story I think you oughtta know.
We're drinking my friend To the end of a brief episode. So make it one for my baby, And one more for the road.
I know the routine, Put another nickel in the machine. I'm feeling so bad, Won't you make the music easy and sad?
I could tell you a lot, But you gotta to be true to your code. So make it one for my baby, And one more for the road.
You'd never know it, But buddy I'm a kind of poet, And Ive got a lot of things I wanna say. And if I'm gloomy, please listen to me Till it's all all talked away.
Well, that's how it goes, And Joe, I know you're getting anxious to close. So thanks for the cheer, I hope you didn't mind My bending your ear.
But this torch that I found, Its gotta be drowned, Or it soon might explode. So make it one for my baby, And one more for the road.
Recorded By:
Tony Bennett Perry Como Billie Holiday Frankie Laine Iggy Pop
Popular 1920s bandleader Lyman (pictured) wrote the lyrics to this tune by vastly underrated songwriter Donaldson, and introduced the song with his orchestra. It became one of the most popular songs of the decade, and an emblem of the Jazz Age. It was featured to great effect in the 1971 horror comedy The Abominable Dr. Phibes, which includes a plethora of great '20s songs.
Lyrics:
What can I say, dear, after I say I'm sorry? What can I do to prove it to you that I'm sorry? I didn't mean to ever be mean to you. If I didn't care I wouldn't feel like I do.
I was all wrong, but right or wrong I don't blame you. Why should I take somebody like you and shame you? I know that I made you cry and I'm so sorry dear, So what can I say, dear, after I say I'm sorry?
Recorded By:
Ella Fitzgerald Josephine Baker King Cole Trio Carmen McRae Keely Smith
Thank Your Lucky Stars was the only film in which Bette Davis sang--and it was in it that the legendary actress introduced this gem of a Loesser lyrics, put to music by the one and only Arthur Schwartz. Loesser's words deal ruefully with a young woman's efforts to find a mate while all the good men are overseas fighting the war...
Lyrics:
You rushed away and left this house as empty as can be And I am like the driftwood in a deadly calm at sea I can't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but thee For there is no secret lover that the draft board didn't discover
They're either too young or too old They're either too gray or too grassy green The pickings are poor and the crop is lean What's good is in the Army, what's left will never harm me
They're either too old or too young So, darling, you'll never get stung Tomorrow I'll go hiking with that Eagle Scout unless I get a call from grandpa for a snappy game of chess
They're either too warm or too cold They're either to fast or too fast asleep So, darling, believe me, I'm yours to keep They're isn't any gravy, the gravy's in the Navy
They're either too fresh or too stale There is no available male I will confess to one romance I'm sure you will allow He tried to serenade me, but his voice is changing now
They're either too bald or too bold I'm down to the wheelchair and bassinet My heart just refuses to get upset I simply can't compel it to, with no Marine to tell it to
I'm either their first breath of spring Or else, I'm their last little fling I either get a fossil or an adolescent pup I either have to hold him off or have to hold him up
The battle is on, but the fortress will hold They're either too young or too old
Recorded By:
Dinah Shore Jimmy Dorsey Margaret Whiting Rosemary Clooney Andrea Marcovicci
In contrast to his many hits from shows, "Slow Boat to China" was one of Loesser's hit pop songs. It was introduced by Kay Kyser, and soon became a very enduring standard. Like so many Loesser compositions, it remains a part of our popular lexicon.
Lyrics:
I'd like to get you On a slow boat to China, All to myself alone. To get you and keep you in my arms evermore, Leave all your lovers Weeping on the faraway shore.
Out on the briny With the moon big and shinny, Melting your heart of stone. Darling, I'd love to get you On a slow boat to China, All to myself alone.
Recorded By:
Bette Midler & Barry Manilow Benny Goodman Rosemary Clooney Ella Fitzgerald Liza Minelli
One of Loesser's later hits, originally written for the Broadway show, The Most Happy Fella, in which it was sung by Shorty Rogers, Alan Gilbert, John Henson and Roy Lazarus. A breezy swinger, it was a big hit for the '50s vocal group The Four Lads.
Lyrics:
Standing on a corner watching all the girls go by Standing on a corner watching all the girls go by Brother you don't know a nicer occupation Matter of fact, neither do I Than standing on a corner watching all the girls Watching all the girls, watching all the girls go by
I'm the cat that got the cream Haven't got a girl but I can dream Haven't got a girl but I can wish So I'll take me down to Main street And that's where I select my imaginary dish
Standing on a corner watching all the girls go by Standing on a corner giving all the girls the eye Brother if you've got a rich imagination Give it a whirl, give it a try Try standing on a corner watching all the girls Watching all the girls, watching all the girls go by
Brother you can't go to jail for what you're thinking Or for that woo look in your eye Standing on the corner watching all the girls Watching all the girls, watching all the girls go by
Recorded By:
Dean Martin The Four Lads Celtic Thunder The Mills Brothers Hazell Dean
Of all Loesser's compositions, this could very well be the most enduring. It was written for the musical Guys and Dolls, in which Sky Masterson (first played by Simon Mullins) courts Lady Luck so that she smiles favorably on his gambling endeavors. It was sung by Marlon Brando in the film--yet co-star Sinatra, who coveted Brando's role, later made it one of his signature songs.
Lyrics:
They call you Lady Luck, but there is room for doubt. At times, you have a very unladylike way of running out. You're on this date with me, the pickings have been lush. And yet, before this evening is over, you might give me the brush. You might forget your manners, you might refuse to stay, And so the best that I can do is say...
Lucky, be a lady tonight! Lucky, be a lady tonight! Luck, if you've ever been a lady to begin with, Luck, be a lady tonight!
Luck, let a gentleman see, How nice a dame you can be. I know the way you've treated other guys you've been with. Luck, be a lady with me!
A lady doesn't leave her escort. It isn't fair; it isn't nice. A lady doesn't wander all over the room, And blow on some other guy's dice.
Let's keep this party polite, Never get out of my sight. Stick with be baby, I'm the guy that you came in with. Luck, be a lady tonight!
Recorded By:
Frank Sinatra Barry Manilow Barbra Streisand Jack Jones Dean Martin
One of the most instantly recognizable standards of all time--so much so that it rivals "Chopsticks" as the most common song used by those learning to play piano. Carmichael's melody follows a chord progression that would later become popular with doo-wop songs. The song was introduced by the Larry Clinton orchestra, featuring Bea Wain. It famously figured in the Tom Hanks film Big, in which Hanks and Robert Loggia "danced" out the notes on a giant piano.
Lyrics:
Heart and soul, I fell in love with you, Heart and soul, the way a fool would do, Madly... Because you held me tight, And stole a kiss in the night...
Heart and soul, I begged to be adored, Lost control, and tumbled overboard, Gladly... That magic night we kissed, There in the moon mist.
Oh! but your lips were thrilling, much too thrilling, Never before were mine so strangely willing.
But now I see, what one embrace can do, Look at me, it's got me loving you, Madly... That little kiss you stole, Held all my heart and soul.
Recorded By:
Ella Fitzgerald Dave Brubeck Milt Jackson Dean Martin Mel Torme
A major hit from an obscure musical film entitled Dancing on a Dime. It was introduced in the movie by Robert Paige, Peter Lind Hayes, Frank Jenks and Eddie Quillan. But it became much more of a standard a bit later, when it was taken by post-war jazz performers. It remains one of Loesser's catchier tunes, and perhaps his finest collaboration with Lane (right).
Lyrics:
I hear music, Mighty fine music. The murmur of a morning breeze up there, The rattle of the milkman on the stair.
Sure that's music, Mighty fine music. The singing of a sparrow in the sky, The perking of the coffee right near by.
That's my favorite melody, You my angel, phoning me.
I hear music, Mighty fine music. And anytime I think my world is wrong, I get me out of bed and sing this song.
Recorded By:
Ella Fitzgerald Billie Holiday Carmen McRae Gene Krupa Bobby McPherrin
For years, Loesser and his wife Lynn Garland performed this duet at private parties, until the composer sold the rights to MGM in 1948. Garland was reportedly angry, as she considered it "their song." MGM placed it in the film Neptune's Daughter, helping Loesser win the Oscar for Best Original Song in the process. It has since become an informal Christmas standard, although the holiday is never referenced in the lyric.
Lyrics:
I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry My father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry Well maybe just a half a drink more - Put some music on while I pour
The neighbors might think - Baby, it's bad out there Say, what's in this drink - No cabs to be had out there I wish I knew how - Your eyes are like starlight To break the spell - I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell I ought to say no, no, no, sir - Mind if I move closer At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride? I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out Ahh, but it's cold outside
I simply must go - Baby, it's cold outside The answer is no - Ooh darling, it's cold outside This welcome has been - I'm lucky that you dropped in So nice and warm - Look out the window at that storm My sister will be suspicious - Man, your lips look delicious My brother will be there at the door - Waves upon a tropical shore My maiden aunt's mind is vicious - Gosh your lips are delicious Well maybe just a half a drink more - Never such a blizzard before
I've got to go home - Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there Say, lend me your coat - It's up to your knees out there You've really been grand - I thrill when you touch my hand But don't you see - How can you do this thing to me? There's bound to be talk tomorrow - Think of my life long sorrow At least there will be plenty implied - If you caught pneumonia and died I really can't stay - Get over that hold out Ahh, but it's cold outside
Recorded By:
Ray Charles & Betty Carter Dean Martin Leon Redbone & Zooey Deschanel Dinah Shore & Buddy Clark Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan
Loesser collaborated with Styne to compose a bunch of tunes for the 1942 Paramount film Sweater Girl, with this innocent confection being the big hit. Bettie Jane Rhodes sang it in the film, and it was recorded immediately after by the Harry James orchestra with Helen Forrest, resulting in a number one record. As recently as 30 years ago, it was taken back to the Billboard charts by Barry Manilow.
Lyrics:
All our friends keep knocking at the door They've asked me out a hundred times or more But all I say is, "Leave me in the gloom" And here I stay within my lonely room 'Cause...
I don't want to walk without you, Baby Walk without my arm about you, Baby I thought the day you left me behind I'd take a stroll and get you right off my mind But now I find that
I don't want to walk without the sunshine Why'd you have to turn off all that sunshine? Oh, Baby, please come back or you'll break my heart for me 'Cause I don't want to walk without you No, siree
Recorded By:
Phyllis McGuire Artie Shaw Jo Stafford Jerry Vale Joe Holt
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Frank Loesser on June 29, 1910. To honor this centennial, Standard of the Day will be spotlighting Loesser songs throughout the month of June, in a little tribute I call "Heart and Soul." We kick it off with this charmer, written by Loesser with fellow songwriting giant Hoagy Carmichael. Loesser's delightful lyric concerns a couple so enthralled by each others' company that they refuse to part, despite being exhausted. It was introduced by Bob Hope & Shirley Ross as a companion piece to "Thanks for the Memories" from the previous year.
Lyrics:
Here we are, out of cigarettes, Holding hands and yawning, Look how late it gets. Two sleepy people by dawn's early light, And too much in love to say goodnight.
Here we are, in a cozy chair; Pickin' on a wishbone from the frigidaire. Two sleepy people with nothing to say, And too much in love to break away.
Do you remember the nights we used to linger in the hall? Your father didn't like me at all. Do you remember the reason why we married in the fall? To rent this little nest and get a bit of rest.
Well, here we are just about the same, Foggy little fella, drowsy little dame. Two sleepy people by dawn's early light, And too much in love to say goodnight.
Recorded By:
Fats Waller Carly Simon Al Bowlly Dean Martin Art Garfunkel
A tribute to the finest genre of popular music in history, pop's direct link to the classical tradition, and one of our nation's most important contributions to world culture, the Great American Songbook. Each day (more or less), I spotlight a different popular standard. And yes, I'm straight. So is your grandfather. He loves this music, too--just ask him!
By Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
Posts
