Summertime

By George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin & DuBose Heyward
1935

Often considered the finest song in the American musical theater, this is more than a song: It's an aria, composed by Gershwin using the words of original librettist Heyward to mimic the African American folk spirituals of the day. It was introduced on stage in Gershwin's operatic masterpiece Porgy & Bess by Abbie Mitchell, who also performed the first recorded version of it (with Gershwin himself on accompanying piano). Billie Holiday was the first to have a big hit with it, and it has since become a jazz standard of the highest caliber.

Lyrics:

Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high

Oh, Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry

One of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky

But until that morning
There's a'nothing can harm you
With your daddy and mammy standing by

Recorded By:

Janis Joplin
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Sam Cooke
John Coltrane
Nina Simone

I Think of You

By Jack Elliott, Don Marcotte & Sergei Rachmaninoff
1941

Inspired by the gorgeous melody from the first movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, this tune was adapted by Elliott, with lyrics added by Marcotte. Tommy Dorsey's orchestra introduced it with a young Frank Sinatra on vocals, and Frank would later revisit the song on his 1957 album Where Are You? One of the finest examples of a classical piece being adapted into a pop song, with Rachmaninoff's lush original melody blending perfectly with the heartbreaking Marcotte lyrics.

Lyrics:

In the hush of evening,
As shadows steal across my lonely room,
I think of you,
I think of you.

From afar the music
Of violins come softly through the gloom.
All I can do,
Is think of you.

Oh, I can see you standing there before me.
And I can hear you whisper,
"You adore me."

So when dusk is falling,
I live again the loveliness we knew.
I think of you,
I think of you.

Recorded By:

Frank Sinatra
Mildred Bailey
Jane Powell
Tierney Sutton
Johnny Desmond

Moon Love

By Mack David & Andre Kostelanetz
1939

This was David's very first hit, teaming with future "easy listening" luminary Kostelanetz to adapt Romantic composer Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony (particularly the andante theme). It was introduced by Glenn Miller's orchestra, but remained a popular tune for decades.

Lyrics:

Will this be moon love,
Nothing but moon love?
Will you be gone when the dawn comes stealing through?

Are these just moon dreams,
Grand while the moon beams?
But when the moon fades away, will my dreams come true?

Much as I love you,
Don't let me love you
If I must pay for your kiss with lonely tears.

Say it's not moon love,
Tell me it's true love.
Say you'll be mine when the moon disappears.

Recorded By:

Pearl Bailey
Frank Sinatra
Nat King Cole
Chet Baker
Glenn Miller

Full Moon and Empty Arms

By Buddy Kaye & Ted Mossman
1945

This richly beautiful popular song is one of many whose melody was inspired by a movement from Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. In addition to this tune, introduced by none other than Frank Sinatra during his Columbia period, the concerto also produced "I Think of You" by Don Marcotte & Jack Elliott (1941) and "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen (1975).

Lyrics:

Full moon and empty arms,
The moon is there for us to share,
But where are you?
A night like this could weave a memory,
And every kiss could start a dream for two.

Full moon and empty arms,
Tonight I'll use the magic moon to wish upon.
And next full moon,
If my one wish comes true,
My empty arms will be filled with you.

Recorded By:

Freddie Hubbard
Sarah Vaughan
Eddie Fisher
Nelson Eddy
Maynard Ferguson