I'll Be Seeing You

By Sammy Fain & Irving Kahal
1937

Written for the flop Broadway musical Right This Way, it later became known as the theme song for world-famous pianist Liberace. Its original performance on stage came from Russian-born Tamara Drasin. With a powerful, building melodic line by Fain, Kahal's lyrics take a simple phrase of goodbye and turn it into a transcendent expression of longing. The song would enjoy a revival thanks to the 2004 film The Notebook, which features versions by Billie Holiday and Jimmy Durante.

Lyrics:

I'll be seeing you
In all the old, familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through.

In that small cafe,
The park across the way,
The children's carousel,
The chestnut tree,
The wishing well.

Ill be seeing you
In every lovely, summers day,
And everything that's bright and gay.
Ill always think of you that way.

I'll find you in the morning sun,
And when the night is new.
I'll be looking at the moon,
But I'll be seeing you.

Recorded By:

Jo Stafford
Frank Sinatra
Michael Buble
Tony Bennett
Etta James

Memories of You

By Eubie Blake & Andy Razaf
1930

Blake, of course, was a ragtime and early jazz pioneer, while Razaf is also known for such lyrics as "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Honeysuckle Rose". Significantly for the era, both composers were African American. Minto Cato introduced the tune on Broadway in Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1930, but it was Benny Goodman who made a huge hit of it shortly thereafter, and adopted it as his theme song.

Lyrics:

Waking skies
At sunrise,
Every sunset, too.
Seems to be
Bringing me
Memories of you.

Here and there,
Everywhere,
Scenes that we once knew.
And they all
Just recall
Memories of you.

How I wish I could forget those
Happy yesteryears.
That have left a rosary of tears.

Your face beams
In my dreams,
In spite of all I do.
Everything
Seems to bring
Memories of you.

Recorded By:

Duke Ellington
Ethel Waters
Louis Armstrong
Anita O'Day
Billy Eckstine