You Oughta Be in Pictures

By Dana Suesse and Edward Heyman
1934

An iconic anthem of show business in the same vein as "Hooray for Hollywood", this song was composed by prolific musical virtuoso Dana Suesse, one of the rare woman standouts of the songbook era, and a person referred to in the press of the time as "the girl Gershwin". She and accomplished lyricist Edward Heyman purportedly wrote the song for an unproduced Columbia Pictures film, New York Town, but it was instead introduced on record by the legendary Rudy Vallee, who made it an instant classic and one of the songs most evocative of the 1930s.

Lyrics:

You oughta be in pictures, 
You're wonderful to see, 
You oughta be in pictures, 
Oh what a hit you would be!

Your voice would thrill a nation, 
Your face would be adored, 
You'd make a great sensation 
With wealth and fame your reward;

And if you should kiss the way you kiss, 
When we're alone, 
You'd make ev'ry girl and man 
A fan worshiping at your throne.

You oughta shine as brightly 
As Jupiter and Mars; 
You oughta be in pictures, 
My star of stars.

Recorded By:

Doris Day
The Boswell Sisters
Al Bowlly
Connie Francis
Joel Grey

You and the Night and the Music

By Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz
1934

With today being the birthday of the legendary songwriter Arthur Schwartz (father of longtime radio legend Jonathan Schwartz), it seems only right to spotlight a classic Schwartz song. This is one of the most famous collaborations Schwartz made with his regular lyricist partner, Howard Dietz. Although today it's considered one of Schwartz' great triumphs, the song came from a show that was mostly unremarkable: Revenge with Music, in which it was introduced by Georges Metaxa and Libby Holman. But there was certainly something special about the haunting tune, which was later brought back in the 1953 movie musical The Band Wagon, which featured a cavalcade of Schwartz/Dietz songs.

Lyrics:

You and the night and the music
Fill me with flaming desire
Setting my being completely on fire
You and the night and the music
Thrill me but will we be one
After the night and the music are done?

Until the pale light of dawning and daylight 
Our hearts will be throbbing guitars
Morning may come without warning
And take away the stars

If we must live for the moment
Love till the moment is through
After the night and the music die
Will I have you?

Recorded By:

Mel Torme
Frank Sinatra
Julie London
Jackie Gleason Orchestra
Vic Damone

I'll String Along With You

By Harry Warren and Al Dubin
1934

From the powerhouse team of Warren & Dubin, also responsible for such classics as "I Only Have Eyes for You", "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", "With Plenty of Money and You" and "Lulu's Back in Town", this one was written for the 1934 Warner Bros. musical Twenty Million Sweethearts. During this time, Warren & Dubin had been teamed up to write songs for a series of Warner Bros. musicals starting with 42nd Street the previous year. "I'll String Along With You" was introduced in the film by Dick Powell, who croons it to Ginger Rogers. The first recorded release would come the same year from Ted Fio Rito and His Orchestra.

Lyrics: 

You may not be an angel 
'Cause angels are so few 
But until the day that one comes along 
I'll string along with you

I'm looking for an angel 
To sing my love song to 
And until the day that one comes along 
I'll sing my song to you

For every little fault that you have 
See, I've got three or four 
The human little faults you do have 
Just make me love you more

You may not be an angel 
But still I'm sure you'll do 
So until the day that one comes along 
I'll string along with you

Recorded By:

Diana Krall
Nat King Cole Trio
Doris Day
Morgana King
Patti Page

I Get a Kick Out of You

By Cole Porter
1934

Five years ago today, I kicked off the Standard of the Day blog with Cole Porter's "Cheek to Cheek". And today, I celebrate that anniversary with another Porter song, which became a signature tune for the Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra. Of course, 20 years before Frank famously recorded it for his Swing Easy album, it was introduced in the Broadway musical Anything Goes, by Ethel Merman. The song is quintessential Porter, with a soaring melody that is matched perfectly by its wry, yet poignant lyric. It's original lyrical reference to cocaine was controversial for the time, and later substituted with other lyrics (even by Merman and Sinatra themselves). Yet Porter's sophistication is so irresistible that such substitution is silly and unnecessary. This is one of the very best from possibly the best of the giants of American popular song, and thus fitting that it would become so identified with Sinatra, perhaps the greatest interpreter of popular song. And of course, it perfectly sums up what Standard of the Day is all about.

Thanks for continually supporting this labor of love, and I hope to continue to bring great music to you for many more years! I sure do get a kick out of it...

Lyrics:

My story is much to sad to be told,
But practically everything leaves me totally cold.
The only exception I know is the case
When we're out on a quiet spree,
Fighting vainly the old ennui,
And I suddenly turn and see
Your fabulous face...

I get no kick from champagne.
Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all,
So tell me why should it be true
That I get a kick out of you?

Some they may go for cocaine.
I'm sure that if I took even one sniff
It would bore me terrifically too.
Yet I get a kick out of you.

I get a kick everytime I see you standing there before me.
I get a kick, though it's clear to see
You obviously don't adore me.

I get no kick in a plane.
Flying too high with some guy in the sky
Is my idea of nothing to do.
But I get a kick out of you!

Recorded By:

Tony Bennett
Charlie Parker
Artie Shaw
Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson
Dinah Washington

P.S. I Love You

By Gordon Jenkins & Johnny Mercer
1934

No, this is not the Beatles song. Years before the Fab Four were ever born, superb arranger/composer (and future Sinatra collaborator)
Jenkins and ingenious lyricist Mercer would team up to produce this utterly charming song about domestic bliss communicated over long distance. With a lyric that comprises a communication made to a significant other who is away from home, the number has a witty, quaint appeal that's easy to understand. It was introduced by none other than Rudy Vallee, but later enjoyed revivals in the 1940s, '50s and '60s. Most recently, the Bobby Vinton version was featured in an episode of Mad Men.

Lyrics:

Dear, I thought I'd drop a line
The weather's cool, the folks are fine
I'm in bed each night at nine
P.S. I love you.

Yesterday we had some rain
But all in all, I can't complain
Was it dusty on the train?
P.S. I love you.

Write to the Browns just as soon as you're able
They came around to call
And I burned a hole in the dining room table
Now let me think, I guess that's all

Nothing else for me to say
And so I'll close, but by the way
Everybody's thinking of you
P.S. I love you.

Recorded By:

Billie Holiday
Frank Sinatra
Bing Crosby
The Vogues
Nancy LaMott

Cocktails for Two

By Arthur Johnston & Sam Coslow
1934

A mellow classic from the Big Band era, this jazzy tune was introduced in the 1934 film Murder at the Vanities, in which it was sung by Carl Brisson. It would soon after become on of the Duke Ellington band's most recognizable numbers. It's lyric is a celebration of the repeal of Prohibition which occured the previous year.

Lyrics:

In some secluded rendezvous
That overlooks the avenue
With someone sharing a delightful chat
Of this and that
And cocktails for two

As we enjoy a cigarette
To some exquisite chansonnette
Two hands are sure to slyly meet beneath
A serviette
With cocktails for two

My head may go reeling
But my heart will be obedient
With intoxicating kisses
For the principal ingredient

Most any afternoon at five
We'll be so glad we're both alive
Then maybe fortune will complete her plan
That all began
With cocktails for two

Recorded By:

Duke Ellington
Spike Jones
Tommy Dorsey
Bing Crosby
Billy May

Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart

By James F. Hanley
1934

From the Broadway revue Thumbs Up! comes this irresistible tune originally introduced by Hal Le Roy and Eunice Healey. The most famous recording would have to be the one made by Judy Garland, who made it one of her signature songs. Interestingly enough, Frank Sinatra recorded it for his 1960 album Ring-a-Ding-Ding!, but the recording was cut because the tempo didn't match the rest of the tracks. It was finally released on a deluxe CD box set decades later.

Lyrics:

Never could carry a tune, never knew where to start
You came along when everything was wrong and put a song in my heart

Dear when you smiled at me, I heard a melody
It haunted me from the start
Something inside of me started a symphony
Zing! Went the strings of my heart

'Twas like a breath of spring, I heard a robin sing
About a nest set apart
All nature seemed to be in perfect harmony
Zing! Went the strings of my heart

Your eyes made skies seem blue again
What else could I do again
But keep repeating through and through
"I love you, love you"

I still recall the thrill, guess I always will
I hope 'twill never depart
Dear, with your lips to mine, a rhapsody devine
Zing! Went the strings of my heart

Recorded By:

The Trammps
The Coasters
Billy Eckstine
Chet Baker
June Christy

Solitude

By Duke Ellington, Eddie DeLange & Irving Mills
1934

Few songs are as associated with Billie Holiday as this aching ballad of love in isolation, even though it was Ellington himself who introduced it. Perfectly suited to Lady Day's unique voice, this tune became an instant classic the moment she first recorded it in 1941. It has since become one of the all-time most revered jazz standards.

Lyrics:

In my solitude, you haunt me
With reveries of days gone by.
In my solitude, you taunt me
With memories that never die.

I sit in my chair,
Filled with despair.
Nobody could be so sad.
With gloom ev'rywhere,
I sit and I stare,
I know that I'll soon go mad.

In my solitude, I'm praying,
Dear Lord above, send back my love.

Recorded By:

Billy Eckstine
Ella Fitzgerald
Tony Bennett & Count Basie
Nina Simone
Aretha Franklin

All I Do Is Dream of You

By Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed
1934

Originally written for the motion picture Sadie McKee, this wistful song of unconditional love was a huge hit of the 1930s. The first recording was done by the Hotel Great Northern Orchestra, after which it immediately became a popular standard. Chico Marx famously performed it on the piano in A Night at the Opera.

Lyrics:

All I do the whole night through
Is dream of you.
And with the dawn, I still go on,
Dreamin' of you.

You're every thought,
You're everything,
You're every song I ever sing.
Summer, winter, autumn and spring.

And were there more
Than twenty-four hours a day,
They'd be spent in sweet content,
Dreamin' away.

When skies are gray,
Skies are blue,
Morning, noon and nighttime too.
All I do the whole day through,
Is dream of you...

Recorded By:

Patti Page
Johnny Ray
Perry Como
Ella Fitzgerald
Dean Martin

The Very Thought of You

By Ray Noble
1934

British bandleader Noble composed this endurant and poignant standard, and introduced it with his own orchestra, featuring Al Bowlly as the singer. It has been recorded countless times by pop and jazz artists, popping up decade after decade. On a personal note, my grandmother's wartime sweetheart used to sing this to her before going off to Europe, where he was killed. It is also a favorite to sing to my daughter at bedtime, and my best friend wisely used the Billie Holiday recording as his wedding song...

Lyrics:

I don't need your photograph to keep by my bed
Your picture is always in my head
I don't need your portrait, dear, to bring you to mind
For sleeping or waking, dear, I find

The very thought of you and I forget to do
The little ordinary things that everyone ought to do
I'm living in a kind of daydream
I'm happy as a king
And foolish though it may seem
Why to me that's everything

The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love

I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love

Recorded By:

Bing Crosby
Frank Sinatra
Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holiday
Tony Bennett & Paul McCartney

Stompin' at the Savoy

By Edgar Sampson & Andy Razaf
1934

A jumping jazz standard composed by Sampson, the alto saxophonist for Chick Webb's orchestra. Although Webb recorded it first, Benny Goodman's recording shortly thereafter would be the bigger hit. Although both bandleaders had their names credited to the song, in actuality they did not contribute to its writing.

Lyrics:

Savoy, the home of sweet romance,
Savoy, it wins you with a glance,
Savoy, gives happy feet a chance to dance.

Your old form just like a clinging vine,
Your lips so warm and sweet as wine,
Your cheek so soft and close to mine, divine.

How my heart is singing,
While the band is swinging,
I'm never tired of romping,
And stomping with you at the Savoy.
What joy - a perfect holiday,
Savoy, where we can glide and sway,
Savoy, let me stomp away with you.

Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Harry Connick Jr.
Nina Simone
Teddy Wilson
Michel Legrand

Autumn in New York

By Vernon Duke
1934

What a perfect time to spotlight this sublime piece of popular music, wouldn't you say? Prolific composer Duke wrote it for the Broadway musical Thumbs Up!, in which it was first performed by J. Harold Murray. It would not become a popular standard for singers and musicians, however, until about a decade later.

Lyrics:

Autumn in New York--
Why does it seem so exciting?
Autumn in New York--
It spells the thrill of first-nighting.

Shimmering clouds and glimmering crowds
In canyons of steel--
They're making me feel I'm home.

It's autumn in New York
That brings a promise of new love.
Autumn in New York--
Is often mingled with pain.

Dreamers with empty hands
All sigh for exotic lands.
It's autumn in New York--
It's good to live it again.

This autumn in New York
Transforms the slums into Mayfair.
Autumn in New York--
You'll need no castles in Spain.

Lovers that bless the dark
On benches in Central Park.
It's autumn in New York,
It's good to live it again.

Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holiday
Frank Sinatra
Jo Stafford
Charlie Parker

All Through the Night

By Cole Porter
1934

One of the many classic standards Porter composed for his epic musical, Anything Goes. This would be the same stellar work that included such hits as "You're the Top", "I Get a Kick Out of You" and the title song. This one was introduced on stage by stars Ethel Merman and William Gaxton.

Lyrics:

The day is my enemy, the night my friend,
For I'm always so alone
Till the day draws to an end.
But when the sun goes down
And the moon comes through,
To the monotone of the evening's drone
I'm all alone with you.

All through the night,
I delight in your love,
All through the night, you're so close to me.
All through the night, from a height far above,
You and your love brings me ecstasy.

When dawn comes to waken me,
You're never there at all.
I know you've forsaken me,
Till the shadows fall.
But then once again
I can dream,
I've the right
To be close to you
All through the night.

Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald
Julie London
Marilyn Horne
Paul Robeson
Cole Porter

I've Had My Moments

By Walter Donaldson & Gus Kahn
1934

A charming song that originated in a charming musical film, The Girl from Missouri starring Jean Harlow and Franchot Tone. Donaldson and Kahn composed a couple songs for the film, and this melodic beauty was introduced by leading man Tone. Other songs were contributed by the likes of Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields, Arthur Schwartz & Howard Dietz, and Victor Young & Ned Washington.

Lyrics:

I've had my moments, I will confess,
My fleeting moments of tenderness,
I sang of true love, I've played guitars,
Then found a new love 'neath tropical stars.

This time's the last time, this time it's new,
Love as a pastime for me is through,
I've had my moments, my big bad moments,
But now my one big moment is you.

I sang of true love, and I've played guitars,
Then found a new love 'neath tropical stars.

This time's the last time, this time it's new,
Love as a pastime for me is through,
I've had my moments, my big bad moments,
But now my one big moment is you.

Recorded By:

Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli
Frank Sinatra
Peggy Lee
Al Bowlly
Melissa Collard

The Continental

By Con Conrad & Herb Magidson
1934

The gorgeous Ginger Rogers introduced this sophisticated number in one of her classic vehicles with Fred Astaire, The Gay Divorcee--a film that's a cornucopia of Astaire/Rogers gems. It holds the distinction of being the very first song awarded the Oscar for Best Original Song.

Lyrics:

Beautiful music...
Dangerous rhythm...

It's something daring, the Continental.
A way of dancing that's really ultra-new.
It's very subtle, the Continental,
Because it does what you want it to do.

It has a passion, the Continental,
An invitation to moonlight and romance.
It's quite the fashion, the Continental,
Because you tell of your love while you dance.

You kiss while you're dancing.
It's continental, ooh, it's continental.
You sing while you're dancing.
Your voice is gentle, and so sentimental.

You'll know before the dance is through,
That you're in love with her and she's in love with you.
You'll find while you're dancin',
That there's a rhythm in your heart and soul,
A certain rhythm that you can't control,
And you will do the Continental all the time.

Beautiful music...
Dangerous rhythm...

The Continental!

Recorded By:

Leo Reisman
Frank Sinatra
Oscar Peterson
Nat King Cole
Django Reinhardt

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

By Harry Warren & Al Dubin
1934

If you know this as a Green Day song, then you're on the wrong blog. This tango was written for the 1934 musical film Moulin Rouge, in which is was sung by Constance Bennett. It would be used again in the 1952 movie of the same name. The most well-known version would be recorded two years earlier by Tony Bennett (no relation to Constance).

Lyrics:

I walk along the street of sorrow,
The boulevard of broken dreams.
Where gigolo and gigolette
Can take a kiss without regret,
So they forget their broken dreams.

You laugh tonight and cry tomorrow,
When you behold your shattered schemes.
Then gigolo and gigolette
Awake to find their eyes are wet
With tears that tell of broken dreams.

Here is where you'll always find me,
Always walking up and down.
But I left my soul behind me,
In an old cathedral town.

The joy that you find here you borrow,
You cannot keep it long, it seems.
So gigolo and gigolette
Still sing a song and dance along
The boulevard of broken dreams.

Recorded By:

Diana Krall
Marianne Faithful
Jan Garber & His Orchestra (first)
Brian Setzer
Esquivel

Stars Fell on Alabama

By Frank Perkins & Mitchell Parish 

1934

The title was inspired by the famous Leonid meteor shower observed in Alabama in 1833, and was also used for a travelogue published the same year (coincidence?). First recorded by Guy Lombardo's orchestra, it has since become a jazz standard recorded by more than a hundred different artists. The tune is the anthem of Jacksonville State University in Alabama, and the title can now even be found on that state's license plates.

Lyrics:

We lived our little drama,
We kissed in a field of white,
And stars fell on Alabama
Last night

I can't forget the glamor,
Your eyes held a tender light,
While stars fell on Alabama
Last night

I never planned in my imagination
A situation so heavenly.
A fairy land where no one else could enter,
And in the center, just you and me.

My heart beat like a hammer,
Arms wound around you tight,
And stars fell on Alabama
Last night.
Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Frank Sinatra
Billie Holiday
Harry Connick Jr.
Jimmy Buffett

You're the Top

By Cole Porter
1934

From perhaps Porter's most iconic musical, Anything Goes, this song was introduced on Broadway by Ethel Merman and William Gaxton. In the film version two years later, Gaxton would be replaced by Bing Crosby. The song is an irresistible time capsule of 1930s culture, and some have also speculated its title and refrain are typically witty double entendres by Porter referring to homosexual slang for love partners, i.e. "bottoms" and "tops".

Lyrics:

At words poetic, I'm so pathetic
That I always have found it best,
Instead of getting 'em off my chest,
To let 'em rest, unexpressed.
I hate parading my serenading,
As I'll probably miss a bar,
But if this ditty is not so pretty,
At least it'll tell you how great you are.

You're the top!
You're the Coliseum.
You're the top!
You're the Louvre Museum.
You're a melody from a symphony by Strauss.
You're a Bendel bonnet,
A Shakespeare sonnet,
You're Mickey Mouse.

You're the Nile,
You're the Tower of Pisa.
You're the smile
On the Mona Lisa.
I'm a worthless check, a total wreck, a flop,
But if baby, I'm the bottom, you're the top!

Your words poetic are not pathetic.
On the other hand, babe, you shine,
And I can feel after every line
A thrill divine down my spine.
Now gifted humans, like Vincent Youmans,
Might think that your song is bad,
But I got a notion I'll second the motion,
And this is what I'm going to add:

You're the top!
You're Mahatma Gandhi.
You're the top!
You're Napoleon Brandy.
You're the purple light of a summer night in Spain.
You're the National Gallery,
You're Garbo's salary,
You're cellophane.

You're sublime,
You're turkey dinner.
You're the time of a Derby winner.
I'm a toy balloon that’s fated soon to pop,
But if baby, I'm the bottom, you're the top!

You're the top!
You're an arrow collar.
You're the top!
You're a Coolidge dollar.
You're the nimble tread of the feet of Fred Astaire.
You're an O'Neill drama,
You're Whistler's mama!
You're Camembert.

You're a rose,
You're Inferno's Dante.
You're the nose
On the great Durante.
I'm just in a way, as the French would say, "de trop".
But if baby, I'm the bottom, you're the top!

You're the top!
You're a dance in Bali.
You're the top!
You're a hot tamale.
You're an angel, you, simply too, too, too diveen.
You're a Boticcelli,
You're Keats, you're Shelly!
You're Ovaltine!

You're a boon,
You're the dam at Boulder.
You're the moon,
Over Mae West's shoulder.
I'm the nominee of the G.O.P. , or GOP!
But if baby, I'm the bottom, you're the top!

You're the top!
You're a Waldorf salad.
You're the top!
You're a Berlin ballad.
You're the boats that glide on the sleepy Zuider Zee.
You're an old Dutch master,
You're Lady Astor,
You're broccoli!

You're romance,
You're the steppes of Russia.
You're the pants
On a Roxy usher.
I'm a broken doll, a fol-de-rol, a blop!
But if baby, I'm the bottom, you're the top!

Recorded By:

Cole Porter
Barbra Streisand
Paul Whiteman
Bobby Short
Ella Fitzgerald

What a Difference a Day Made

By Maria Grever & Stanley Adams
1934

Also known as "What a Difference a Day Makes". Mexican songwriter Grever originally wrote it in Spanish as "Cuando Vuelva a Tu Lado," but American lyricist Adams gave it English words not long after (Adams also did the same for La Cucaracha.) Harry Roy and his Orchestra popularized it in America, but it's Dinah Washington's recording that's the most famous. It won her a Grammy for Best R&B Performance in 1959. True to its origins, the song is in the bolero romantic style.

Lyrics:

What a diff'rence a day made,
Twenty-four little hours,
Brought the sun and the flowers,
Where there used to be rain.

My yesterday was blue, dear.
Today I'm part of you, dear.
My lonely nights are through, dear,
Since you said you were mine.

What a diff'rence a day made,
There's a rainbow before me.
Skies above can't be stormy,
Since that moment of bliss, that thrilling kiss.

It's heaven when you
Find romance on your menu.
What a diff'rence a day made,
And the difference is you.

Recorded By:

Tony Bennett
Al Martino
Eydie Gormet
Diana Ross
Sarah Vaughan

The Moon Was Yellow

By Fred E. Ahlert & Edgar Leslie
1934

This Eastern-flavored tune was popularized in the mid 1930s by Bing Crosby. Its composer Ahlert was also responsible for such favorites as "I'll Get By", "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter", "Mean to Me" and "Walkin' My Baby Back Home"; lyricist Leslie also wrote the words to "For Me and My Gal", and was the director of ASCAP for many years. Frank Sinatra thought enough of this song to record it at Columbia (1945), Capitol (1958) and Reprise Records (1965), where he used it as the coda to his underrated Moonlight Sinatra album.

Lyrics:

The moon was yellow, and the night was young.
A smile brought us together,
And I was wond'ring whether
We'd meet again some day.

The moon was yellow, and a song was sung.
That vocal inspiration
Gave me the inclination
To give my heart away!

Here we are. Is our romance to continue?
Will it be my luck to win you?
May I look that far?

My love is mellow, and my hopes are strung
Around that cupid fellow.
Behold! The moon is yellow,
And the night is young.

Recorded By:

Dorsey Brothers
Frank Sinatra
Mario Lanza
Russ Morgan
Laurindo Almeida & Charlie Byrd