The Love Bug Will Bite You

By Pinky Tomlin
1937

A somewhat obscure chestnut of the late 1930s, it nonetheless enjoyed a brief moment in the sun soon after being written by musician and actor Pinky Tomlin (pictured), also responsible for the similarly infectious "The Object of My Affection". Introduced by the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra, it might best be remembered today for being included in the Little Rascals short "Our Gang Follies of 1938", in which it's sung by Darla Hood. In the 1990s, it was even adapted into Norwegian by the a cappella group Bjelleklang.

Lyrics:

The love bug will bite you if you don't watch out
If he ever bites you, then you'll sing and shout
You'll go (da-dee-da-dee-da-dee da and whoa dee doe dee doe)
That's what love is all about

You can't eat, you can't sleep, you'll go crazy
You'll just la dee da dee la all day
If someone wants to know why you're crazy 
You'll answer (da da da doo with a ho ho hay-hay)

The love bug will bite you if you don't watch out
If he ever bites you, then you'll sing and shout
You'll go (da-dee-da-dee-da-dee da and whoa dee doe dee doe)
That's what love is all about

Recorded By:

The Mills Brothers
Fats Waller
Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians
Teddy Hill
Vera Lynn

Hooray for Hollywood

By Richard A. Whiting and Johnny Mercer
1937

The unofficial theme song of the entire film industry, much of the song's enduring popularity can be attributed to Mercer's clever lyric lampooning the notion of celebrity. Since being introduced by Johnnie Davis and Frances Langford (with the Benny Goodman Orchestra) in the musical comedy Hollywood Hotel, it has gone on to become the regular soundtrack for the Academy Awards and other movie award shows. It was also notably the closing theme of Jack Benny's enormously popular radio show.

Lyrics:

Hooray for Hollywood
That screwy ballyhooey Hollywood
Where any office boy or young mechanic can be a panic
With just a good looking pan
And any barmaid can be a star maid
If she dances with or without a fan

Hooray for Hollywood,
Where you're terrific if you're even good
Where anyone at all from Shirley Temple to Aimee Semple
Is equally understood
Go out and try your luck, you might be Donald Duck
Hooray for Hollywood

Hooray for Hollywood
That phoney super-Coney Hollywood
They come from Chillicothes and Paducas with their bazookas
To get their names up in lights
All armed with photos from local rotos
With their hair in ribbon and legs in tights

Hooray for Hollywood
You may be homely in your neighbourhood
But if you think that you can be an actor, see Mr. Factor
He'll make a monkey look good
Within a half an hour you'll look like Tyrone Power
Hooray for Hollywood!

Recorded By:

Doris Day
Anita O'Day
Rosemary Clooney
Nancy Sinatra
Don Swan

I've Got Beginner's Luck

By George and Ira Gerswhin
1937

As with many classic songs, this one was written specifically for Fred Astaire to sing on film. In this case, it was for the 1937 musical Shall We Dance, for which the Gershwins wrote a whole suite of tunes. Ironically, although Astaire introduced the song, the first recording of it would be made by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra a few months before the movie actually came out. Nearly 80 years later, the song would also be included in a Broadway musical inspired by the works of the Gershwins--An American in Paris (despite the fact that it was not part of the original 1951 film.)

Lyrics: 

At any gambling casino
From Monte Carlo to Reno,
They tell you that a beginner
Comes out a winner.
Beginner fishing for flounder
Will catch a seventeen pounder;
That's what I've always heard
And always thought absurd,
But now I believe every word!

For I've got beginner's luck;
The first time I'm in love
I'm in love with you,
Gosh I'm lucky!

I've got beginner's luck;
There never was such a smile
Or such eyes of blue,
Gosh I'm fortunate!

This thing we've begun
Is much more than a pastime,
For this time is the one
Where the first time is the last time!

I've got beginner's luck,
Lucky through and through,
For the first time that I'm in love,
I'm in love with you!

Recorded By:

Bobby Short
Ella Fitzgerald
Maureen McGovern
Chris Connor
Tommy Dorsey

September in the Rain

By Harry Warren and Al Dubin
1937

One of a series of memorable songs the Warren/Dubin team would compose for Warner Bros. musicals in the 1930s, this one was written for the film Melody for Two, in which it was introduced by tenor James Melton. Immediately following the film's release, there were three commercial recordings made in 1937 alone: by Melton, Guy Lombardo and Pauline Byrns. A decade later, the song had a resurgence in popularity, by which point it had become a standard. It has since been recorded countless times, including by The Beatles, who included it in their failed audition for Decca Records.

Lyrics:

The leaves of brown came tumblin' down, remember
In September in the rain
The sun went out just like a dying ember
That September in the rain

To every word of love I heard you whisper
The raindrops seemed to play a sweet refrain
Though spring is here, to me it's still September
That September in the rain

Recorded By:

Frank Sinatra
Julie London
Jo Stafford
The Platters
Dinah Washington

The Lady Is a Tramp

By Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart

1937

Just this past Saturday, I'm proud to say that Standard of the Day celebrated its fourth birthday. In honor of this event, tonight I'm presenting what is truly one of the most recognizable and beloved (not to mention gorgeous) standards of all time. Rodgers & Hart composed the tune for their stage musical Babes in Arms, in which it was introduced by Mitzi Green. Hart's lyrics in particular are quite clever and have led to much speculation--they're basically a cheeky lampoon of New York society, about a woman rejected because she refuses to adhere to their mores.

The song is absolutely timeless, and has become one of the most recorded ever. Specifically, Frank Sinatra made it one of his signature tunes thanks to his performance of it in the 1950s film version of Pal Joey. Many others have made it their own as well, as recently as the high-profile duet of Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga.

Lyrics:

She gets too hungry for dinner at eight,
She loves the theater but she never comes late.  
She never bothers with people she'd hate, 
That's why the lady is a tramp.
 
She doesn't like crap games with barons and earls, 
Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls, 
She won't dish the dirt with the rest of those girls. 
That's why the lady is a tramp!
 
She loves the free, fresh wind in her hair, 
Life without care  
She's broke, but it's oke!  
She hates California, it's crowded and damp, 
That's why the lady is a tramp!
 
She goes to Coney, the beach is divine.
She loves the Yankees, and the bleachers are fine, 
She follows Winchell, and reads every line, 
That's why the lady is a tramp! 

She loves a prize fight that isn't a fake,  
She loves to go rowing on Central Park Lake, 
She goes to the opera and stays wide awake,
That's why the lady is a tramp!
 
She likes the green grass under her shoes,
What can she lose?  
No dough! Oh, no! 
She's all alone when she lowers her lamp, 
That's why the lady is a tramp!

Recorded By:

Buddy Greco

Lena Horne

Tommy Dorsey

Ella Fitzgerald

Shirley Bassey

Though tempted to include the Sinatra Pal Joey footage, in honor of SOTD's fourth birthday, I give you my own daughter Layla's impromptu rendition of the song from March 2011 (she was 9 at the time)...

They Can't Take That Away from Me

By George & Ira Gershwin
1937

Last Thursday officially made three full years that Standard of the Day has been in existence, and to belatedly commemorate that milestone, today we shine the spotlight on one of the most celebrated standards of them all, which the Gershwin brothers composed for the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musical, Shall We Dance. Astaire introduces the tune in the movie, singing it to Rogers in a rare musical number with no dancing. Ira's lyric is a perfect mixture of joy and sadness, as our lover declares to his paramour that no amount of distance could erase the memories they've shared. Also of note is the ingenious way the lyric pairs up very mundane aspects of the beloved ("The way you hold your knife"), with more profound aspects ("The way you changed my life"). A lilting, perfect melody from the immortal George Gershwin completes this ultimate love ballad. George Gershwin passed on shortly after the movie was released, but was posthumously nominated, along with his brother, for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Thanks to everyone for continuing to read and support SOTD. Let's continue keeping these old songs alive together, shall we?

Lyrics:

Our romance won't end on a sorrowful note, though by tomorrow you're gone.
The song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote, the melody lingers on.
They may take you from me. I'll miss your fond caress.
But though they take you from me, I'll still possess...

The way you wear your hat,
The way you sip your tea,
The memory of all that.
No, no, they can't take that away from me.

The way your smile just beams,
The way you sing off-key,
The way you haunt my dreams.
No, no, they can't take that away from me.

We may never, never meet again on the bumpy road to love,
Still I'll always, always keep the memory of...

The way you hold your knife,
The way we danced till three,
The way you changed my life,
No, no, they can't take that away from me.
No, they can't take that away from me.

Recorded By:

Tony Bennett
Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holiday
Charlie Parker
Frank Sinatra

My Funny Valentine

By Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
1937

One of the absolutely timeless Rodgers & Hart compositions, and a perfect example of how the best old standards expressed true, honest emotion without resorting to trite cliche. It was written for the show Babes in Arms, and introduced on stage by Mitzi Green. Accompanied by a lush and thoughtful Rodgers melody, Hart's lyric recounts a love for an individual who may not be perfect, but has captured the author's heart nevertheless. What a difference from contemporary culture's stress on perfection--and a perfect sentiment to keep in mind this Valentine's Day as you spend time with your own funny Valentine...

Lyrics:

My funny Valentine,
Sweet comic Valentine,
You make me smile with my heart.
Your looks are laughable,
Unphotographable,
Yet you're my favorite work of art.

Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little weak?
When you open it to speak,
Are you smart?

But don't change a hair for me,
Not if you care for me,
Stay, little Valentine, stay...
Each day is Valentine's Day.

Recorded By:

Frank Sinatra
Chet Baker
Sarah Vaughan
Bobby Darrin
Miles Davis

I See Your Face Before Me

By Arthur Schwartz & Howard Dietz
1937

From the sublime pairing of Schwartz and Dietz came this breezily melodic chestnut, introduced in the stage musical Between the Devil by Jack Buchanan, Evelyn Laye and Adele Dixon. The composer's son, renowned radio personality Jonathan Schwartz, recalled in his memoir, All in Good Time, that his parents were particularly fond of singing him this song as a lullaby.

Lyrics:

I see your face before me,
Crowding my every dream.
There is your face before me,
You are my only theme.

It doesn't matter where you are,
I can see how fair you are.
I close my eyes and there you are,
Always.

If you could share the magic,
If you could see me, too,
There would be nothing tragic
In all my dreams of you.

Would that my love could haunt you so,
Knowing I want you so.
I can't erase,
Your beautiful face before me.

Recorded By:

Jack Jones
Johnny Hartman
Dave Brubeck
Mildred Bailey
Sonny Rollins

Blue Hawaii

By Leo Robin & Ralph Rainger
1937

Bing Crosby introduced this breezy, evocative song in both the motion picture Waikiki Wedding (for which it was written), and on record that same year. It would also be the title track of an Elvis Presley movie nearly 25 years later. Part of the Polynesian craze of the 1930s (not to be confused with the Polynesian craze of the 1950s)...

Lyrics:

Night and you,
And blue Hawaii.
The night is heavenly,
And you are heaven to me.

Lovely you,
And blue Hawaii.
With all this loveliness,
There should be love.

Come with me
While the moon is on the sea,
The night is young
And so are we, so are we.

Dreams come true,
In blue Hawaii,
And mine could all come true
This magic night of nights with you.

Recorded By:

Frank Sinatra
David Byrne
Gene Autry
Ray Coniff
Ray Charles

A Foggy Day

By George & Ira Gershwin
1937

A truly delightful Gershwin treasure, written by the brothers for the film A Damsel in Distress. As with so many Gershwin classics, it was introduced in the movie by the one and only Fred Astaire, a performer whose class and style perfectly matched that of the song itself.

Lyrics:

A foggy day,
In London town,
It had me low,
And it had me down.
I viewed the morning
With much alarm.
The british museum
Had lost its charm.

How long, I wondered,
Could this thing last?
But the age of miracles,
It hadn't past.
And suddenly,
I saw you standing right there.
And in foggy London town,
The sun was shining everywhere.

Recorded By:

Frank Sinatra
Doris Day
Sarah Vaughan
Judy Garland
Charles Mingus

In the Still of the Night

By Cole Porter
1937

A landmark Porter tune, evocative, poignant, and an excellent representation of his incomparable work. It was original written for the motion picture Rosalie, in which it was sung by none other than Nelson Eddy. Tommy Dorsey made a #3 hit with it that fall, with the first commercial recording of the song. Since then, it has become one of the most often recorded Porter songs.

Lyrics:

In the still of the night,
As I gaze out of my window
At the moon in it's flight,
My thoughts all stray to you.

In the moon's yellow light,
While the world is in slumber,
Ah, the times without number,
Darling, when I say to you:

"Do you love me, as I love you?
Are you my life to be,
My dream come true?
Or will this dream of mine
Fade out of sight?
While the moon's growing dim
On the rim of the hill,
In the chill, still of the night.

Recorded By:

Sammy Davis Jr.
Frank Sinatra
Ella Fitzgerald
Della Reese
Carly Simon

Where or When

By Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
1937

A slowly rising, powerful ballad from Rodger & Hart, this one was introduced by Ray Heatherton and Mitzi Green on stage in Babes in Arms. The song also made it into the 1939 musical film of the same name. Although a hit for many artists at the time, it was resurrected more than 20 years later with a number three hit for Dion & The Belmonts.

Lyrics:

When you're awake, the things you think
Come from the dream you dream.
Thought has wings, and lots of things
Are seldom what they seem.
Sometimes you think you've lived before--
All that you live today,
Things you do come back to you,
As though they knew the way.
Oh, the tricks your mind can play.

It seems we stood and talked like this, before.
We looked at each other in the same way then,
But I can't remember where or when.

The clothes you're wearing are the clothes you wore.
The smile you are smiling you were smiling then,
But I can't remember where or when.

Some things that happened for the first time
Seem to be happening again.

And so, it seems that we have met before,
And that we laughed before, also loved before,
But who knows where or when?

Recorded By:

Hal Kemp
Frank Sinatra
The Lettermen
Julie Andrews
Count Basie

They All Laughed

By George & Ira Gershwin
1937

A charming classic written for the Astaire/Rogers musical Shall We Dance. Ginger was the one to introduce it in the movie. It's light-hearted melody and engaging, Porter-esque lyric (one of Ira Gershwin's best) has long made it a favorite of jazz and traditional pop vocalists.

Lyrics:

They all laughed at Christopher Columbus
When he said the world was round.
They all laughed when Edison recorded sound.
They all laughed at Wilbur and his brother
When they said that man could fly.

They told Marconi
Wireless was a phony.
It's the same old cry--
They laughed at me wanting you;
Said I was reaching for the moon.
But oh, you came through,
Now they'll have to change their tune.

They all said we never could be happy,
They laughed at us and how!
But ho, ho, ho!
Who's got the last laugh now?

They all laughed at Rockefeller Center,
Now they're fighting to get in.
They all laughed at Whitney and his cotton gin.
They all laughed at Fulton and his steamboat,
Hershey and his chocolate bar.

Ford and his Lizzie
Kept the laughers busy.
That's how people are.
They laughed at me wanting you,
Said it would be, "Hello, Goodbye."
And oh, you came through,
Now they're eating humble pie

They all said we'd never get together.
Darling, let's take a bow,
For ho, ho, ho!
Who's got the last laugh?
Hee, hee, hee!
Let's at the past laugh,
Ha, ha, ha!
Who's got the last laugh now?

Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald
Frank Sinatra
Stacey Kent
Chet Baker
Tony Bennett

Easy Living

By Ralph Rainger & Leo Robin
1937

Written for the film of the same name, the song was originally performed as an instrumental, but became a big vocal hit for Billie Holiday and the Teddy Wilson orchestra shortly after the pictures' release. It has been popular with jazz artists ever since. The song was re-used in the 1949 movie of the same name (different plot), in which it was sung by Audrey Wilder, wife of director Billy Wilder.

Lyrics:

Living for you is easy living.
It's easy to live when you're in love,
And I'm so in love.
There is nothing in life but you.

I never regret the years that I'm giving,
They're easy to give when you're in love.
I'm happy to do
Whatever I do for you.

For you maybe I'm a fool,
But its fun.
People say you rule me with one wave of your hand.
Darling, its grand.
They just don't understand.

Living for you is easy living.
It's easy to live when you're in love.
And I'm so in love.
There's nothing in life but you.

Recorded By:

Chet Baker
Stan Getz
Ann Hampton Callaway
Dinah Washington
Sarah Vaughan

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

Have You Met Miss Jones?

By Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
1937

This is the only song that survived Rodgers & Hart's political satire I'd Rather Be Right, which starred George M. Cohan as FDR. In the show, it was introduced by Austin Marshall and Joy Hodges. Some credit the chord transition in the bridge with inspiring John Coltrane to come up with his trademark key-changing bridges. Robbie Williams' 2001 rendition for the soundtrack of Bridget Jones' Diary renewed interest in the tune.

Lyrics:

It happened--
I felt it happen.
I was awake,
I wasn't blind.
I didn't think--
I felt it happen.
Now I believe in matter over mind.
And now, you see, we mustn't wait.
The nearest moment that we marry is too late!

"Have you met Miss Jones?"
Someone said as we shook hands,
She was just Miss Jones to me.

Then I said, "Miss Jones,
You're a girl who understands,
I'm a boy who must be free."

And all at once I lost my breath,
And all at once was scared to death,
And all at once I held the earth and sky!

Now I've met Miss Jones,
And we'll keep on meeting till we die,
Miss Jones and I.

Recorded By:

Ella Fitzgerald
Frank Sinatra
Oscar Peterson
Art Tatum
Sarah Vaughan

I Wish I Were in Love Again

By Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart
1937

Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland would make a hit with it in the 1948 movie Words and Music, but Rodgers & Hart had written the tune for Grace McDonald and Rolly Pickert in the original Broadway production of Babes in Arms--the same show that produced "The Lady Is a Tramp", "Where or When?" and "My Funny Valentine". It's worth noting that the song has come under attack over the years for being misogynistic in its glorified portrayal of a woman who seemingly enjoys being abused by men.

Lyrics:

You don't know that I felt good
When we up and parted.
You don't know I knocked on wood,
Gladly broken-hearted.
Worrying is trought,
I sleep all night,
Appetite and health restored.
You don't know how much I'm bored!

The sleepless nights,
The daily fights,
The qick toboggan when you reach the heights--
I miss the kisses, and I miss the bites.
I wish I were in love again!

The broken dates,
The endless waits,
The lovely loving and the hateful hates,
The conversations with the flying plates--
I wish I were in love again!

No more pain,
No more strain.
Now I'm sane but ...
I would rather be ga-ga!

The pulled-out fur
Of cat and cur,
The fine mismating of a him and her--
I've learned my lesson, but I wish I were
In love again!

The furtive sighs,
The blackened eyes,
The words "I'll love you till the day I die",
The self-deception the believes the lie--
I wish I were in love again!

When love congeals,
It soon reveals
The faint aroma of performing seals,
The double-crossong of a pair of heels--
I wish I were in love again!

No more care,
No despair.
I'm all there now,
But I'd rather be punch-drunk!

Belive me sir,
I much prefer
The classic battle of a him and her.
I don't like quiet and
I wish I were in love again!

Recorded By:

Julie Andrews
Ella Fitzgerald
Joni Mitchell
Frank Sinatra
Judy Garland

Someday My Prince Will Come

By Larry Morey & Frank Churchill
1937

A classic example of the ability of the Disney studio to create timeless standards, once upon a time. First sung in Disney's original animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Adriana Caselotti, the voice of Snow White, it took another 20 years for it to become a bona fide standard when it was rediscovered by Dave Brubeck.

Lyrics:

Some day my prince will come,
Some day we'll meet again,
And away to his castle we'll go,
To be happy forever, I know.

Some day when spring is here,
We'll find our love anew,
And the birds will sing,
And wedding bells will ring,
Some day when my dreams come true.

Recorded By:

Miles Davis
Barbra Streisand
Sinead O'Connor
Oscar Peterson
Herbie Hancock

Me, Myself and I

By Irving Gordon, Allan Roberts & Alvin S. Kaufman
1937

Like Fred Astaire, Billie Holiday had the privilege of introducing a great many standards, and this is one of the most charming. It was written by former song parodist Gordon, with lyrics by Roberts and Kaufman, his collaborators at Mills Music, then the largest independent song publisher in the world. Gordon was also responsible for Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable".

Lyrics:

Me, myself and I
Are only loving you.
We all think you’re wonderful, we do.

Me, myself and I
Have just one point of view:
We’re convinced there’s no one else like you.

It can’t be denied dear,
You brought the sun to us,
We’d be satisfied dear,
If you belonged to one of us.

So if you pass me by,
Three hearts will break in two,
‘Cause me, myself and I
Are all in love with you.

Recorded By:

Billie Holiday
Benny Goodman
Tony Bennett
Lester Young
Bob Howard