Songbook site index

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About the site
1890-1969 selected standards and hits pages
Galleries: performing artist and songwriter
Galleries: film
Songwriters to 1954
Songwriters, 1955-1975
Complete page index
Film Musicals and Revues: selected films and songs, 1929-47
Performing Artist features
Jazz Age
Swing Eras 1 and 2
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Acknowledgments
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• 1890-1899 selected hits and standards
• 1900-1909 selected standards and hits
• 1910-1919 selected standards, hits, and special features
• 1920-1929
• 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926 (1), 1926 (2), 1927, 1928, 1929
• 1930-1939
• 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, additional 1930s hits and standards
• 1940-1949
• 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949
• 1950–1954 selected standards and hits
• 1955-1959
• 1960s: selected performers
• 1960s: selected songs
• 1970s: selected performers and songs

Posts:

• Songbook

Lady Day: The Many Faces of Billie Holiday – 1990 documentary, directed by Matthew Seig; based on the book of the same name written by Robert O’Meally

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(above) header tab 5 generation browse demonstration: Page Index > Songbook site index > Songwriter > Songwriters to 1954 > Berlin, Irving > Berlin pages (11) — correction: The page Irving Berlin: selected songs of 1909 and 1910 is now included in the Berlin drop down index.

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What is a “Songbook standard”?

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Sometime this year I evidently accidentally deleted the page “What do you mean by “Songbook standard”?, originally published in March 2017. However, I hadn’t noticed that it was missing until yesterday. I was able to recover most of the content of the page from Wayback Machine, but some repair was necessary. The images needed to be replaced, and all of the many links in the content, and in the comments on the old page, were broken and needed to be restored. I’ve included the comments within the new version of the page that I created today, below the main content. Here’s a link to the page:

What do you mean by “Songbook standard”?

The 50 best songs about…anything

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Other than in this post, the phrases “best song,” “greatest song,” and their plural forms (“best songs,” “greatest songs”) do not appear in the pages and posts of this site. I don’t believe in lists of the “best” or “greatest” anything. I’ve done my best to keep such expressions out, but I noticed recently that a few had crept in by way of copied quotes that reference Academy Awards nominations or wins for Best Song. These have been hastily expunged, and I think it might be the greatest thing I’ve ever done, or at least among the top 50 all-time best things.

Autumn in Rome

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Autumn in Rome (m. Alessandro Cicognini, Paul Weston, w. Sammy Cahn) — The copyright entry (link changed, 11/7/2021), dated 25 January 1954, gives the songwriting credits as follows: “by Sammy Cahn and Paul Weston from an original score by Alessandro Cicognini.”

A performance of the song by Patti Page is featured in the 1954 short film Autumn in Rome, in which Page also sings another song, “Indiscretion,” written by Paul Weston and Sammy Cahn. This filmed performance of “Autumn in Rome” by Page does not, as suggested by SecondHandSongs, appear in the film Stazione Termini (1953), directed and produced by Vittorio De Sica and starring Montgomery Clift and Jennifer Jones. Nor does it appear in the US version of the film, Indiscretion of an American Wife (1954), and the song is not part of the soundtrack of any version of the De Sica film. Instead the 8-minute short was shown in US theaters before the title sequence of Indiscretion of an American Wife as a kind of prologue to the film. The complete 63-minute US version of ‘Indiscretion‘ may presently be seen at YouTube, here.

From the Production section of the Wikipedia page on Terminal Station:

The original 1953 Italian release of the film ran 89 minutes, but it was later re-edited by Selznick down to 64 [sic] minutes. This was too short to qualify it as a feature film, so Selznick hired singer Patti Page, and filmed her singing two Italian-themed songs on a soundstage with James Wong Howe and attached this unrelated “overture” footage to the beginning of the film, before the credits, giving it a technical running time of 72 minutes.^[9] … Selznick released this version in the United States as Indiscretion of an American Wife^[10] (and as Indiscretion in the UK).

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Paul Weston and his Orchestra — This may be the earliest recording of the song. Despite the copyright date of 25 January 1954 cited above, this recording seems to have been released on a single weeks earlier, although exactly when is in question (see “disagreement” below).

disagreement in reported release dates:

• January 4, 1954……45 rpm single Columbia 4-40152, b/w “Indiscretion,” according to 45cat.com
• December 1953…..45 rpm single Columbia 4-40152, b/w “Indiscretion,” according to Discogs.com

The Online Discographical Project, 78discography.com, indicates that the 78 rpm single Columbia 40152, c/w “Indiscretion,” was recorded sometime in December 1953, which might have been misinterpreted by Discogs.com as the release date. The single was reviewed in the January 30 issue of Billboard magazine, on page 44. The same two sides were also issued on the Philips label in New Zealand (1954) and the Netherlands (date unknown).

The 1954 Paul Weston album Music for Jennifer, a compilation of songs from films starring Jennifer Jones, features “Autumn in Rome” as the initial track on side one. I presume that this is the same recording found on the singles. While the Weston recording is an instrumental, lyricist Sammy Cahn is credited on the labels of both the album and the singles, indicating that the song was in its completed form when the recording was made.

from the album Music for Jennifer, Columbia CL 6281, released in 1954

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Patti Page — from the 1954 short film Autumn in Rome, released on 10 May 1954, according to IMDb*

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Peggy Lee — recorded on 1 March 1954 at Decca Studios in Los Angeles, with Victor Young and His Singing Strings; issued in March 1954 on the 45 rpm single (US) Decca 9-29076, b/w “Johnny Guitar,” and on the 78 rpm single (US) Decca 29076**, as the B-side of “Johnny Guitar.”

It’s not clear to me whether this recording preceded the Patti Page soundtrack recording, but I think it’s likely since the latter wasn’t released until 10 May 1954. The arrangements on the early Peggy Lee and Patti Page recordings of the song always remind me of the 1946 standard “Angel Eyes,” which I think they are heavily indebted to. My page on “Angel Eyes” is presently closed for repairs.

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audio file, VBR MP3 (4.2 MB), from the page Autumn in Rome at archive.org:

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The Ray Charles Singers — from the LP Autumn Nocturne, MGM Records E-3145, E3145, released in November 1954; reissued in 1963 as Autumn Moods, MGM Records SE-4163

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audio file, VBR MP3 (3.4 MB), from the page Autumn Nocturne at archive.org:

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Nilla Pizzi — Italian-lyric version “Autunno in Roma,” with words by Giacomo Mario Gili — issued in 1954 on the 45 rpm EP RCA Italiana A72V 0018; with Orchestra directed by Armando Trovajoli

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October Twilight

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October Twilight (m. Henry Hadley, w. Guy Wood) – Henry Kimball Hadley’s composition “October Twilight” is, according to a Princeton University Library catalog entry, the second of three parts of a group of compositions, identified as “Three characteristic numbers,” that was published in 1922. In its “October Twilight” page, the website HenryHadley.com suggests that the 1922 version was a piano solo, while admitting no knowledge of recordings in that form, and indicates that words were added by Guy Wood in 1947.

Victor Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Philip James — recorded on 24 June 1938 (Victor matrix CS-023731) in New York City, NY, and released in February 1940 on “Album M-634,” which is evidently a two-record set consisting of Victor 12599 and Victor 12600. Three of the four sides of the album contain parts of “Concertino for Piano and Orchestra,” and the B-side of Victor 12600 is “October Twilight.”

Video created by Eric Anderson; published 24 December 2011 at YouTube

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Frankie Carle and his Orchestra, vocal: Nan Wright — recorded on 15 December 1947, according to Henry König’s Musiktiteldatenbank (@http://musiktiteldb.de); issued 30 August 1948 on the 78 rpm single Columbia 38291, b/w “A New Kind of Song” — This is the first recording I know of that features the lyric by Guy Wood.

The 28 August 1948 issue of Billboard magazine includes the Frankie Carle recording of “October Twilight” in its Advanced Record Releases, on page 35. Billboard’s September 25, 1948 issue includes the Carle recording as the ninth in a group of ten titles in The Disk Jockey’s Pick, found on page 33, prefacing the list with the comment “Based on a weekly survey among 1200 of them, the disk jockeys think tomorrow’s hits will be…”

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audio file, VBR MP3 (5.5 MB), from the page October Twilight at archive.org:

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Steve Conway with Orchestra conducted by Peter Yorke — issued in August 1948 on the 78 rpm single Columbia F.B. 3416, b/w “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime”

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Geraldo and his Orchestra, vocal: Archie Lewis — recorded on 7 September 1948; issued on the 78 rpm single (UK) Parlophone F. 2306, as the B-side of “When You’re in Love”

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Ralph Sharon — from the 1953 album Autumn Leaves, (UK) Decca LF 1138, (US) London Records LB 842 — Discogs.com incorrectly credits the composition of not only “October Twilight” but also “Shine On Harvest Moon” to Ralph Sharon. Both numbers were published before he was born.

audio file, VBR MP3 (3.4 MB), from the page History American Pop 007 at archive.org:

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Ralph Flanagan and his Orchestra — from the 1961 LP Dance To The “New Live” Sound Of Ralph Flanagan, Coral CRL 57363 (Mono), CRL 757363 (Stereo)

audio file, VBR MP3 (2.9 MB), from a page featuring the album at archive.org:

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Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra — from their 2017 album Entreaty, CD Baby B072LMWH2C

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Theodore Buchholz (cello), Paula Fan (piano)– from the album Afterglow: The Forgotten Works for Cello & Piano by Henry Hadley, Centaur CRC3780, released on 5 June 2020

Could It Be I’m Falling in Love … The Spinners

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Could It Be I’m Falling in Love (Mystro & Lyric)

Wikipedia says:

The song was co-written by Melvin and Mervin Steals, two songwriter brothers working for Atlantic, who were sometimes credited as “Mystro and Lyric.”^[1] It was produced by Thom Bell, recorded at Philly’s Sigma Sound Studios and the house band MFSB provided the backing. Bobby Smith sings lead through most of the song while Philippé Wynne handles vocal duties on the song’s outro.

Released as the follow-up single to the group’s first hit for Atlantic Records, “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” would equal the success of its predecessor, peaking at number one on the R&B chart and number four on the Billboard Pop Singles chart^[2] and selling over one million copies. The song also found success in the UK, peaking at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.

The Spinners — originally issued 12 December 1972 on the 45 rpm single Atlantic 45-2927, b/w “Just You and Me Baby” — arranged, conducted, and produced by Thom Bell; included on the 1973 album Spinners*, Atlantic SD 7256

lyric: Genius, AZLyrics, STLyrics — Note: Each of these lyric sites get lines 2 and 6 of the outro wrong. I was unable to find the correct words to the entire outro online, so I transcribed them (see below).

rap by Philippé Wynne in the outro (transcribed by doc, 10/16/2021; edit, 10/17):

I walk around with my heart in my hands, hey
I want this feeling long as I can, baby
I used to sing fa fa fa fa
But right now I feel so good, I sing la la la la
Once you get me up, won’t let me down
Just let this feeling carry all about town
Skip the beats with my heart, girl

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on Soul Train, Season 2, Episode 21, airdate: Saturday, 24 February 1973

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live on The Midnight Special, 1973

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* About the 1973 album Spinners, Discogs.com says:

Spinners is the third studio album recorded by American R&B group The Spinners, produced by Thom Bell and released in April 1973 on the Atlantic label. The album was the group’s first for Atlantic after leaving Motown.
Spinners includes their first American top-ten and R&B number-one hit “I’ll Be Around”, along with the successful songs “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love”, “One of a Kind (Love Affair)”, “Ghetto Child”, and “How Could I Let You Get Away”.

The album was also the second of fourteen straight studio albums to make the Billboard 200, and their first in the Top-twenty, as it reached #14 on the charts. Additionally, it was their first of three consecutive R&B albums chart-toppers – and the second to hit those charts overall.

Autumn Serenade

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Autumn Serenade (m. Peter De Rose, w. Sammy Gallop) — © 2 February 1945

Hal McIntyre and his Orchestra, with Voices — recorded on 7 May 1945, and issued in July 1945 (or August 1945) on the 78 rpm single RCA Victor 20-1711 (also Victor 20-1711), b/w “Some Sunday Morning”

audio file, VBR MP3 (5.1 MB), from the page Autumn Serenade (1) at archive.org:

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Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra, vocal: Dick Culver — arranged by Sonny Burke; recorded on 6 September 1945 in Los Angeles, CA; issued in October 1945 on the 78 rpm single Decca 18716, as the B-side of “Come to Baby Do” (Inez James, Sidney Miller)

audio file, VBR MP3 (4.7 MB), from the page Autumn Serenade (2) at archive.org:

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The Modernaires with Paula Kelly, Orchestra under the direction of Mitchell Ayres — issued 28 November 1945 on the 78 rpm single Columbia 36878, c/w “Coffee Five, Doughnuts Five”

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Dinah Shore with Orchestra directed by Robert Emmett Dolan — radio broadcast transcription; from the Birds Eye Open House episode “Locked in a Department Store” (091), airdate: 27 December 1945

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Sam “The Man” Taylor with Strings, arranged and conducted by LeRoy Holmes – from the 1956 album Out of This World, MGM Records E3380

audio file, VBR MP3 (4.5 MB), from the page Out of This World at archive.org:

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Les Elgart and his Orchestra – from the 1956 album The Elgart Touch, Columbia CL 875

audio file, VBR MP3 (3.9 MB), from the page The Elgart Touch at archive.org:

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John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman — recorded 7 March 1963 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ; released in 1963 on the album John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Impulse! A-40 (Mono), Impulse! Stereo A-40 and AS-40 (Stereo)

• Johnny Hartman – vocals
• John Coltrane – tenor saxophone
• McCoy Tyner – piano
• Jimmy Garrison – double bass
• Elvin Jones – drums

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Hank Jones and Frank Wess — recorded 29 November 2003 at Nola Recording Studios, NY; released on the CD album Hank and Frank, Lineage LIN-103

Hank Jones – piano
Frank Wess – tenor sax
Ilya Lushtak – guitar
John Webber – bass
Mickey Roker – drums

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Will Sellenraad – guitar solo; premiered on YouTube, 13 November 2020

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Sideshow — Blue Magic, 1974

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Sideshow (Bobby Eli, Vinnie Barrett)

Blue Magic — produced by Norman Harris; originally released in January 1974 as the first track on side 1 of the band’s eponymous debut album, ATCO Records SD 7038; also issued in April 1974 on the single ATCO 45-6961, b/w “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely”

performance on Soul Train, 1974

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single ATCO 45-6961, b/w “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely”

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songwriter links

Bobby Eli

Bobby Eli – Wikipedia

Songs written by Bobby Eli | SecondHandSongs

Bobby Eli Discography at Discogs: Writing-Arrangement – Credits

bobby eli (@phillysoulman) / Twitter

Bobby Eli Page (@soulwalking.co.uk)

Bobby Eli | Facebook

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Vinnie Barrett

Vinnie Barrett – Wikipedia

Songs written by Vinnie Barrett | SecondHandSongs

Vinnie Barrett | Discography | Discogs

Vinnie Barrett (@fbtechguys.com)

VINNIE BARRETT (@motorvehicle) | Twitter

Vinnie Barrett | Facebook

I’d Die — The Skyliners, 1963, with lyric

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I’d Die (m. Jimmy Beaumont, w. Joe Rock) – The Skyliners

lyric — transcribed by doc (Jim Radcliff) on 8/5/2021, edit 8/6

If the sun should forget to shine
I don’t think it would bother me
But if I thought that you weren’t really mine
I’d die, oh can’t you see

And if every sea would just run dry
I’d smile and say that’s how it goes
But if there were to be no you and I
I’d die, yes, heaven knows

Take every star out of heaven
And I just couldn’t care less
But if you take your love away
I’d die for loneliness

If the moon should fade out of sight
It would be a whole year before I’d know
But if never again I could hold you tight
I’d die, because I love you so
Love you so (repeat and fade)

• See Unsung Lyrics, transcribed by doc.

The Skyliners — issued in June 1963 on the single Atco 45-6270, as the B-side of “Since I Fell for You”

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(below) better slideshow; lower audio quality

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Skyliners links:

• Wikipedia
• Jimmy Beaumont & the Skyliners
• Facebook: The Skyliners
• Jimmy Beaumont
• Joe Rock: AllMusic, SecondHandSongs.com
• Pittsburgh Music History
• Doo Wop (doo-wop.blogg.org)
• 45cat.com
• Discogs.com

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Fannee Doolee

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Fannee Doolee (Theresa Zamorski, Newton Wayland)

The song “Fannee Doolee” was introduced on the original ZOOM television series in Episode 1 of Season 2, which was originally broadcast on 1 October 1972. At the beginning of the production number featuring the song, text overlay indicates that the song is “based on a poem by Theresa Zamorski, South Amboy, New Jersey.” A recording of the song is featured on the ZOOM album Come On and ZOOM, A&M Records SP-3402, released in 1974.

ZOOM musical director Newton Wayland used Theresa’s poem in creating this song, but both the poem and the song were inspired by a word game called “Fannee Doolee” that had been introduced in the first season of ZOOM (1972).

about “Fannee Doolee,” the word game:

• Fannee Doolee @Word Wiz
• F: She Likes Puzzles @Words & Stuff
• Things Fannee Doolee Likes Quiz @Sporcle

(above) ZOOM season 2 (1972-1973), cast 1 of 3: (left to right, back) Ann Messer, Jay Schertzer, Maura Mullaney, Kenny Pires, Nancy Tates; (front) David Alberico, Tracy Tannebring

ZOOM cast 1 of Season 2 performs the number in Episode 1, broadcast on 1 October 1972 — video posted on 21 April 2021 by 70’s Zoomfan 01

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Fannee Doolee (Theresa Zamorski, Newton Wayland) – lyric transcribed by doc (Jim Radcliff) on 26 April 2021, from the ZOOM, Season 2, Episode 1 number

Who is Fannee Doolee?

F, A, double N, double E, D, double O, L, double E
F, A, double N, double E, D, double O, L, double E

Once, to be funny, Fannee Doolee replied
There’s something about me that I cannot hide
I hate to read, but I love a good book
I hate to bake, but it’s fun to cook
I hate colors, but I do love green
I hate centers, but love things in between

Golly gee, Fannee Doolee
When are you gonna tell us who ya be, be, be?
Won’t you give us a clue
Tell us whadda we do, what do we do
To find out who you be

F, A, double N, double E, D, double O, L, double E
F, A, double N, double E, D, double O, L, double E

I hate to learn, but I think schools are groovy
Cartoons are a ball, but I can’t stand a movie
I’m a friend to both rabbits and bunnies
In newspapers all I read are the funnies
Hot weather’s a drag, but I really dig summer
Don’t like to sing, but, oh boy, I’m a hummer

Golly gee, Fannee Doolee
When are you gonna tell us who ya be, be, be?
Won’t you give us a clue
Tell us whadda we do, what do we do
To find out who you be

F, A, double N, double E, D, double O, L, double E (5 times)

Good reason there is for this rhymable rhyme
And if you don’t know what I mean by this time
Listen not to the words that are in the telling
Hurry and take a quick look at the spelling

F, A, double N, double E, D, double O, L, double E (3 times)

transcribed by doc (Jim Radcliff), 4/26/2021

(below) from the album Come On and ZOOM, A&M Records SP-3402, released in 1974 — video posted on 3 August 2020, by Greg Ehrbar