I’m In the Mood for Love

_________________________________

I’m in the Mood for Love (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields) was introduced by Frances Langford in the 1935 film Every Night at Eight.

Excerpts from the song profile at dorothyfields.uk:

It was one of seven songs written by Fields and McHugh for the 1935 film Every Night at Eight. The film starred George Raft, and (more significantly from the point of view of the songs) three singing actresses – Patsy Kelly, Alice Faye and Frances Langford – as three singing sisters on the radio.

Frances Langford introduced and recorded I’m in the Mood for Love, but the performer who had a big hit with it was Little Jack Little and his orchestra. Since then dozens of performers have recorded it (more than 120 versions are listed on record store websites).

I’m in the Mood for Love was the inspiration for another song, a jazz standard. Music critic Will Friedwald describes the original record involved as launching an entire new movement in jazz, “vocalese”. Saxophonist James Moody recorded a jazz solo which used the chords of I’m in the Mood for Love as the basis of a new melody. Lyricist/singer Eddie Jefferson then set words to the new melody. The resulting song is Moody’s Mood, and Fields/McHugh are often given credit in liner notes of recordings.

Little Jack Little and His Orchestra – 1935

.

Frances Langford introduced I’m in the Mood for Love in Every Night at Eight (1935). Her recording was also used in the overture of the film Palm Springs (1936). George Oppenheimer is credited by IMDb as co-writer of the lyrics with Dorothy Fields in each case. Perhaps the original lyrics were modified to suit the first film.

Frances Langford 

audio file from archive.org, dated 1935:

.

.

(below) undated recording, different from the one above

.

Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra – 1935

.

Dame Vera Lynn, DBE (born Vera Margaret Welch on 20 March 1917) is an English singer whose career flourished during World War II. Nicknamed “The Forces’ Sweetheart”, the songs most associated with her are “We’ll Meet Again” and “The White Cliffs of Dover”.

Lynn was born Vera Margaret Welch on 20 March 1917, in East Ham, then in Essex, now part of Greater London. Vera Lynn went to what is now called Brampton Primary School in East Ham. Her father was a plumber and Vera Welch grew up with her parents’ Cockney accent, which can still be detected when she speaks. She began singing at the age of seven in a working men’s club, and later adopted her grandmother’s maiden name for her stage name. Lynn’s first radio broadcast was in 1935 with the Joe Loss Orchestra. She was already being featured on the records of dance bands, including those led by Loss and Charlie Kunz. She made her first solo record on the Crown label in 1936, “Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire”. (The label was soon bought out by Decca.) After a short time with Loss, she sang with Kunz. Lynn then joined the dance band of Bert Ambrose. — Wikipedia excerpt

Vera Lynn – 1935

.

Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer famously performed the song in the 1936 Our Gang (Little Rascals) short The Pinch Singer.

.

Jo Stafford – date unknown

.

Dorothy Lamour – 1943

.

Frances Langford —  Command Performance radio broadcast transcription — 13 May 1944

.

Nat King Cole Trio – recorded 1944(?) – released on Nat King Cole Trio, Vol. 2, 1946

.

Julie London – from Julie is Her Name, released December 1955

.

Barbra Streisand — The provider indicates, I think, that this is from the DVD included in the special collector’s edition of her 2003 LP The Movie Album.

.

franulele – undated, vocal and ukulele

_____________________________

Moody’s Mood for Love

King Pleasure – 1954 – Moody’s Mood for Love (James Moody, Eddie Jefferson) – music composed and recorded 1949; lyrics added 1952 by Jefferson; first popular recording by King Pleasure in 1954. Note: the photos below are of the composer and the lyricist. I haven’t found a good photo of King Pleasure. Nor have I found a recording of the song reportedly made by Moody and Jefferson in 1955.

Song history from wikipedia:

James Moody created his improvised solo in 1949 on a visit to Sweden. Moody’s version clearly shows the influence of Charlie Parker. Later in 1952 , jazz singer Eddie Jefferson wrote lyrics to this improvisation by Moody, a practice known as vocalese. This particular arrangement of the song did not come to be known by its now common title of “Moody’s Mood for Love” until King Pleasure released a very popular vocal version in 1954^[4]. Following King Pleasure’s successful hit version of “Moody’s Mood for Love” Jimmy McHugh the original author of “I’m in the Mood for Love” sued for copyright infringement and won a partial victory in court. He and Moody eventually agreed to share the proceeds on sales of any versions of the tune. King Pleasure’s version included vocals by Blossom Dearie as well as instrumental contributions from Teacho and Band. Other artists who later released renditions of the song include Van Morrison, George Benson, Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, Quincy Jones, Tito Puente, Kermit Ruffins, The Ray Gelato Giants, Amy Winehouse and Georgie Fame. The TONY award-winning musical Jersey Boys featured the song. The song also has been featured on an episode of The Cosby Show, as well as in an early 1990s Gap television commercial.

The lyrics are often incorrectly attributed to King Pleasure because he was the first to record it. However, some sources report that when Pleasure was asked to write more lyrics to solos he confessed that he had not written this one. He had heard Jefferson perform it in a jazz club some years before and asked permission to reproduce it. James Moody later hired Jefferson to come on the road with him. Jefferson also appears on several recordings with Moody.

.

______________________