This Girl’s in Love with You — selected early recordings, 1968-1972

____________________________________

See also the Songbook page

This Guy’s in Love with You — featuring recordings with the original lyric

____________________________________

This Guy’s in Love with You (m. Burt Bacharach, w. Hal David) — This page contains recordings of the song under the title “This Girl’s in Love with You,” sung or performed by females, with the lyric (when used) modified accordingly. The final lines of the chorus as originally sung by Herb Alpert become problematic when the singer is female. The ending of the original goes

Say you’re in love
In love with this guy
If not, I’ll just die

If you modify “guy” in the penultimate line to “girl,” “gal,” or the like, you lose the rhyme on the final word. This predicament has been variously remedied or ignored in recordings by female artists. Some modify the line to preserve both the rhyme and gender identification, some forfeit the rhyme, while Marva Whitney sings the original ending unchanged — earlier she refers to herself as “this girl,” but now she’s “this guy.” Liza Minnelli and Ella Fitzgerald each make unique substitutions.

The penultimate line sung by our selected artists:

Eydie Gorme: And you’ll be my guy
Petula Clark: In love with this girl
Dusty Springfield: In love with this girl
Dionne Warwick: And you’ll be my guy
Brenda Lee: And you’ll be my guy
Barbara Acklin: And you’ll be my guy
Salena Jones: In love with this girl
Aretha Franklin: And you’ll be my guy
Marva Whitney: In love with this guy
Liza Minnelli: In love, you and I
Mary Stallings: And you’ll be my guy
Ella Fitzgerald (Montreux): In love with me, guy (removed)
Ella Fitzgerald (Kraft Music Hall, 1969) — see below

The version by Ella Fitzgerald for her 1969 Kraft Music Hall TV appearance has two of the three final lines changed. The lines go

What my world needs now
Is your sweet love, guy
If not, I’ll just die

Eydie Gorme — issued in July 1968 on the single Calendar 63-1004, b/w “It’s You Again” — I think we can safely assume that the male voice on the back vocals is that of Steve Lawrence.

Petula Clark — from her 1968 album Petula, (UK, NZ) Pye NPL 18235 (Mono) NSPL 18235 (Stereo), (US) Warner Bros. – Seven Arts Records WS 1743

Dusty Springfield — from her 1968 LP Dusty…Definitely, Philips Records (UK) SBL 7864, released on 22 November 1968 (date according to Wikipedia)

Dionne Warwick — originally released in November 1968 (according to Wikipedia) on the LP Promises, Promises, Scepter Records SPS 571; later issued in January 1969 on the single Scepter SCE-12241, b/w “Dreamer Sweet Dreamer” — According to BacharachOnline.com, the single peaked at #7 on the Hot 100 after debuting on the chart in February 1969

Brenda Lee — from her 1969 LP Johnny One Time, Decca ‎DL 75111

Dorothy Ashby — from the album Dorothy’s Harp, Cadet Records LPS 825 — recorded at Ter Mar Studios in Chicago, March 1969

Ella Fitzgerald — 1969 television appearance on Kraft Music Hall

Barbara Acklin — from the 1969 LP Seven Days of Night, Brunswick ‎BL 754148

Salena Jones with the Keith Mansfield Orchestra — from the 1969 LP The Moment of Truth, CBS ‎(UK) 63613; released in 1971 in Poland as a self-titled album (mono and stereo versions)

Aretha Franklin — title track from Franklin’s 17th studio album, Atlantic ‎SD 8248, released on 15 January 1970

Marva Whitney — issued in January 1970 as the B-side of “He’s the One,” King Records 45-6283, a James Brown production

Liza Minnelli — evidently from a c. 1970 television appearance, which includes previously shot footage of Liza with a “Z” cavorting avec des ballons in a grassy park-like setting; source unknown — perhaps an outtake from the TV special Liza (1970)?