A Fine Romance (song)

Last updated
"A Fine Romance"
A Fine Romance (song).jpg
Song by Fred Astaire
B-side "The Waltz in Swing Time"
Published1936 by Chappell & Co. [1] [2]
ReleasedAugust 1936
RecordedJuly 28, 1936
Studio Los Angeles, California
Genre Jazz, Pop Vocal
Label Brunswick 7716
Composer(s) Jerome Kern
Lyricist(s) Dorothy Fields [3]
Fred Astaire singles chronology
"I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket"
(1936)
"A Fine Romance"
(1936)
"The Way You Look Tonight"
(1936)
"A Fine Romance"
Single by Billie Holiday and her Orchestra
B-side "I Can't Pretend"
Released1936
RecordedSeptember 29, 1936
Genre Jazz blues
Length2.53
Label Vocalion 3333 [4]
Billie Holiday and her Orchestra singles chronology
"These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)"
(1936)
"A Fine Romance"
(1936)
"The Way You Look Tonight"
(1936)
A Fine Romance performed on tenor sax by Jules Grandgagnage

"A Fine Romance" is a popular song composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, published in 1936.

The song was written for the musical film, Swing Time , where it was co-introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Astaire recorded a solo version of the song on July 28, 1936 for Brunswick records (catalog 7716) [5] and it topped the charts of the day for five weeks. [6] Billie Holiday recorded the song for Vocalion Records on September 29, 1936 [7] and this too reached the charts of the day as did versions by Henry King and Guy Lombardo. [8]

In the film Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), the song is performed by Virginia O'Brien.

In Hollywood, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald recorded their version of the song in the summer of 1957. In 1963, Fitzgerald included a solo rendition on her Verve Records album, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook , produced by Norman Granz.

In a version sung by Judi Dench it also became the theme song of A Fine Romance , a British television series starring Dench and her husband Michael Williams.

A recording by Lena Horne features in the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994). The song also features in the stage musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical .

Notable recordings

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References

  1. A Fine Romance. 1936-01-01.
  2. Knoell, Tiffany (2015-06-27), 1936 - A Fine Romance , retrieved 2021-08-04
  3. "ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
  4. Billie Holiday And Her Orchestra – A Fine Romance / I Can't Pretend (1936, Shellac) , retrieved 2021-08-04
  5. "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p.  37. ISBN   0-89820-083-0.
  7. "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  8. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p.  498. ISBN   0-89820-083-0.
  9. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  10. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p.  257. ISBN   0-89820-083-0.
  11. RCA Records Recording date: September 3, 1954 Label: RCA Records, Italy 1974 LP: Marilyn Monroe – La Voce, Le Musiche E I Films Number: TPL1 of 7025 (e)