| "Dancing in the Dark" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Published | 1931 by Harms |
| Composer(s) | Arthur Schwartz |
| Lyricist(s) | Howard Dietz |
"Dancing in the Dark" is a popular American song, with music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Howard Dietz, that was introduced by John Barker with Tilly Losch dancing in the 1931 revue The Band Wagon . The song was first recorded by Bing Crosby on August 19, 1931 with Studio Orchestra directed by Victor Young, [1] staying on the pop charts for six weeks, peaking at #3, [2] and helping to make it a lasting standard.
The 1941 recording by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra [3] earned Shaw one of his eight gold records at the height of the Big Band era of the 1930s and 1940s. Shaw's 1940 arrangement was a collaboration between Shaw and his chief arranger, Lenny Hayton, who was also an important Music Director, Music Arranger and Orchestrator at MGM until 1953.
It was subsequently featured in the classic 1953 MGM musical The Band Wagon and has since come to be considered part of the Great American Songbook. In the film it is orchestrally performed to a ballet dance by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse set in Central Park. The song is given a 'sensual and dramatic' [4] orchestration by Conrad Salinger [5] [ citation needed ], choreographed by Michael Kidd.
Steve Martin was the host for the final episode of season 14 of Saturday Night Live . In the opening monologue, he visibly struggled to hold back tears as he paid tribute to Gilda Radner, who had died of cancer on the afternoon before the broadcast. Martin and Radner's "Dancing in the Dark" sketch, originally shown in episode 64 in 1978, was also offered in tribute.
"In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" is a popular song with music by Hoagy Carmichael and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally planned to feature it in a Paramount film written for Betty Hutton that never took off, which was to be called The Mack Sennett Girl. The song was buried in Paramount's files until it was rediscovered and then used in the 1951 film Here Comes the Groom and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
"Lullaby of Broadway" is a popular song with music written by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin, published in 1935. The lyrics salute the nightlife of Broadway and its denizens, who "don't sleep tight until the dawn."
"All Alone" is a popular waltz ballad composed by Irving Berlin in 1924. It was interpolated into the Broadway show The Music Box Revue of 1924 where it was sung by Grace Moore and Oscar Shaw. Moore sat at one end of the stage under a tightly focused spotlight, singing it into a telephone, while Oscar Shaw sat at the other, doing the same.
"Heat Wave" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1933 musical As Thousands Cheer, and introduced in the show by Ethel Waters.
"Moonlight Bay" is a popular song. It is commonly referred to as "On Moonlight Bay". The lyrics were written by Edward Madden, the music by Percy Wenrich, and was published in 1912. It is often sung in a barbershop quartet style. Early successful recordings in 1912 were by the American Quartet and by Dolly Connolly.
"Somebody Loves Me" is a popular song, with music written by George Gershwin, and lyrics by Ballard MacDonald and Buddy DeSylva. The song was published in 1924 and featured in George White's Scandals of 1924.
"It's the Talk of the Town" is a popular song written by Jerry Livingston, the lyrics by Al J. Neiburg and Marty Symes.
"It's Easy to Remember " is a popular song written by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart.
"South of the Border Down Mexico Way" is a popular song describing a trip to Mexico, written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr and published in 1939 for the film of the same name starring country star Gene Autry.
"Street of Dreams" is a song and foxtrot composed in 1932 by Victor Young, with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. There were three successful recordings of the song in 1933 by Guy Lombardo, Ben Selvin and Bing Crosby.
"Nobody's Sweetheart", also known as "Nobody's Sweetheart Now" and "You're Nobody's Sweetheart Now", is a popular song, written in 1924, with music by Billy Meyers and Elmer Schoebel, and lyrics by Gus Kahn and Ernie Erdman. The song is a jazz and pop standard.
"Isn't This a Lovely Day?" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1935 film Top Hat, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire in the scene where his and Ginger Rogers' characters are caught in a gazebo during a rainstorm. The lyric is an example of a song which turns a bad situation into a love song, a common style for Irving Berlin, as in I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm and Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee.
"Now It Can Be Told" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1938 film Alexander's Ragtime Band, where it was introduced by Alice Faye and Don Ameche. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1938 but lost out to "Thanks for the Memory".
"I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" is a 1938 composition by Duke Ellington, with lyrics added by Irving Mills, Henry Nemo and John Redmond. The song became a number one hit for Ellington in 1938. Other hit versions the same year were by Benny Goodman, Connee Boswell, Hot Lips Page, and Mildred Bailey. It was performed as part of The Cotton Club Parade of 1938.
"I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan" is a popular song published in 1929, with music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Howard Dietz.
"Along the Navajo Trail" is a country/pop song, written by Dick Charles, Larry Markes and Eddie DeLange in 1945, and first recorded by Dinah Shore in May 1945.
"I Can't Escape from You" is a song written music by Richard A. Whiting and lyrics by Leo Robin for the 1936 Paramount Film "Rhythm on the Range", and first introduced in the film when Bing Crosby sang it to Frances Farmer. Crosby recorded it for Decca Records that same year with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and it was in the hit parade for 11 weeks reaching a peak position of No. 7. Crosby recorded the song again in 1954 for his album Bing: A Musical Autobiography.
"Careless Hands" is a popular song written by Carl Sigman and Bob Hilliard, and first recorded in 1948.
"Miss You" is a 1929 song by the Tobias brothers: Charles Tobias, Harry Tobias and Henry Tobias. It was the three brothers' first published song, and their first hit, but one of the few songs where all three collaborated.
"Love Is the Sweetest Thing" is a popular song written in 1932 by British band leader and singer Ray Noble. Using guest vocalist Al Bowlly, Noble's recording was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic, bringing Noble his first American success. It was published by Francis, Day & Hunter Ltd. Like most compositions published in the period, its main refrain is preceded with what were then called "sectional verses" or "introductory verses" which are usually omitted from early recordings and modern performances.
