The Song Is You

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"The Song Is You" is a jazz standard composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was written for their musical Music in the Air (1932) [1] and sung in that show by Tullio Carminati. [2] In the subsequent 1934 film, the song was recorded and filmed but cut from the final release. An instrumental of the song can still be heard under the opening credits. [3]

An early hit in 1932 was by Jack Denny and his Waldorf–Astoria Orchestra (vocal by Paul Small). [4] In later years the song became often associated with Frank Sinatra, [5] becoming the last song he performed with Tommy Dorsey. [6] Many other artists have recorded the song over the years, including Charlie Parker. [7]

"The Song Is You" is the recurring musical theme of the 2003 Guy Maddin film The Saddest Music in the World . Nine different versions of the song were arranged for the film by composer Christopher Dedrick, whose work received a Genie Award. [8]

Composer Alec Wilder writes that the song "attempts too dramatic a statement on too small a stage [...] it suggests a grander voice than that usually associated with popular theater music", but that it nonetheless possesses a "superior quality" as a composition, with a "masterful" release containing "brilliant" harmony and melody. [9] It is written in AABA form. [9]

References

  1. ↑ "Jerome Kern Biography". Songwritershalloffame.org. 1945-11-11. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
  2. ↑ The Broadway League. "The official source for Broadway Information IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information". IBDB.com. Archived from the original on 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
  3. ↑ "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  4. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 125. ISBN   0-89820-083-0.
  5. ↑ Bret Wheadon. "Sinatra! The Complete Guide". Sinatraguide.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2005. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
  6. ↑ "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #8". 1972.
  7. ↑ "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards : A Guide to the Repertoire. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 385–386. ISBN   978-0-19-993739-4.
  9. 1 2 Wilder, Alec (1972). American Popular Song: the Great Innovators 1900–1950 . New York: Oxford University Press. p. 64. ISBN   0-19-501445-6..


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