Tonight You Belong to Me

For the unrelated Paul Stanley song of the same name, see Paul Stanley (album). For the similarly titled song, see You Belong to Me (1952 song).

"To-Night You Belong To Me"
Song by Gene Austin
B-side	"It Made You Happy When You Made Me Cry"
Published	1926 by C & J David Music Company, Anne-Rachel Music Corporation, [1] Mills Music Inc. [2]
Released	January 14, 1927 [3]
Recorded	December 1, 1926 [4]
Studio	Victor Studios, New York City
Genre	Jazz, Pop Vocal
Label	Victor 20371
Songwriter(s)	Billy Rose, Lee David
Gene Austin singles chronology
"Bye Bye Blackbird" (1926) "To-Night You Belong To Me" (1927) "Ain't She Sweet" (1927)

"Tonight You Belong to Me"
Single by Patience and Prudence
B-side	"A Smile and a Ribbon"
Released	July 1956 [5]
Genre	Traditional pop
Length	1:50
Label	Liberty
Songwriter(s)	Billy Rose, Lee David
Producer(s)	Mark McIntyre
Patience and Prudence singles chronology
"Dreamers' Bay" (1956) "Tonight You Belong to Me" (1956) "You Tattletale" (1957)

"Tonight You Belong to Me" is an American popular song, written in 1926 by lyricist Billy Rose and composer Lee David. The first ever recording was made by Irving Kaufman in 1926 on Banner Records. ^[6] In 1927, Gene Austin recorded it and the song became a major hit. Another popular recording during this time was by Roger Wolfe Kahn and his Orchestra.

Other versions

20th century

The song was revived by Frankie Laine in 1952, and recorded again in 1956 by Patience and Prudence, whose version reached #4 on the Billboard charts; they recorded it again in 1964. ^[7] It was also recorded in 1956 by Lawrence Welk with The Lennon Sisters, and by the duo of Karen Chandler and Jimmy Wakely.

Kay Starr recorded a searingly original version in the early 1950s, dispensing with the sentimentality of other recordings and transforming the song into a scorching anthem of self-destructive vengeance.^{[ according to whom? ]}

In 1964 "Tonight You Belong to Me" was recorded by George Maharis in a sweet swing style on the Epic label.

The song was recorded and released by Susan Christie as a single (b/w "Toy Balloon") in April 1967 on Columbia Records.

In 1977, "Tonight You Belong to Me" was recorded by American country music artist Dottie West. It was released as a single, peaking at number 30 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in August 1977. The song was then issued on West's 1977 studio album When It's Just You and Me . ^[8]

The song was sung as a duet by Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters in the 1979 film The Jerk , with accompaniment on ukulele and cornet.

The American rock band NRBQ covered the song on their 1983 album Grooves in Orbit.

21st century

The Patience and Prudence (1956) version was featured in the ending credits of the 2004 film Birth, an eBay commercial, and a 2012 TV commercial for Scandinavian Airlines. It was featured in four episodes of American Horror Story : the pilot episode; the sixth episode "Return to Murder House"; the first-season finale, "Afterbirth"; and the eighth-season premiere, "The End". In 2018, it was featured in episode six, entitled "Amour Fou", of Netflix's series, You . In 2020, it was featured in episode five, "Strange Case", of the HBO series Lovecraft Country . In 2023, it was sampled by Metro Boomin and James Blake in "Hummingbird", featured on the soundtrack of the film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse . Also in 2023, the Patience and Prudence version was played outside the Stitches scare maze at Thorpe Park's Fright Nights event.

The indie pop duo The Bird and the Bee recorded a version of the song on their 2008 EP One Too Many Hearts .

The song was covered by Eddie Vedder and Chan Marshall (of Cat Power) on Vedder's second solo album, Ukulele Songs (2011).

The song was featured in a 2013 TV commercial for Milka named "Le dernier carré" ^[9]

The song was sung by Sutton Foster and Hunter Foster in episode fourteen ("The Astronaut and the Ballerina") of Bunheads (2013).

In the 2019 film Blackbird , Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, and Mia Wasikowska sing it, and their version later plays over the credits.

In 2025, Thea Gilmore included the song as the closing track on her favorites album These Quiet Friends. ^[10]

Rock band My Chemical Romance used it as an opening song for their 2025 Long Live The Black Parade Tour.

References

1. "Anne-Rachel Music". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
2. "Original versions of Tonight You Belong to Me written by Lee David, Billy Rose | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
3. "Cover versions of To-night You Belong to Me by Gene Austin | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
4. 78 Record: Gene Austin - To-Night You Belong To Me (1927) , retrieved 2021-08-06
5. "Reviews of New Pop Records". Billboard. July 14, 1956. p. 36.
6. Don Tyler (2 April 2007). Hit Songs 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era. McFarland. ISBN   9780786429462 – via Amazon.com.
7. Patience and Prudence: A Sister Act Remembered
8. "Dottie West Chart History: Country Songs". Billboard . Retrieved 7 August 2019.
9. "Milka". Archived from the original on 2013-08-29. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
10. "Thea Gilmore's favourite songs | Nine Songs Interview". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 2025-04-21.