When I Grow Too Old to Dream

"When I Grow Too Old to Dream"
Single by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, vocal Kenny Sargent [1]
B-side	The Night is Young [2]
Published	November 24, 1934 (1934-11-24) by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer corp., New York [3]
Released	February 1935 (1935-02)
Recorded	January 9, 1935 (1935-01-09) [2]
Studio	Decca Recording Studio, 799 Seventh Avenue, top floor, New York [2]
Genre	Pop standard, Popular Music
Length	3:15
Label	Decca 349 [2]
Composer	Sigmund Romberg [3]
Lyricist	Oscar Hammerstein II [3]

"When I Grow Too Old to Dream" is a popular song with music by Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, published in 1934.

The song was introduced by Evelyn Laye and Ramon Novarro in the film The Night Is Young (1935). ^[4] It has since become a pop standard, recorded by many artists, notably Nat King Cole, The Everly Brothers Gracie Fields, and John Pizzarelli

Other versions

• Gracie Fields recorded the song in 1935.
• In 1949, Rose Murphy went to number 10 on the Most-Played Juke Box Race Records chart with her version. ^[5]
• A 1951 recording by Gordon Jenkins was released as the flip side of his hit, "Charmaine" (Decca Records ^[6] ).
• Joni James included a version of the song on her 1957 album Among My Souvenirs.
• Ed Townsend released a version of the song as a single in 1958 that reached number 59 on the Billboard pop chart. ^[7]
• Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album Join Bing and Sing Along (1959)
• Jazz organist Jimmy Smith released a version of the song on his 1963 album Back at the Chicken Shack ^[8]
• Julie London recorded the song on her album Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast released in 1967. ^[9]
• Stéphane Grappelli and The Diz Dizley Trio recorded this on their 1975 album Violinspiration
• Linda Ronstadt recorded the song on her 1978 album Living in the USA , ^[10] and performed the song on an episode of The Muppet Show .
• Slim Dusty recorded the song on his 1997 album A Time To Remember.
• John McDermott included the song in his concert special A Time To Remember, staging it as a father-daughter duet.
• A segment of "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" is used in the chorus of the song "Too Old To Dream" on O'Hooley & Tidow's album Silent June (2010).

In popular culture

The song was featured in a 1935 MGM musical film called The Night Is Young , and is referred to in the 1970 film I Never Sang for My Father as the song the father had always asked his son to sing.

In the Australian soap opera A Place to Call Home , Elizabeth Bligh (Noni Hazlehurst) sings the song at Douglas' refuge in the episode called "Too Old to Dream". In the second season of the US television series Northern Exposure , the song is prominently featured in the second episode titled The Big Kiss.

References

1. "DECCA (USA) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 100 - 499". 78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
2. "Decca matrix 39234. When I grow too old to dream / Glen Gray Orchestra". Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
3. Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1934). Catalog of Copyright Entries 1934 Musical Compositions New Series Vol 29 Pt 3 For the Year 1934. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
4. Tyler, Don (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955: American Popular Music of the Pre-Rock Era. McFarland. p. 429. ISBN   9780786429462 . Retrieved 9 January 2018.
5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 418.
6. Decca Records in the 27500 to 27999 series
7. Ed Townsend, "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" chart position Retrieved August 15, 2016.
8. Back at the Chicken Shack - Jimmy Smith | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic , retrieved 2020-05-19
9. "www.allmusic.com". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
10. "www.allmusic.com". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved June 24, 2024.

External links

Recordings from the Internet Archive.