Fly Me to the Moon

Last updated

"In Other Words"
Kaye Ballard In Other Words Decca Records Inc. Catalog Number 9 29114 Photographed 15 April 2014.JPG
First recording titled "In Other Words"
Song by Kaye Ballard
ReleasedApril 1954
Recorded1954
Genre Jazz
Length2:14
Label Decca
Songwriter(s) Bart Howard

"Fly Me to the Moon", originally titled "In Other Words", is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The first recording of the song was made in 1954 by Kaye Ballard. Frank Sinatra's 1964 version was closely associated with the Apollo missions to the Moon.

Contents

In 1999, the Songwriters Hall of Fame honored "Fly Me to the Moon" by inducting it as a "Towering Song". [1]

Background and composition

In 1954, when he began to write the song that became "Fly Me to the Moon", Bart Howard had been pursuing a career in music for over 20 years, Howard wrote the song for his partner of 58 years, Thomas Fowler. [2] He played piano to accompany cabaret singers, but also wrote songs with Cole Porter, his idol, in mind. [3] In response to a publisher's request for a simpler song, [4] Bart Howard wrote a cabaret ballad [5] which he titled "In Other Words". A publisher tried to make him change some words from "fly me to the Moon" to "take me to the Moon," but Howard refused. [6] Many years later Howard commented that "... it took me 20 years to find out how to write a song in 20 minutes." [6]

He used his position as a piano accompanist and presenter at the Blue Angel cabaret venue to promote the song, [4] and it was soon introduced in cabaret performances by Felicia Sanders. [3]

The song was composed in 3
4 time signature but was changed to 4
4 by Quincy Jones in his arrangement. [7] [ permanent dead link ][ citation needed ]

Early recordings

Kaye Ballard circa late 1950s Kaye Ballard publicity photo taken by Maurice Seymour NY in late 1950s for MCA.jpg
Kaye Ballard circa late 1950s

Kaye Ballard made the song's first [8] commercial recording, released by Decca in April 1954. [9] A brief review published on May 8, 1954, in Billboard said that "In Other Words" was "...a love song sung with feeling by Miss Ballard." [10] This recording was released as the flipside of "Lazy Afternoon", which Kaye Ballard was currently performing as star of the stage show The Golden Apple . [11]

Over the next few years, jazz and cabaret singers released cover versions of "In Other Words" on EP or LP record albums, including Chris Connor, [12] Johnny Mathis, [13] Portia Nelson, [14] and Nancy Wilson. [15] Eydie Gormé sang the song on her 1958 album Eydie In Love (under the title "In Other Words"), [16] which reached No. 20 in the Cashbox Album Charts. [17]

Subsequent recordings and uses

In 1960, Peggy Lee released the song on the album Pretty Eyes , [18] then made it more popular when she performed it in front of a large television audience on The Ed Sullivan Show . [3] As the song's popularity increased, it became better known as "Fly Me to the Moon", [19] and in 1963 Peggy Lee convinced Bart Howard to make the name change official. [6] Connie Francis released two non-English versions of the song in 1963: in Italian as "Portami Con Te" [20] and in Spanish as "Llévame a la Luna". [21]

Fly Me to the Moon Bossa Nova 1963 album by Joe Harnell Joe Harnell Fly Me To The Moon Kapp KS3318 Front Cover 1 April 2014 5942 800.JPG
Fly Me to the Moon Bossa Nova 1963 album by Joe Harnell

In 1962, Joe Harnell arranged and recorded an instrumental version in a bossa nova style. It was released as a single in late 1962. [22] [23] Harnell's version spent 13 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching No. 14 on February 23, 1963, [24] while reaching No. 4 on Billboard's Middle-Road Singles chart. [25] [26] Harnell's version was ranked No. 89 on Billboard 's end of year ranking "Top Records of 1963". [27] Harnell's recording won him a Grammy Award at the 5th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Performance by an Orchestra – for Dancing. [28] [29] His version was included on his album Fly Me to the Moon and the Bossa Nova Pops [30] released in early 1963, which reached No. 3 stereo album on the Billboard Top LP's chart. [31]

Julie London included a cover of the song for her 1963 album The End of the World . [32] Paul Anka released a version of "Fly Me To The Moon" in 1963, appearing in his album Our Man Around the World. [33]

Frank Sinatra included the song on his 1964 album It Might as Well Be Swing , accompanied by Count Basie. [34] The music for this album was arranged by Quincy Jones, [34] [35] who had worked with Count Basie a year earlier on the album This Time by Basie, which also included a version of "Fly Me to the Moon". [36] Will Friedwald commented that "Jones boosted the tempo and put it into an even four/four" for Basie's version, but "when Sinatra decided to address it with the Basie/Jones combination they recharged it into a straight swinger... [which]...all but explodes with energy". [5] Bart Howard estimated that by the time Frank Sinatra covered the song in 1964, more than 100 other versions had been recorded. [5]

Bobby Womack recorded a version that was released in 1968 on Minit Records, from his album Fly Me to the Moon. His rendition reached No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 16 on the R&B chart. [37] Occasionally on the CBS series WKRP in Cincinnati , an instrumental sampling of "Fly Me To The Moon" was used as a doorbell melody during scenes taking place in the apartment of character Jennifer Marlowe. [38]

By 1995, the song had been recorded more than 300 times. [11] According to a poll conducted by Japanese music magazine CD&DL Data in 2016 about the most representative songs associated with the Moon, the cover versions by Claire Littley and Yoko Takahashi ranked 7th by 6,203 respondents. [39] The Claire cover version won the Planning Award of Heisei Anisong Grand Prize among the anime theme songs from 1989 to 1999, following its appearance in the end credits of Neon Genesis Evangelion . [40]

NASA association

Quincy Jones presents platinum copies of Frank Sinatra's album to Senator John Glenn and Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong Quincy Jones, John Glenn, and Neil Armstrong during NASA's 50th anniversary gala.jpg
Quincy Jones presents platinum copies of Frank Sinatra's album to Senator John Glenn and Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong

Frank Sinatra's 1964 recording of "Fly Me to the Moon" became closely associated with NASA's Apollo space program. A copy of the song was played on a Sony TC-50 portable cassette player on the Apollo 10 mission which orbited the Moon, [41] and also on Apollo 11 before the first landing on the Moon. [42] [43] The song's association with Apollo 11 was reprised many years later when Diana Krall sang it at the mission's 40th anniversary commemoration ceremony, [44] and also for mission commander Neil Armstrong's memorial service in 2012. [45]

Certifications

Frank Sinatra's version

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [46] Gold45,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [47] Gold35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [48] Platinum600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Sinatra</span> American singer and actor (1915–1998)

Francis Albert Sinatra was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of the mid-20th century. Sinatra is among the world's best-selling music artists with an estimated 150 million record sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Sinatra</span> American singer (born 1940)

Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra and is known for her 1965 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'".

Bart Howard was an American composer and songwriter, most notably of the jazz standard "Fly Me to the Moon", which has been performed by Kaye Ballard, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Della Reese, Bobby Womack, Diana Krall, Paul Anka, June Christy, Brenda Lee, Astrud Gilberto, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, and Sia, among others. It is played frequently by jazz and popular musicians around the world. Howard wrote the song for his partner of 58 years, Thomas Fowler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moon River</span> Song from the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffanys"

"Moon River" is a song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song also won the 1962 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. In 1999, Mancini's recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Sinatra discography</span>

American vocalist Frank Sinatra recorded 59 studio albums and 297 singles in his solo career, spanning 54 years.

<i>It Might as Well Be Swing</i> 1964 studio album by Frank Sinatra

It Might as Well Be Swing is a 1964 studio album by Frank Sinatra, accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra. It was Sinatra's first studio recording arranged by Quincy Jones.

<i>A Man and His Music</i> 1965 studio album by Frank Sinatra

A Man and His Music is a 1965 double album by Frank Sinatra. It provides a brief retrospective of Sinatra's musical career. The album won the 1967 Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summer Wind</span> 1965 song performed by Wayne Newton

"Summer Wind" is a 1965 song, originally released in Germany as "Der Sommerwind" and written by Heinz Meier and German language lyrics by Hans Bradtke. Johnny Mercer re-wrote the song into English along the same themes as the original, which talked of the changing of the seasons using the Southern European sirocco wind as a metaphor. In America, it was first recorded by Wayne Newton and subsequently by Bobby Vinton and Perry Como.

"Meditation" is a bossa nova and jazz standard song composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Newton Mendonça. The English version has lyrics by Norman Gimbel. In Finland, the song was recorded in 1963 by Olavi Virta with lyrics by Sauki under the title "Hymy, flower and love". Erkki Liikanen recorded the song in 1967 with lyrics by Aarno Raninen under the title "Taas on hiljaisuus".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Sinatra's recorded legacy</span>

Frank Sinatra's musical career began in the swing era in 1935, and ended in 1995, although he did briefly retire in 1971, before returning to music in 1973. Sinatra is one of the most influential music artists of the 20th century, and has sold 150 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all-time. Rock critic Robert Christgau called Sinatra "the greatest singer of the 20th century". In addition to his music career, Sinatra was also a successful film actor, having won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Private Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity (1953).

<i>Nothing but the Best</i> (album) 2008 greatest hits album by Frank Sinatra

Nothing but the Best is a 2008 compilation album by American singer Frank Sinatra. All the tracks on this album are recordings made when Sinatra was on his own Reprise label, thus the first track, "Come Fly with Me" is not the 1957 Capitol version. Other notable differences are "Strangers in the Night" has an extended fade out and the first cymbal hit is cut from the beginning of the "Theme from New York, New York".

<i>Sinatra Reprise: The Very Good Years</i> 1991 compilation album by Frank Sinatra

Sinatra Reprise: The Very Good Years is a 1991 single disc compilation taken from the four disc box set The Reprise Collection, a 1990 box set by the American singer Frank Sinatra. For many years, this was the only collection of Sinatra's Reprise work on one disc until 2008's collection Nothing But The Best. The Very Good Years reached #98 on the Billboard Top 200 album charts in 1991.

<i>Greatest Love Songs</i> (Frank Sinatra album) 2002 compilation album by Frank Sinatra

Greatest Love Songs is a 2002 compilation album by American singer Frank Sinatra, containing 22 love songs.

<i>My Way: The Best of Frank Sinatra</i> 1997 compilation album by Frank Sinatra

My Way: The Best of Frank Sinatra is a compilation album by Frank Sinatra.

<i>Portrait of Sinatra – Forty Songs from the Life of a Man</i> 1977 compilation album by Frank Sinatra

Portrait of Sinatra – Forty Songs from the Life of a Man is a 1977 compilation (Gatefold) album by American singer Frank Sinatra that consists of 40 songs that were recorded for Reprise Records. It spent a total of eighteen non-consecutive weeks in the UK Albums Chart, reaching number-one for two weeks on 2 April 1977. It became Sinatra's fourth album to top the British charts, his first since 1957's A Swingin' Affair! to claim pole position, and also his most recent chart-topping album in the UK.

<i>Best of Vegas</i> 2011 live album by Frank Sinatra

Best of Vegas is a 2011 live album by American singer Frank Sinatra that contains 17 live tracks from the 2006 box set, Sinatra: Vegas.

<i>Sinatra at the Sands</i> 1966 live album by Frank Sinatra

Sinatra at the Sands is a live album by Frank Sinatra accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra, and conducted and arranged by Quincy Jones, recorded live in the Copa Room of the former Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 1966.

<i>Sinatra: Best of the Best</i> 2011 compilation album by Frank Sinatra

Sinatra: Best of the Best is a 2011 double compilation album by American singer Frank Sinatra.

<i>This Time by Basie!</i> 1963 studio album by Count Basie and His Orchestra

This Time by Basie is an album released by pianist, composer and bandleader Count Basie featuring jazz versions of contemporary hits recorded in 1963 and originally released on the Reprise label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Kind of Girl (Matt Monro song)</span> 1961 single by Matt Monro

"My Kind of Girl" is a 1961 song originally released by Matt Monro. Monro's version reached number 5 on the UK's Record Retailer chart, while a version by Frank Sinatra and Count Basie reached number 35 the following year.

References

  1. ↑ "1999 Award and Induction Ceremony". Songwriters Hall of Fame. June 9, 1999. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Famous Iowans - Bart Howard | The Des Moines Register | DesMoinesRegister.com". Data.desmoinesregister.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 STEPHEN HOLDEN (February 23, 2004). "Bart Howard, 88, Songwriter Known for 'Fly Me to the Moon' - New York Times". The New York Times . Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  4. 1 2 ""Fly Me to the Moon": Song History, Commentary, Discography, Performances on Video". Greatamericansongbook.net. February 23, 2004. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 Will Friedwald, Sinatra! The Song Is You: A Singer's Art, Scribner, New York, 1995, page 411
  6. 1 2 3 Stephen Holden (December 19, 1988). "Product of 20 Minutes: A Million Dollar Song". The New York Times . Archived from the original on December 19, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  7. ↑ Interview with Quincy Jones. Appeared in the cover of Frank Sinatra & Count Basie 1964 album "It Might As Well Be". Transcript
  8. ↑ Barnes, Mike; Byrge, Duane (January 22, 2019). "Kaye Ballard Dead: 'Mothers-in-Law' Star Was 93". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Kaye Ballard - In Other Words / Lazy Afternoon - Decca - USA - 9-29114". 45cat.com. November 25, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  10. ↑ Billboard. May 8, 1954. p. 24. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  11. 1 2 Liz Smith, Liner Notes for the CD Portia Nelson, Let Me Love You: Portia Nelson Sings the Songs of Bart Howard, DRG 91442, 1995
  12. ↑ Chris. Chris Connor at AllMusic . Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  13. ↑ In Other Words. Johnny Mathis at AllMusic . Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  14. ↑ Cross, Lucy E. "Portia Nelson". The Official Masterworks Broadway Site. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  15. ↑ Like in Love/Something Wonderful. Nancy Wilson at AllMusic . Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  16. ↑ "ABC-Paramount Album Discography, Part 2". Bsnpubs.com. September 1, 2005. Archived from the original on October 16, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  17. ↑ Carolyn Hope (September 11, 2007). "Barry's Hits of All Decades Pop rock n roll Music Chart Hits". Hitsofalldecades.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Pretty Eyes - Peggy Lee". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Bart Howard: 1915-2004". Jazzhouse.org. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Connie Francis - Mala Femmena / Portami Con Te (Fly Me To The Moon) - MGM - Italy - K 2078". 45cat.com. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Connie Francis—Connie Francis Canta en Español—MGM, Spain". 45cat.com. February 15, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Reviews of New Singles", Billboard , November 10, 1962. p. 52. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  23. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2016). Standard Catalog of American Records [ permanent dead link ], F+W Media, Inc. p. 567. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  24. ↑ Hot 100 - Joe Harnell and His Orchestra Fly Me to the Moon - Bossa Nova Chart History Archived 2018-05-12 at the Wayback Machine , Billboard.com. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  25. ↑ "Middle-Road Singles", Billboard , February 23, 1963. p. 42. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  26. ↑ Adult Contemporary - Joe Harnell and His Orchestra Fly Me to the Moon - Bossa Nova Chart History Archived 2018-05-12 at the Wayback Machine , Billboard.com. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Top Records of 1963", Billboard , Section II, December 28, 1963. p. 30. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Joe Harnell". Recording Academy Grammy Awards . Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Joe Harnell, 80; Pianist, Conductor, Composer, Arranger - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. September 29, 1994. Archived from the original on December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  30. ↑ "Fly Me to the Moon and the Bossa Nova Pops - Joe Harnell & His Orchestra, Joe Harnell". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Billboard Top LP's for Week Ending March 16". Billboard . March 16, 1963. p. 66. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  32. ↑ The End of the World at AllMusic
  33. ↑ Our Man Around the World - Paul Anka, AllMusic, retrieved January 27, 2021
  34. 1 2 "It Might as Well Be Swing - Count Basie, Frank Sinatra". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  35. ↑ "It Might as Well Be Swing - Count Basie, Frank Sinatra - Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  36. ↑ "This Time by Basie: Hits of the 50s - Count Basie". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Bobby Womack Songs ••• Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com.
  38. ↑ "WKRP and Stupid Copyright Laws". Outside the Beltway. April 1, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  39. ↑ "「月（ＭＯＯＮ）からイメージする曲」ランキング。～音楽情報マガジン『ＣＤ＆ＤＬでーた』～". PRTIMES (in Japanese). September 26, 2016. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021.
  40. ↑ "Evangelion's "Cruel Angel's Thesis" Theme Song Takes Heisei Anisong Grand Prize". Anime News Network. March 5, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Lunar Collections: April 2006". Apollotribute2.blogspot.com.au. April 13, 2006. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  42. ↑ Music on the Moon: Meet Mickey Kapp, Master of Apollo 11's Astro-Mixtapes
  43. ↑ Diane K. Shah (November 18, 1990). "On Q". The New York Times . Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  44. ↑ "NASA - NASA TV's This Week @NASA, July 24". Nasa.gov. July 24, 2009. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  45. ↑ "Neil Armstrong remembered at public memorial". BBC News. September 13, 2012. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Frank Sinatra – Fly Me to the Moon". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  47. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Frank Sinatra – Fly Me to the Moon" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved February 17, 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Fly Me to the Moon" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  48. ↑ "British single certifications – Frank Sinatra – Fly Me to the Moon". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved August 25, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.