It's Only a Paper Moon
"It's Only a Paper Moon" is a popular song published in 1933, with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg and Billy Rose.[1] It was originally titled “If You Believed in Me,” but later went by the more popular title “It’s Only a Paper Moon.”[2] The song was written for an unsuccessful 1932 Broadway play called The Great Magoo, set in Coney Island.[3] Claire Carleton first performed this song on December 2, 1932.[4] It was subsequently used in the movie Take a Chance in 1933 when it was sung by June Knight and Charles "Buddy" Rogers. Paul Whiteman recorded a successful hit version (with a vocal by Peggy Healy) released in 1933 featuring Bunny Berigan on trumpet. Another popular recording in 1933 was by Cliff Edwards.[5]
Its lasting fame stems from recordings by popular artists during the last years of World War II, when versions by Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman (vocal by Dottie Reid)[6] and the Nat King Cole Trio became popular. It has endured as a vehicle for improvisation by many jazz musicians. The song was featured in the 1945 film Too Young to Know[7] and the Paul Whiteman version was later heard in the 1973 film Paper Moon,[8] which takes its title from the song. The song was also employed in the 1974 television series Paper Moon, based on the film, which used the Arlen tune as its title song. The lyrics are also featured in the play "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams.
Recorded versions
- Chet Baker[1]
- Count Basie - Basie & Zoot (1976)
- Tony Bennett - Tony Bennett: The Playground (1998)
- Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers[1]
- Les Brown
- Dave Brubeck - Paper Moon (1982)
- Rosemary Clooney and John Pizzarelli - Do You Miss New York? (1993)
- Nat King Cole Trio[1]
- Natalie Cole - Unforgettable... with Love (1991)
- Perry Como - a single release: RCA-78RPM-20-4034-A in 1951.[9]
- Queensland Services Heritage Band on its 2011 album Sunshine State
- Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney recorded the song for Crosby's radio show and it was heard on the March 26, 1953 broadcast[10] and subsequently released on the CD Bing & Rosie - The Crosby-Clooney Radio Sessions (2010).[11]
- Bobby Darin on his 1966 album Bobby Darin Sings The Shadow of Your Smile
- Sammy Davis Jr. - The Nat King Cole Songbook (1965)
- James Darren - This One's from the Heart (1999)
- Miles Davis[1]
- Cliff Edwards[1]
- Ella Fitzgerald with The Delta Rhythm Boys; recorded 27 March 1945 for Decca Records (catalog No.23425).[12]
- Dizzy Gillespie - Dizzy Gillespie and Stuff Smith (1957)
- Benny Goodman (feat. Dottie Reid)[1]
- Stephane Grappelli[1]
- Lionel Hampton[1]
- Franciscus Henri - Dancing in the Kitchen (1991)
- The Kenny Drew Trio[1]
- Gene Krupa
- Johnny Mathis - Romantically (1963)
- Paul McCartney on his 2012 album Kisses on the Bottom
- Red Nichols
- Les Paul Trio
- Oscar Peterson[1]
- Django Reinhardt[1]
- Buddy Rich on his 1957 album Buddy Rich Just Sings
- George Shearing - Paper Moon: Songs of Nat King Cole (1995).[13]
- Frank Sinatra - Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! (1961)
- Barbra Streisand and James Caan - Funny Lady (1975)
- Art Tatum
- Rufus Wainwright, on Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen (2003)
- Paul Whiteman Orchestra[1]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "It's Only a Paper Moon". jazzstandards.com. 2005. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
- ↑ "Afterglow". indianapublicmedia.org/afterglow. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ↑ "Internet Broadway Database". ibdb.com. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ↑ "Original versions of If You Believed in Me by Claire Carleton | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 146. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 181. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ↑ "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ↑ "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ↑ "Perry Como Discography". kokomo.ca. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ↑ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ↑ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
- ↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
External links