My Blue Heaven (song)
"My Blue Heaven" | |
---|---|
1927 sheet music cover with composer Walter Donaldson | |
Song by Gene Austin and the Victor Orchestra | |
Written | 1924 |
Published | 1927 |
Composer(s) | Walter Donaldson |
Lyricist(s) | George A. Whiting |
"My Blue Heaven" is a popular song written by Walter Donaldson with lyrics by George A. Whiting. The song was used in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1927.[1] It has become part of various fake book collections.[2][3]
In 1928, "My Blue Heaven" became a huge hit on Victor 20964-A for crooner Gene Austin, accompanied by the Victor Orchestra as directed by Nat Shilkret; it charted for 26 weeks, stayed at number one for 13, and sold over five million copies becoming one of the best selling singles of all time.[4] Victor 20964-A was recorded on September 14, 1927[5] and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1978; the recording was reissued as Victor 24573 and has been reissued on several commercially available CDs.[6]
Background
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The music for "My Blue Heaven" was written in 1924: "Donaldson wrote it one afternoon at the Friars Club in New York while waiting for his turn at the billiard table."[7] The song was written while Donaldson was under contract to Irving Berlin, working for Berlin's publishing company, Irving Berlin Inc.[8] George A. Whiting wrote lyrics adapted for Donaldson's music, and for a while, performed it in his vaudeville act; three years later, Tommy Lyman started singing it on the radio as his theme song.[7]
Austin, unhappy with the Victor Company and "convinced that the best material which he brought to the company’s attention was going to other artists", "gave Nat Shilkret an ultimatum that he wouldn’t do another session unless his interpretation [of "My Blue Heaven"] was commercially released. According to Austin, an agreement was reached for "My Blue Heaven" to be coupled with "Are You Thinking of Me Tonight?", the most highly regarded song among those he was planning to record at that time."[9] On the day "My Blue Heaven" was to be recorded, after takes of the other songs had been completed, to Austin's surprise the musicians packed up and left the studio; Shilkret told Austin they had a conflict, but in a scene documented by H. Allen Smith in his A Short History of Fingers, Austin "grabbed an old guy with a cello and talked him into standing by. Then [he] grabbed a song plugger who could play pretty fair piano. And the third fellow [he] got was an agent who could whistle – bird calls and that sort of thing."[9] Austin recorded "My Blue Heaven" with that hastily assembled trio.[9]
Copyright
Donaldson established his own publishing company in 1928, and his rights in the song were apparently assigned to his company at that time, with the song listed as having been published by George Whiting Music and Donaldson Music.[10]
The song was subject to copyright in 1925 and 1927. These copyrights were renewed in 1953 and 1955, after the death of both composers, at which time the rights in the song were owned by Leo Feist, Inc.. The rights were thereafter assigned to the EMI Catalogue Partnership, controlled and administered by EMI Feist Catalog Inc.[11]
Film appearances
- 1941 Penny Serenade – played on a record and as background music.[12]
- 1943 Never a Dull Moment – sung by Frances Langford[13]
- 1950 My Blue Heaven – sung during the opening credits by Betty Grable, Dan Dailey and chorus. Danced by Betty Grable and Dan Dailey.[14]
- 1955 Love Me or Leave Me – sung by Doris Day.
- 1959 The Five Pennies – played by Bob Crosby and the band in rehearsal.[15]
- 1995 Antonia's Line
CD reissues of original recording
The 1928 Victor recording (20964-A) by Gene Austin, accompanied by Nat Shilkret and the Victor Orchestra, has had several late 20th century and early 21st century reissues:
- Chart-Toppers of the Twenties, compilation, ASV Living Era: AJA 5292, 1998[16]
- Gene Austin: Singer and Songwriter, Gene Austin, Collectors' Choice: CCM1040, 2002[17]
- Nipper's Greatest Hits--The 20s, compilation, BMG-RCA 2258-2-R, 1990[18]
- They Sold a Million, compilation, Pulse: PBX CD 430, 1999
- The Voice of the Southland, Gene Austin, ASV AJA 5217, 1996[19]
- Yes, Sir, That's My Baby, compilation, New World: 80279-2
Other recorded versions
The song has become a standard. Hit versions were also recorded by Paul Whiteman (recorded July 6, 1927 with a vocal group including Bing Crosby),[20] Nick Lucas (1928), Don Voorhees (1928), Seger Ellis (1928),[21] Sammy Kaye (1939) and Fats Domino in 1956. The Fats Domino version was a two sided hit, with, "I'm in Love Again" and reached number nineteen on the Billboard magazine charts and number five on the R&B Best Sellers chart.[22]
Other cover versions include:
- Ray Anthony
- Pat Boone for his 1962 album I'll See You In My Dreams[23]
- Boston Pops Orchestra
- Les Brown
- Don Byas
- Freddy Cannon
- Benny Carter
- Casa Loma Orchestra
- Rosemary Clooney for her 1994 album Still on the Road.
- Nat King Cole
- Ken Colyer
- Perry Como originally recorded in 1946[24] and included in the compilation album That's Where I Came In: Standards & Rarities (2013)[25]
- Harry Connick Jr. for the album Only You (2004)
- Billy Corgan
- Floyd Cramer
- Bing Crosby for his album Songs I Wish I Had Sung the First Time Around (1956)
- Scatman Crothers
- Billy Daniels
- Doris Day included in the compilation album My Blue Heaven[26]
- Buddy DeFranco
- Vaughn De Leath
- Delta Rhythm Boys
- Marlene Dietrich
- Fats Domino
- Walter Donaldson
- Eddy Duchin
- Duane Eddy
- Ziggy Elman
- Esquivel
- Fabian
- Frances Faye
- Freddy Fender
- Gracie Fields
- Eddie Fisher (1951)[27]
- Pete Fountain
- The Four Lads
- Jane Froman
- Slim Gaillard
- Erroll Garner
- Georgia Gibbs (1953)
- Benny Goodman
- Stephane Grappelli
- Ken Griffin
- Harmonicats
- Coleman Hawkins
- Dick Haymes included in the album Imagination (1982)
- Ted Heath
- Woody Herman
- Ronnie Hilton included in the album England's Ronnie Hilton (1958)[28]
- Earl Hines
- Hoosier Hot Shots
- Lena Horne for her 1963 album Lena Like Latin
- Frank Ifield included in the EP Blue Skies (1964)[29]
- The Ink Spots
- Al Jolson
- Norah Jones
- Bert Kaempfert
- Gene Krupa
- Gertrude Lawrence
- Jerry Lee Lewis included in the album Ole Tyme Country Music (1970)[30]
- Enoch Light
- Jimmie Lunceford
- Harpo Marx (harp) and Bing Crosby (vocalist) (this was on a Command Performance radio show on June 17, 1944)[31]
- Willy Mattes, piano and His Soloists. Recorded in Stockholm on July 6, 1943. Released on the 78 rpm records Telefunken A-5353 (in Sweden) and Telefunken T-8509 (in Norway). The A side was Here You Are (Ralph Rainger)
- Glenn Miller (1941)[32]
- Mitch Miller
- Rose Murphy
- Ricky Nelson
- Sandy Nelson
- Red Norvo
- Donald Peers included in the 1970 album The World of Donald Peers[33]
- Oscar Peterson
- John Pizzarelli
- The Platters for their 1959 album Remember When?[34]
- Muriel Pollock - in 1928, Blue Amberol Records released an instrumental piano version by Muriel Pollock (issue number 5471).[35][36]
- Preservation Hall Jazz Band
- Leon Redbone
- Django Reinhardt
- The Rhythm Future Quartet
- Cliff Richard & The Shadows - 21 Today (1961)
- Marty Robbins for his album Adios Amigo (1977)[37]
- Harry Shalson
- Artie Shaw (1941)[38]
- Frank Sinatra recorded it twice - in 1950 for Columbia Records, and in 1960 for Capitol Records. (see Frank Sinatra discography)
- The Smashing Pumpkins
- Stuff Smith
- "Whispering" Jack Smith
- Sonny Stitt
- Maxine Sullivan (1941)[39]
- Ralph Sutton
- Art Tatum
- Nino Tempo
- The Two Man Gentlemen Band
- Bobby Vinton
- Billy Vaughn
- Alex Welsh and his Band
- Paul Weston
- Lawrence Welk
- Slim Whitman for the album Happy Street (1969)[40]
- Mary Lou Williams - The First Lady of the Piano (1953. Also she recorded a version for her 1964 Folkways Records album Mary Lou Williams Presents (F 2843);[41] Smithsonian Folkways re-issued the recording as part of its 2004 album Mary Lou Williams Presents Black Christ of the Andes (SFW40816).[41][42]
- Teddy Wilson
- Betty Owens (as can be found in the album Art Decó, vocal jazz of the 30s). Also with The Dukes of Dixieland (Dixie on Parade, 1959–60).
References
- ↑ "Internet Broadway Database". ibdb.com. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Fake Book Index". Music Library. University at Buffalo Libraries. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
- ↑ "Fake Book Index". Stan Getz Library. Berklee College of Music. Archived from the original on 2012-03-22. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
- ↑ CD liner notes: Chart-Toppers of the Twenties, 1998 ASV Ltd.
- ↑ "Matrix BVE-39179. My blue heaven / Gene Austin". Encyclopedic Discography of Victor Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
- ↑ Shilkret, Nathaniel, ed. Shell, Niel and Barbara Shilkret, Nathaniel Shilkret: Sixty Years in the Music Business, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, 2005, pp 75, 237, 257, 265 and 272. ISBN 0-8108-5128-8
- 1 2 David Ewen (1977). All the Years of American Popular Music. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
- ↑ Biography of Walter Donaldson; www.songwritershalloffame.org
- 1 2 3 Frank Hoffmann. "Gene Austin". Survey of American Popular Music" The Crooners/Tin Pan Alley Pop Tradition. Sam Houston State University. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
- ↑ Walter Donaldson, "Catalog Highlights", with publishing particulars; www.songwritershalloffame.org. The legal name of Donaldson's publishing company was Donaldson, Douglas and Grumble, Inc.; see Walter Donaldson.
- ↑ Teddy Shaw Wilson, My Blue Heaven (Digital Sheet Music); www.freehandmusic.com.
- ↑ "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Internet Movie Database". imdb,com. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Internet Movie Database". imdb.com. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
- ↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 553. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 167.
- ↑ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ "kokomo.ca". Perry Como Discography. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ↑ "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ↑ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ↑ "Discogs,com". Discogs,com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ↑ "BING magazine". bingmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ "45worlds.com". 45worlds.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ↑ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ↑ "My blue heaven". Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project. UC Santa Barbara Library. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
- ↑ Muriel Pollock (1928). My blue heaven (MP3) (phonograph cylinder). Santa Barbara, California: Blue Amberol Records via UC Santa Barbara Library. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
- ↑ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ↑ "45worlds.com". 45worlds.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ↑ "45worlds.com". 45worlds.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- ↑ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
- 1 2 "Mary Lou Williams Presents Black Christ of the Andes" (PDF). Liner notes for Smithsonian Folkways. Smithsonian Institution. p. 28. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
- ↑ "Mary Lou Williams Presents Black Christ of the Andes". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2011-06-12.