Origin:

Introduced by Libby Holman in the 1930 Broadway Revue Three’s A Crowd.

Style:

Usually played as a ballad, it is also sometimes approached at a medium tempo.

Form:

A-A-B-A (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Verse:

A-B-C (16 Bars) [8-4-4]

Virtually  never played, the first recording by Jack Hylton features an  instrumental rendition of the verse. Ruth Etting's recording from the  same year is one of the earliest vocal recordings to include it.

Key:

Most commonly played in Db Major.

Harmony/Overview:

The  song begins on IImi and initially gives the impression that this is the  tonic, especially when taking into consideration the verse. However by  the 3rd bar it becomes clear that the tonic is actually Major a whole  step below. The A section proceeds with very functional harmony and in a  conventional manner. The bridge is much more unexpected, spending the  first half of the section a semitone above the tonic, and the second  half a semitone below the tonic.

Recordings:

This  song has been recorded over 1,100 times and is a torch song that is a  cornerstone of the repertoire. The first recording was done by Jack  Hylton and his Orchestra in 1930. Early recordings by Louis Armstrong  and Coleman Hawkins stand out as highly influential early renditions of  the composition. Edward Heyman and Robert Sour continued to tinker with  the lyrics after the song was copyrighted, and as a result many  different sets of lyrics have come to be used.

JGC Top Picks:

Billie Holiday, 1940

John Coltrane, Coltrane’s Sound, 1960

Pasquaele Grasso, Solo Masterpieces, 2020