Origin:

Premiered in the Musical Girl Crazy.

Style:

Almost always approached as a ballad.

Form:

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

Key:

Most  commonly performed in G Major. It has also been recorded in F by the  likes of Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Sonny Stitt to name a few.

Harmony/Overview:

The  harmony of this composition is functional, remaining mostly diatonic while venturing to new key centers for only brief stints at a time. The  main theme begins with IMaj7 - bIIIdim7 - IImi7 and the initial contour of the melody is used as a recurring motif throughout the entire piece. The B section begins on the relative minor and finishes with a I - VI -  II - V in V Major. The C section begins on IVMaj7 and proceeds in bars  3-5 with the descending bassline of Emi7 - Emi7/D - C#mi7b5 - Cmi6 -  GMaj7/B. The song then reaches it climax with IMaj7 - IImi7 - IIImi7 -  IVmi6 while the title of the composition is stated one last time in the lyric. Charlie Parker would later use the changes of this piece as the basis of his tune "Quasimodo".

Recordings:

This  song has been recorded over 570 times to date. It was first recorded by the Majestic Dance Orchestra in 1930. It was originally composed for the 1928 operetta East Is West which ultimately never came to fruition. It was finally introduced by Ginger Rogers and Allen Kearns in the 1930 musical Girl Crazy. The  musical was later adapted to film in 1943 and the song was featured by Judy Garland alongside Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra, helping to make it become a favorite amongst audiences. It eventually found its way into the repertoire of many prominent jazz musicians and it continues to be one of the most popular torch songs in the repertoire.

JGC Top Picks:

Charlie Parker, Bird at St. Nicks, 1950

Herbie Hancock, Gershwin’s World, 1998

Joe Lovano, 52nd Street Themes, 2000