Origin:

Featured in the Broadway Musical Spread It Abroad.

Style:

Almost always approached as a ballad.

Form:

A1-A2-B-A1 (31 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Verse:

A-B (12 Bars) [8-4]

Not often included in performances. The original recording by Turner Layton features it.

Key:

Most commonly played in Eb Major.

Harmony/Overview:

The harmony of this composition is very functional. The A sections are centered around a I - VI - II - V in the tonic key and only venture away briefly with a II - V to IVMaj7 before returning back once again. The B  section tonicizes IIImi for the first half before a I - VI - II - V in V  Major finishes the section.

Recordings:

This song has been recorded over 450 times to date. It was first introduced by Dorothy Dickson in the 1936 Musical Revue Spread It Abroad, and was first recorded that same year by Turner Layton. Benny Goodman  would also make a hit recording of the tune that same year, and Billie Holiday would also leave behind a seminal rendition alongside Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra. It continues to be performed frequently and it remains one of the most popular list songs in the repertoire.

JGC Top Picks:

Artie Shaw, Did Someone Say a Party?, 1953

Dave Brubeck Quartet, Jazz at Oberlin, 1953

Art Pepper, Friday Night at the Village Vanguard, 1977