Autumn Leaves (song)
"Autumn Leaves" is a much-recorded popular song. Originally it was a 1945 French song "Les feuilles mortes" (literally "The Dead Leaves") with music by Joseph Kosma and lyrics by poet Jacques Prévert. Yves Montand (with Irène Joachim) introduced "Les feuilles mortes" in 1946 in the film Les Portes de la Nuit.[1] The American songwriter Johnny Mercer wrote English lyrics in 1947 and Jo Stafford was among the first to perform this version. Autumn Leaves became a pop standard and a jazz standard in both languages and both as an instrumental and with a singer.
On December 24, 1950, French singer Edith Piaf rendered both French and English versions of this song on the radio programme The Big Show, hosted by Tallulah Bankhead.[2]
The Melachrino Strings Conductor: George Melachrino recorded a version in London on August 18, 1950. It was released by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalogue number B 9952.
The film Autumn Leaves (1956) starring Joan Crawford featured the song, as sung by Nat King Cole over the title sequence. The French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg paid tribute to this song in his own song "La chanson de Prévert".[3]
It is the corps song of the Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps.[4]
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Sample of a recording of "Autumn Leaves" by Eva Cassidy from the album Live at Blues Alley (1996)
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The Coasters released a version of the song on their 1960 album, One by One.[5] Italian-American tenor Sergio Franchi recorded his version on the 1968 RCA Victor album I'm a Fool to Want You.[6] The British Invasion band Manfred Mann released a rock version on their 1966 album, As Is.[7] Raquel Bitton recorded a version in 2000 which appears on her album Raquel Bitton sings Edith Piaf.
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[edit] Chart appearances
In 1955 Roger Williams made the song a #1 hit in the United States, the only piano instrumental to reach number one and remaining in that position for four weeks.[8]
[edit] Structure and chord progression
The song is in AABC form.[9] "Autumn Leaves" offers a popular way for beginning jazz musicians to become acquainted with jazz harmony as the chord progression consists almost solely of II-V-I and II-V sequences which are typical of jazz. For example, in the key of G minor it opens with
Cm7 (ii) - F7 (V) - Bbmaj7 (I)
The bridge contains the same sequence as well as
Fm7 (ii) - Bb7 (V) - Ebmaj7 (I).
[edit] An example of a chord progression of the song in Gm
Each chord sustains for 4 beats (X- ) unless otherwise noted (X-X-)
(Verse)
Cm7 - F7 - BbM7 - EbM7 - Am7(b5) - D7(b9) - Gm6 - G7 - Cm7 - F7 - BbM7 - EbM7 - Am7(b5) - D7(b9) - Gm6 - Gm6
(Chorus)
Am7(b5) - D7(b9) - Gm7 - G7 - Cm7 - F7 - BbM7 - EbM7 - Am7(b5) - D7(b9) - Gm7-C7-Fm7-Bb7-EbM7 - D7(b9) - Gm6 - Gm6
[edit] Reference List
- ^ Massin B. Les Joachim – Une famille de musiciens. Fayard, Paris, 1999.
- ^ The Big Show. "BigShow-02". BigShow. http://www.live365.com/stations/otrnow_live. Retrieved 2008-12-25. "As carried on Internet radio at"
- ^ François, Corinne (2000). Jacques Prévert, Paroles. Editions Bréal. p. 109. ISBN 9782842917029. http://books.google.ie/books?id=1Bg89F5q3pUC&printsec=frontcover#PPA109,M1.
- ^ Anonymous. "1987 Programs & Ticket Stubs". The Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps. http://www.bluecoats.com/media_gallery.asp?year=1987§ion_id=257§ion_name=Programs+%26+Ticket+Stubs. Retrieved 2006-11-07. "As listed in 1987 program."
- ^ The Coasters, One by One Retrieved February 8, 2012.
- ^ "Sergio Franchi". Gemm.com. http://www.gemm.com.
- ^ "As Is". AllMusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/as-is-r164528.
- ^ Anonymous. "Roger Williams". Nebraska Music Hall of Fame. http://www.nebrocks.org/bands.asp?band=84. Retrieved 2006-11-07. "In 1965, Williams added a chorus and charted it again at no. 10 Billboard Easy Listening as "Autumn Leaves - 1965.""
- ^ Spitzer, Peter (2001). Jazz Theory Handbook, p.81. ISBN 0786653280.
[edit] External links
- "Autumn Leaves" at jazzstandards.com
- "Autumn Leaves" - Lead sheet at wikifonia.org
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