Always (Irving Berlin song)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2012) |
| "Always" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Written | 1925 |
| Songwriter(s) | Irving Berlin |
"Always" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1925, as a wedding gift for his wife Ellin Mackay, whom he married in 1926, and to whom he presented the substantial royalties. Although legend (and Groucho Marx) claims Berlin wrote the song "Always" for The Cocoanuts, he never meant for the song to be included in that musical, and it wasn't.[1]
Notable recordings
- Henry Burr on February 10, 1926, and released on Victor 19959.
- Nick Lucas on February 13, 1926, and released on Brunswick 3088
- George Olsen & his Music (vocal by trio Edward Joyce, Fran Frey & Bob Rice) on February 16, 1926, and released on Victor 19955.
- Jesse Crawford (organist) on February 25, 1926, and released on Victor 20000
- Layton & Johnstone released on Columbia UK 4017 in Sep 1926.
- Deanna Durbin on December 15, 1944, and released on Decca 23397. Deanna performed the song in the 1944 film Christmas Holiday.
- Guy Lombardo & his Royal Canadians (with vocal by Kenny Gardner) on January 3, 1947, and released on Decca 23817
- Frank Sinatra (with orchestra directed by Axel Stordahl) on January 9, 1947, and released on Columbia 38686, and he also recorded the song for his 1961 album Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!.
- Tore Faye's Quartet (Victor Molvik, piano – Ole K. Salater, bass – Finn R. Slåtten, bass – Tore Faye, clarinet) in Oslo on December 6, 1954, and released on HMV A.L. 3488.
- Hank Garland on the album Jazz Winds From a New Direction in 1960
- Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album On the Sentimental Side (1962) and he also recorded the song for his 1965 album Bing Crosby's Treasury – The Songs I Love
- Patsy Cline on February 5, 1963, and released posthumously on the Decca album A Portrait of Patsy Cline in 1964.[2]
- Harry Nilsson included it on his 1973 album A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night which was arranged and conducted by Gordon Jenkins and produced by Derek Taylor. It was released on the RCA Victor label.
- Peggy Lee on July 17, 1974, and released on Atlantic 3915
- Barbara Cartland in 1978 with the Mike Sammes Singers and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on An Album of Love Songs State Records, ETAT 22.
Hit versions have also been recorded by such diverse artists as Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet, Tony Bennett, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Evans, Billy Corgan, Leonard Cohen, Phil Collins, Machito and The Ink Spots. Billy Eckstine and Sarah Vaughan also recorded it as a duet. Bandleader Sammy Kaye recorded it twice, in 1945 with singer Arthur Wright (hit single), and as part of a 1949 LP with singer Tony Alamo. Diana Ross & The Supremes performed a Motown-styled version of the song in a tribute to Irving Berlin on The Ed Sullivan Show. Lynda Carter would close her TV specials with the song. Mandy Patinkin sang the song to his character Rube's daughter in the TV series Dead Like Me. Paul McCartney recorded it for his 2012 album Kisses on the Bottom.[3]
In 1928, this song was featured multiple times in the Universal partial talkie feature Lonesome. This love story is about 2 strangers who meet one day on Coney Island. He plays a 78 rpm disk in his apartment and she also thinks of the song on her own. There is an on screen display of lines of the melody, accompanied by the lyrics. Lonesome, directed by Paul Fejos.[4] In 1942 it was used as the theme music for the film The Pride of the Yankees. It was also used in the 1945 film Blithe Spirit, based on the Noël Coward play.[5]
References
- ^ Bader, Robert S. (2016). Four of the Three Musketeers: The Marx Brothers on Stage. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press. p. 309. ISBN 9780810134164.
- ^ Cox, William L. "Patsy Cline's Recording Sessions – The Decca Years". Patsified.com. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ Waddell, Ray (10 February 2012). "Paul McCartney: The Billboard Cover Story". Billboard. p. 1. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
- ^ (1928)
- ^ Blithe Spirit (1945) at IMDb
