Look for the Silver Lining

For the film, see Look for the Silver Lining (film).

1920 sheet music cover

"Look for the Silver Lining" is a popular song with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by B.G. DeSylva. It was written in 1919 for the unsuccessful musical Zip, Goes a Million. In 1920 it was published and reused in the musical Sally whence it was popularized by Marilynn Miller. Among others, the song was later covered several times by Judy Garland, whose version also became, and remains, well-known.

A 1949 biopic with the same title as the song is about Marilynn Miller.

The song was the basis for the ILGWU anthem "Look for the union label". It is lampooned by another song, "Look for a Sky of Blue," in the satirical 1959 musical Little Mary Sunshine.

Marion Harris' recording of this song is (anachronistically) featured in a memorable dance scene between Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley in the popular Masterpiece Classic series "Downton Abbey". The scene can be viewed in Episode 8 of Series 2 where the plot-line reached early-to-mid 1919; however, the recording was not made until 29 December 1920.

Notable recordings

• Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings (1956). For several years a clip of Baker's rendition accompanied a bumper for Turner Classic Movies' morning programming block, titled "Sunny Side of Life" and featuring animation inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper.
• Aretha Franklin - The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin (1962).
• Susannah McCorkle - From Broken Hearts to Blue Skies (1998), Most Requested Songs (1999)
• Margaret Whiting - Margaret Whiting Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook (1960)
• Andy Williams - The Village of St. Bernadette (1959)

See also

• Silver lining (idiom)