The Way You Look Tonight

"The Way You Look Tonight" is a song from the film Swing Time that was performed by Fred Astaire and composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics written by Dorothy Fields. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1936.[1][2] Fields remarked, "The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn't stop, it was so beautiful."[3]

This article is about the song. For the album by Jimmy McGriff, see The Way You Look Tonight (album). For the song written by Elton John, see Something About the Way You Look Tonight.
"The Way You Look Tonight"
Song
Published1936 by Chappell & Co.
Songwriter(s)
"The Way You Look Tonight"
Single by The Lettermen
from the album A Song for Young Love
B-side"That's My Desire"
ReleasedJune 13, 1961
Recorded1961
StudioCapitol Studios, Hollywood, California
GenrePop, jazz
Length2:21
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
The Lettermen singles chronology
"The Way You Look Tonight"
(1961)		 "When I Fall in Love"
(1961)

In the movie, Astaire sang "The Way You Look Tonight" to Ginger Rogers while she was washing her hair in an adjacent room.[1] His recording reached the top of the charts in 1936. Other versions that year were by Guy Lombardo and by Teddy Wilson with Billie Holiday.[4]

Composition

The song was sung by Fred Astaire in the 1936 film Swing Time in the key of D major,[5] but it is typically performed in E-flat major with a modulation to G-flat major.[6]

Cover versions

Other versions

Other versions were also recorded by Clifford Brown, Tina Brooks, Johnny Griffin (with John Coltrane), Charlie Parker, and Tony Bennett (with Thalía).[2]

Charts

The Lettermen
Chart (1961) Peak
position
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) 36
US Billboard Hot 100 13
US Billboard Easy Listening chart[11] 3

See also

References
  1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19 ed.). London: Guinness World Records. p. 134. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 449–451. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
  3. Wilk, Max (1997). They're Playing Our Song: Conversations with America's Classic Songwriters (1st Da Capo Press ed.). Da Capo Press. p. 56. ISBN 0-306-80746-7.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories, 1890–1954. Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 604. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  5. "The Way You Look Tonight". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  6. "The Way You Look Tonight". Jazzstandards.com. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  7. "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  8. "The Art of the Trio, Vol. 2: Live at the Village Vanguard - Brad Mehldau | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  9. "Sixteen Sunsets - Jane Ira Bloom | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  10. "Coming Forth by Day". Allmusic. allmusic.com. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  11. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 144.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.