Somebody Loves Me: A Song History

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"Somebody Loves Me" was written for George White's Scandals of 1924, a two-act revue that ran at New York's Apollo Theatre from June 30 to December 13 of that year, a total of 196 performances.[1] George Gershwin supplied the score, B. G. DeSylva and Ballard MacDonald the lyrics, and William Daly conducted; the opening-night company included Winnie Lightner, Tom Patricola and Louise Brooks.[1] Harms of New York published the song as sheet music with a 1924 copyright, and an early edition held by the Morgan Library comes in an orange cover showing a woman's photograph.[2] The New York Public Library holds it among six vocal scores Harms published from the show, alongside numbers such as "Rose of Madrid" and "Kongo Kate."[3]

Drypoint of a busy Manhattan street with tall buildings, cars and crowds of pedestrians

William Walcot, New York City: 42nd Street, drypoint, 1923. New York's 42nd Street in 1923, a year before the revue that introduced the song; the drypoint has no connection to it.

Less than two weeks after the opening, Paul Whiteman's orchestra recorded the song as a fox trot in New York on July 11, 1924, with Nathaniel Shilkret on celeste.[4] Victor released it that October on record 19414, backed with Whiteman's "Lonely Little Melody."[5] Singers took it up as well: Victor had Aileen Stanley record it in Camden on August 19 and again in New York on September 9, the later take reaching the public on Victor 19454,[6][7] and Marion Harris recorded it for Brunswick in New York on September 24, for release on Brunswick 2735.[8]

Paramount's 1952 film Somebody Loves Me, suggested by the careers of the entertainers Blossom Seeley and Benny Fields and starring Betty Hutton as Seeley, shares the song's title and lists it among its musical numbers.[9] For dulcimer players, it is one of the sixteen period pieces Dana Gruber arranged as solos in Speakeasy And Tin Pan Alley Tunes For Chromatic Dulcimer, a Fingers Of Steel collection played in DAD tuning without a capo.[10]

Our book that contains the song "Somebody Loves Me"

Sources

  1. Internet Broadway Database: "George White's Scandals [1924]".
  2. The Morgan Library & Museum: "Somebody loves me".
  3. New York Public Library, Research Catalog: "George White's scandals" (vocal scores, Harms, c1924).
  4. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Victor matrix B-30380. Somebody loves me / Paul Whiteman Orchestra".
  5. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Victor 19414 (Black label (popular) 10-in. double-faced)".
  6. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Victor matrix B-30700. Somebody loves me / Aileen Stanley".
  7. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Victor matrix B-30807. Somebody loves me / Aileen Stanley".
  8. Discography of American Historical Recordings: "Brunswick matrix 13841-13843. Somebody loves me / Marion Harris".
  9. AFI Catalog of Feature Films: "Somebody Loves Me (1952)".
  10. Fingers Of Steel: "Dana Gruber, Speakeasy And Tin Pan Alley Tunes For Chromatic Dulcimer".
  11. Image: William Walcot, New York City: 42nd Street, drypoint, 1923. The Cleveland Museum of Art.

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