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My One and Only Love

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"My One and Only Love"
Song
Written1952
Published1953 by Sherwin Music
Composer(s)Guy Wood
Lyricist(s)Robert Mellin

"My One and Only Love" is a 1953 popular song with music written by Guy Wood and lyrics by Robert Mellin.[1] Notable renditions by Frank Sinatra (1953), and later by John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (1963), have made the song part of the jazz standard musical repertoire.

Structure

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Published in 1953, it is a conventional 32-bar song with four 8-bar sections, including a bridge ("Type A" or "AABA" song structure).[2] Typically performed as a ballad, it has an aria-like melody that is a challenge to many vocalists;[3] in the key of C, the song's melody extends from G below middle C to the second D above middle C.

History

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The song originated in 1947 under the title "Music from Beyond the Moon", with music by Guy B. Wood and lyrics by Jack Lawrence.[1] Vocalist Vic Damone recorded this version in the same year and released it as a B-side to "I'll Always Be In Love With You" (Mercury 5072),[4] but it was unsuccessful. In 1952, Robert Mellin wrote a new title and lyrics for the song, and it was republished the next year as “My One and Only Love”.[5]

Jazz standard

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When Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1953 with Nelson Riddle, first released as B-side to his hit single "I've Got the World on a String" (Capitol 2505),[6] it became known as a jazz standard.[5] Then popular saxophonist Charlie Ventura saw the song's "jazz potential" and recorded the first instrumental version in the very same year.[1]

As an instrumental jazz standard, it remained predominantly a song for tenor saxophonists.[1] Ben Webster recorded the tune with Art Tatum in autumn 1956. John Coltrane recorded his version with vocalist Johnny Hartman ten years after Ventura in 1963 (John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman). This was followed by Sonny Rollins in 1964. He re-recorded it in 1977, this time on soprano saxophone. Later interpretations came from Chico Freeman, Michael Brecker, and Joshua Redman.

Vocal renditions of "My One and Only Love" were recorded by Ella Fitzgerald (Decca 29746), Johnny Mathis, Doris Day, Mark Murphy, Chet Baker and Kurt Elling. Cassandra Wilson turned the song into an up-tempo swing number.[1]

Cover versions

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Date Performer Type Album, notes Source
1947 Vic Damone vocal single, B-side, as "Music from Beyond the Moon" [4]
1948 Tony Martin vocal single, as "Music from Beyond the Moon"
1953 Frank Sinatra vocal single, B-side; appears on later compilation This Is Sinatra! [6]
1953 Charlie Ventura instrumental Charlie Ventura's Open House [1]
1954 Art Tatum and Ben Webster The Tatum Group Masterpieces, Volume Eight [1]
1955 Ella Fitzgerald vocal single
1955 Sarah Vaughan vocal The Divine Sarah[7]
1957 Pepper Adams instrumental Pepper Adams Quintet
1957 Carmen McRae vocal By Special Request
1957 Horace Silver instrumental The Stylings of Silver
1958 Johnny Mathis vocal Warm
1959 Henry Mancini instrumental The Mancini Touch
1960 Magni Wentzel vocal single
1960 Jimmy Smith instrumental Plain Talk
1961 Dion vocal Alone with Dion
1962 Dean Martin vocal Cha Cha de Amor
1962 Ella Fitzgerald instrumental Ella Swings Gently with Nelson
1962 Doris Day vocal Duet [8]
1962 Andy Williams vocal Warm and Willing
1962 Grant Green instrumental Born to Be Blue
1963 John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman vocal John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman [1]
1964 Oscar Peterson instrumental We Get Requests
1965 Sonny Rollins instrumental The Complete RCA Victor Recordings [1]
1965 Nancy Wilson vocal Gentle Is My Love
1965 Wes Montgomery instrumental Bumpin'
1966 Joe Zawinul instrumental Money in the Pocket
1968 Chick Corea instrumental Now He Sings, Now He Sobs [1]
1970 Louis Armstrong vocal Louis Armstrong and His Friends
1973 MFSB instrumental Love Is the Message
1974 McCoy Tyner instrumental Atlantis [1]
1977 Sonny Rollins instrumental Easy Living
1977 Radka Toneff vocal Butterfly
1978 Chico Freeman instrumental Beyond the Rain
1981 Joe Henderson & Chick Corea instrumental Relaxin' At Camarillo
1983 Buddy Rich instrumental Rich and Famous
1987 Michael Brecker instrumental Michael Brecker [1]
1988 Cassandra Wilson vocal Blue Skies [1]
1989 Chet Baker vocal Chet Baker Sings and Plays from the Film Let's Get Lost
1989 Chick Corea instrumental Chick Corea Akoustic Band
1990 Kate Ceberano vocal Like Now
1991 Rickie Lee Jones vocal Pop Pop
1991 Sting vocal Leaving Las Vegas (soundtrack) [1]
1992 Ray Bryant instrumental Ray Bryant "Plays Blues and Ballads"
1993 Joe Sample instrumental Invitation
1993 Diane Schuur vocal Love Songs [9][10]
1995 Joshua Redman instrumental Spirit of the Moment - Live at the Village Vanguard [1]
1998 Fred Hersch & Bill Frisell instrumental Songs We Know
2001 Mark Murphy vocal Once to Every Heart [1]
2005 Rod Stewart vocal Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV
2005 Paula Cole vocal To Love Again: The Duets
2008 Yo-Yo Ma instrumental Songs of Joy & Peace
2008 Irvin Mayfield and Ellis Marsalis instrumental Love Song, Ballads, and Standards
2009 Mark Isham and Kate Ceberano vocal Bittersweet
2009 Kurt Elling vocal Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman [1]
2011 George Benson vocal Guitar Man
2011 Doris Day vocal My Heart
2012 Paul McCartney vocal Kisses on the Bottom
2014 Jamie Cullum vocal Interlude
2017 Bob Dylan vocal Triplicate

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Gioia, T. (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4. pp. 284-285.
  2. ^ Meeder, C. (2012). Jazz: The Basics. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781135887124. Chapter 1, Fundamentals, "Form".
  3. ^ Sinatra, N. (1986). Frank Sinatra, My Father. Pocket Books. ISBN 9780671625085. p. 102. Quote: "This song is perhaps the most difficult popular song to sing. The intervals are extremely tricky…"
  4. ^ a b Ruppli, M. Novitsky, E. (1993). The Mercury Labels: A Discography. Volume 1: The 1945-1956 Era. The Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313290312. p. 51.
  5. ^ a b Friedwald, W. (2017). The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums. Pantheon Books. ISBN 9780307379078. p. 167.
  6. ^ a b Silva, L. (2000). Put Your Dreams Away: A Frank Sinatra Discography. Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313310553. p. 207.
  7. ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  8. ^ "www.allmusic.com". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "'Love Song' Schuur Bet for Jazzy Singer". Milwaukee Sentinel. April 23, 1993. "On "Love Song," which will be released May 11 in the United States, Schuur creates a variety of moods..."
  10. ^ "Schuur, Diane, et al. Love Songs. 1993.". WorldCat.
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