| "I'm Beginning to See the Light" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Published | 1944 by Grand Music Corp |
| Songwriter(s) | Duke Ellington, Don George, Johnny Hodges, and Harry James[1] |
"I'm Beginning to See the Light" is a popular song and jazz standard, with music written by Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, and Harry James and lyrics by Don George and published in 1944.
1945 recordings[edit]
Ella Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny recorded a version in 1945, that was on the pop song hits list for six weeks in 1945 and reached #5.
A competing recording by Harry James and his Orchestra,[2] with lead vocals by Kitty Kallen, reached No. 1 for two weeks in January of that year. James' version of the song reached No. 7 on the Billboard magazine Second Annual High School Survey in 1945.[3] Duke Ellington released a version, with vocal by Joya Sherrill, which reached the top ten.[4] The Delta Rhythm Boys recorded a version of the song in 1945.
Other notable recordings[edit]
- Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra. Vocal: Joya Sherrill Recorded in New York City on December 1, 1944. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalogue number 20-1618[5] This recording went to number four on the Harlem Hit Parade chart and number six on the pop chart.[6]
- Oscar Alemán (1946)
- Gerry Mulligan, Gerry Mulligan with Chet Baker (1955)
- Count Basie, Joe Williams - Track 8 of The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards (1956)
- Connie Francis (1958)
- Peggy Lee, Things Are Swingin' (Capitol, 1958)
- Johnnie Ray (1958)
- Joanie Sommers on Positively the Most! (1960)
- Mary Stallings and Cal Tjader - Cal Tjader Plays, Mary Stallings Sings (Fantasy, 1961)
- Bobby Darin (1962) - featured in the 1996 feature film Swingers.
- Frank Sinatra (1962) - "Sinatra And Swingin' Brass"
- Ella and Basie!, a 1963 Verve release with arrangements by Quincy Jones.
- Clare Fischer – Songs for Rainy Day Lovers (1967)
- Bob Dorough with Bill Takas; Beginning to See the Light (1976)
- In 1986 Australian recording artist Kate Ceberano recorded a version for her album Kate Ceberano and her Septet
- Natalie Cole (1993)
- Peggy Lee – Spotlight on Peggy Lee (1995)
- Dee Dee Bridgewater – Prelude to a Kiss: The Duke Ellington Album (1996)
- Rosemary Clooney – Out of This World (2000)
- The Hi-Lo's – A Musical Thrill (2006)
- Royce Campbell – Get Happy (2007)
- Joe Jackson recorded a cover of the song for his Duke Ellington tribute album, The Duke (2012)
- Karen Souza - Velvet Vault (2017)
- Seal (2017) - "Standards"
- Billy Eckstine recorded the song many times: with Billy May, with Quincy Jones, with Bobby Tucker and with Gil Askey.
- Sutton Foster recorded a version for her album Wish
- The Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny & Ella Fitzgerald
- Chelsea Krombach performed the song for her debut album Look for the Silver Lining
- The SuperJazz Big Band of Birmingham, Alabama, recorded the song on the CD UAB SuperJazz, Featuring Ellis Marsalis
- Michael Bublé
- Al Jarreau in his album "Accentuate the Positive"
- Kelly Rowland
- Mel Tormé – "At the Crescendo"
References[edit]
- ^ "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Gilliland, John (1994). Pop Chronicles the 40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s (audiobook). ISBN 978-1-55935-147-8. OCLC 31611854. Tape 1, side B.
- ^ Smith, Kathleen E.R. (28 March 2003). God Bless America: Tin Pan Alley Goes to War. The University Press of Kentucky. p. 167. ISBN 0-8131-2256-2.
- ^ "I'm Beginning to See the Light" at Jazz Standards
- ^ RCA Victor Records in the 20-1500 to 20-1999 series
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 185.
