''Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book'' is a 1958 studio album by the American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

singer

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

, with a studio orchestra conducted and arranged by

Paul Weston Paul Weston (born Paul Wetstein; March 12, 1912 – September 20, 1996) was an American pianist, arranger, composer, and conductor who worked in music and television from the 1930s to the 1970s, pioneering mood music and becoming known as "the ...

, focusing on the songs of

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

. It was part of the popular and influential ''

Songbook A song book is a book containing lyrics for songs. Song books may be simple composition books or spiral-bound notebooks. Music publishers also produced printed editions for group singing. Such volumes were used in the United States by piano manuf ...

'' series.

Grammy Awards

At the inaugural Grammy Awards, ''Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book'' was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Fitzgerald won the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Female for her performance on the album.

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. wrote: "For fans who have enjoyed other songbook recordings, this reissue is a must-have; for those unfamiliar with Fitzgerald's songbook work, this is an excellent place to start." David Adler of

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

called the album "essential in any music library," and commented: "Ella Fitzgerald's talent speaks for itself, as does Berlin's. The compatibility of these two American legends is unmistakable."

Track listing

For the 2-LP set originally released on the Verve label in 1958: Verve MGV 4019-2. Side One: #"

Let's Face the Music and Dance "Let's Face the Music and Dance" is a song written in 1936 by Irving Berlin for the film ''Follow the Fleet'', where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and featured in a celebrated dance duet with Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The jazz song has als ...

" – 2:57 #" You're Laughing at Me" – 3:18 #" Let Yourself Go" – 2:20 #"

You Can Have Him "You Can Have Him" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1949 musical ''Miss Liberty'', where it was introduced by Allyn McLerie and Mary McCarty. It is not to be confused with Roy Hamilton's 1961 hit " You Can Have Her", which has ...

" – 3:47 #"Russian Lullaby" – 1:55 #" Puttin' On the Ritz" – 2:18 #"

Get Thee Behind Me Satan "Get Thee Behind Me Satan" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1936 film ''Follow the Fleet'', where it was introduced by Harriet Hilliard. It was originally written for Ginger Rogers in ''Top Hat'' (1935). Notable recordings *Ella ...

" – 3:49 #"

Alexander's Ragtime Band "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is a Tin Pan Alley song by American composer Irving Berlin released in 1911 and is often inaccurately cited as his first global hit. Despite its title, the song is a march as opposed to a rag and contains little sync ...

" – 2:43 Side Two: #"

Top Hat, White Tie and Tails "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1935 film ''Top Hat'', where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. The song title refers to the formal wear required on a party invitation: top hat, white tie, and a ...

" – 2:36 #" How About Me?" – 3:17 #"

Cheek to Cheek "Cheek to Cheek" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1934–35, specifically for the star of his new musical, Fred Astaire. The movie was ''Top Hat'', co-starring Ginger Rogers.

" – 3:48 #"

I Used to Be Color Blind "I Used to Be Color Blind" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1938 film '' Carefree'', where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. The Astaire recording was very popular in 1938. Notable recordings *Fred Astaire recorded the song again ...

" – 2:34 #" Lazy" – 2:40 #" How Deep Is the Ocean?" – 3:11 #"

All by Myself "All by Myself" is a song by American singer-songwriter Eric Carmen released in 1975. The verse is based on the second movement (''Adagio sostenuto'') of Sergei Rachmaninoff's circa 1900–1901 '' Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor'', Opus 18. The ...

" – 2:29 #" Remember" – 3:26 Side Three: #"

Supper Time "Supper Time" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1933 musical '' As Thousands Cheer'', where it was introduced by Ethel Waters. The song is about racial violence inspired by a newspaper headline about a lynching. History Berlin ...

" – 3:19 #" How's Chances?" – 2:48 #"

Heat Wave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...

" – 2:25 #" Isn't This a Lovely Day?" – 3:29 #" You Keep Coming Back Like a Song" – 3:35 #" Reaching for the Moon" – 2:18 #" Slumming on Park Avenue" – 2:24 Side Four: #" The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On)" (lyrics by Beda Loehner) – 2:30 #" I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket" – 3:01 #" Now it Can Be Told" – 3:12 #" Always" – 3:09 #" It's a Lovely Day Today" – 2:28 #" Change Partners" – 3:18 #" No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)" – 3:03 #"

I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" is a popular song copyrighted in 1937 by its composer, Irving Berlin, and first recorded by (i) Ray Noble (January 5, 1937), Howard Barrie, vocalist, and (ii) Red Norvo (January 8, 1937), Mildred Bailey, vocali ...

" – 3:00 Bonus Track; Issued on the Verve 2000 2CD re-issue, Verve 830533-2 32." Blue Skies" – 3:43 (Note: This track was added to later vinyl re-issues) All music and lyrics written by

Personnel

- vocals *

– arranger, conductor

References

{{Authority control 1958 albums Ella Fitzgerald albums Verve Records albums Albums produced by Norman Granz Albums arranged by Paul Weston Irving Berlin tribute albums Albums conducted by Paul Weston Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance