"I'll Remember April" is a

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

and jazz standard with music written in 1941 by Gene de Paul, and lyrics by Patricia Johnston and Don Raye. It made its debut in the 1942 Abbott and Costello comedy '' Ride 'Em Cowboy'', being sung by

Dick Foran John Nicholas "Dick" Foran (June 18, 1910 – August 10, 1979) was an American actor, known for his performances in Western musicals and for playing supporting roles in dramatic pictures. Early years Foran was born in Flemington, New Jer ...

. The lyric uses the seasons of the year metaphorically to illustrate the growth and death of a

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

. The lyric also uses the ideas of the hours in a day and the flames of a fire to illustrate a relationship growing stronger and subsequently losing strength. Another interpretation is the use of spring (the month of April) to express the loves that were had in youth and remember them when the autumn of life arrives with affection and nostalgia, smiling: "I'll remember April and I smile". The song has been described as one which makes use of nostalgia. Since then, a number of artists have covered the song as listed below. One of the most notable live renditions of the song is a radio performance by

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

, on a broadcast of ''

Lux Radio Theatre ''Lux Radio Theatre'', sometimes spelled ''Lux Radio Theater'', a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company ...

''. 'I'll Remember April' can be found in the Real Book tacit vol 1. It also appears as background music in the '' Adam-12'' episode "Something Worth Dying For", in which Officer Reed (played by Kent McCord) is given the Medal of Valor.

Notable recordings

* Cannonball Adderley for his album '' Cannonball's Sharpshooters'' (1957) * Chet Baker - for the album ''

Witch Doctor A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor) was originally a type of healer who treated ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is now more commonly used to refer to healers, particularly in regions which use traditional healing ...

'' with The Lighthouse All Stars (1953) * Chet Baker - Paris Barclay recording 1955 '' Standards in Paris CD'' Quartet * Shirley Bassey - included in her album '' The Fabulous Shirley Bassey'' (1959) * Clifford Brown and Max Roach from the album '' At Basin Street'' (1956) - Studio recording with Sonny Rollins * June Christy - for her album ''This Is June Christy'' (1958)., also on ''

Cool Christy ''Cool Christy'' is a 2002 double-CD compilation of recordings by jazz vocalist June Christy from 1945 to 1951. Disc one # "Tampico" ( Gene Roland) # "It's Been a Long, Long Time" ( Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn) # " It Ain't Necessarily So" (George Ge ...

'' (2002) *

Sonny Clark Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark (July 21, 1931 – January 13, 1963) was an American jazz pianist and composer who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom. Early life Clark was born and raised in Herminie, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town east of Pi ...

- a solo piano performance from the album Sonny Clark Trio (1957) * Perry Como - for his album '' By Request'' (1962) * Bing Crosby - recorded July 7, 1944 with

John Scott Trotter John Scott Trotter Jr. (June 14, 1908 – October 29, 1975), also known as "Uncle John", was an American arranger, composer and orchestra leader. Trotter was best known for conducting the John Scott Trotter Orchestra which backed singer and ...

and His Orchestra. *

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music. He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...

- for his album '' That's All'' (1959) *

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

- on the 12 inch album '' Blue Haze'' (1954) * Doris Day - for the album ''

Hooray for Hollywood "Hooray for Hollywood" is a popular song first featured in the 1937 movie ''Hollywood Hotel'', and which has since become (together with " That's Entertainment" and " There's No Business like Show Business") the staple soundtrack element of any Ac ...

'' (1958) * Eric Dolphy - for the album '' Berlin Concerts'' with Benny Bailey (Enja 2LPs 1961) * Bill Evans - for the album ''Some Other Time'' (1968) *

Erroll Garner Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad " Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first r ...

- for the live album ''

Concert by the Sea ''Concert by the Sea'' is a live album by pianist Erroll Garner that was released by Columbia Records, Columbia in 1955. It sold over a million dollars' worth of retail copies by 1958, qualifying for gold record status by the music recording sale ...

'' (1955) * Matthew Gee for the album '' Jazz by Gee'' (1956) * Stan Getz - for the album '' Stan Getz at The Shrine'' (1954) with Bob Brookmeyer. Also a slightly longer studio version with Bob was recorded in the Interpretations series * Stan Getz - for his album '' Stan Meets Chet'' (1958) * Stan Getz - for his album '' The Stockholm Concert'' (1983) - Quartet * Dizzy Gillespie for the Live album '' The Dizzy Gillespie Big 7'' (1975) *

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

for the album '' Biting the Apple'' (1975) *

Eydie Gormé Eydie Gormé ( ; born Edith Gormezano; August 16, 1928 – August 10, 2013) was an American singer who had hits on the pop and Latin pop charts. She sang solo and in the duo Steve and Eydie with her husband, Steve Lawrence, on albums and telev ...

included in her album ''Love Is a Season'' (1959). * Robert Goulet - for the album ''I Remember You'' (1966). *

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Recording prolifically for Blue Note Records as both leader and sideman, Green performed in the hard bop, soul jazz, bebop, and Latin-tinged idioms ...

- for the album ''Standards'' (1961) *

Hampton Hawes Hampton Barnett Hawes Jr. (November 13, 1928 – May 22, 1977) was an American jazz pianist. He was the author of the memoir ''Raise Up Off Me'', which won the Deems-Taylor Award for music writing in 1975. Early life Hampton Hawes was born on ...

- for the album '' All Night Session! Vol. 2'' *

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

- this charted briefly in 1942. * Ahmad Jamal from the album '' At the Pershing, Vol. 2'' * Lee Konitz - from the album '' Konitz'' (1954) *

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

for his album '' Into Something'' (1961) flute track *

Steve Lawrence Steve Lawrence (born Sidney Liebowitz; July 8, 1935) is an American singer, comedian and actor, best known as a member of a duo with his wife Eydie Gormé, billed as " Steve and Eydie", and for his performance as Maury Sline, the manager and f ...

- for his album ''Academy Award Losers'' (1964). * Julie London - included in her album '' Calendar Girl'' (1956) *

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

- included in her album ''By Special Request'' (1956). *

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals ''Oklahoma!'' (1955) and '' Carousel'' (1956) and who p ...

- for his album ''The Seasons of Love'' (1959). * Charles Mingus - for his album '' The Charles Mingus Quintet & Max Roach'' Live at the Café Bohemia (1955) * Charles Mingus - for his album '' Mingus at Antibes (1960) *The Modern Jazz Quartet - from the album '' European Concert'' (1960) *

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

- for his album '' California Concerts'' - Zoot Sims feature (1954) *

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

- with strings (1950) * Bud Powell - '' Bud Powell Trio'' (Roost 1951) *

Red Rodney Robert Roland Chudnick (September 27, 1927 – May 27, 1994), known professionally as Red Rodney, was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he became a professional musician at 15, working in the mid-1940 ...

- ''

Bird Lives! ''Bird Lives!'' is an album by trumpeter Red Rodney featuring performances of tunes by, or associated with, Charlie Parker which was recorded in 1973 and released on the Muse label.

'' (Muse 1973) * Sonny Rollins - '' A Night at the Village Vanguard'' (1957) *

Dinah Shore Dinah Shore (born Frances Rose Shore; February 29, 1916 – February 24, 1994) was an American singer, actress, and television personality, and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1940s. She rose to prominence as a recording artist during ...

- included in her album ''Moments Like These'' (1958). * Sonny Stitt - The Sonny Side of Stitt (Roost 1959) * Frank Sinatra - included in his album ''

Point of No Return The point of no return (PNR or PONR) is the point beyond which one must continue on one's current course of action because turning back is dangerous, physically impossible or difficult, or prohibitively expensive. The point of no return can be a ...

'' (1962) * Sonny Stitt Sits In with the Oscar Peterson Trio - (Verve 1960) * Billy Taylor Trio at Town Hall - (Prestige 1954) *

Martha Tilton Martha Tilton (November 14, 1915 – December 8, 2006) was an American popular singer during America's swing era and traditional pop period. She is best known for her 1939 recording of " And the Angels Sing" with Benny Goodman. Tilton was born ...

recorded June 4, 1942. *

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

from the album '' Dinah Jams'' (1954)

Film appearances

*1942 '' Ride 'Em Cowboy'', sung by

*1944 '' Ghost Catchers'' *1944 ''

Phantom Lady Phantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first such characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Originally published by Quality Comics, the character was subsequently published by a series of now-defunct comic book com ...

'' *1945 '' Eve Knew Her Apples'' *1945 ''I'll Remember April'' - performed by Kirby Grant and

Gloria Jean Gloria Jean (born Gloria Jean Schoonover; April 14, 1926 – August 31, 2018) was an American actress and singer who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films from 1939 to 1959, and made numerous radio, television, stage, and nightclub app ...

Sources

References

"I'll Remember April" at jazzstandards.com
Accessed 20 September 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:I'll Remember April (Song) Songs about nostalgia Songs with music by Gene de Paul 1942 songs Songs written by Don Raye Jazz compositions in G major