"It's Only a Paper Moon" is a popular song published in 1933 with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by

Yip Harburg Edgar Yipsel Harburg (born Isidore Hochberg; April 8, 1896 – March 5, 1981) was an American popular song lyricist and librettist who worked with many well-known composers. He wrote the lyrics to the standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" ( ...

and Billy Rose.

Background

It was originally titled "If You Believed in Me", but later went by the more popular title "It's Only a Paper Moon". The song was written for an unsuccessful 1932

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

play called ''

The Great Magoo ''The Great Magoo'' was an unsuccessful 1932 Broadway play written by Ben Hecht and Gene Fowler. A womanizing songwriter, Nicky, has fallen hard for Julie, a dancer and ambitious entertainer. Both lovers are Olympic-caliber boozers who swan dive in ...

'' that was set in Coney Island.

Claire Carleton Claire Carleton (September 28, 1913 – December 11, 1979) was an American actress whose career spanned four decades from the 1930s through the 1960s. She appeared in over 100 films, the majority of them features, and on numerous television ...

first performed this song on December 2, 1932. It was used in the movie '' Take a Chance'' in 1933 when it was sung by June Knight and

Charles "Buddy" Rogers Charles Edward "Buddy" Rogers (August 13, 1904 – April 21, 1999) was an American film actor and musician. During the peak of his popularity in the late 1920s and early 1930s he was publicized as "America's Boyfriend". Life and career Early ...

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

recorded a hit version later that year, released on the Victor label in October 1933 featuring

Bunny Berigan Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan (November 2, 1908 – June 2, 1942) was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era. His career and influence were shortened by alcoholism, and ended with his early demise at the ...

on trumpet and Peggy Healy on vocals. A version released a month before Whiteman's was by Henry King and His Pierre Hotel Orchestra on the

Vocalion Vocalion Records is an American record company and label. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pianos and organs, as Aeolian-Vocalion; the company also sold phonographs under the Vocalion name. "Aeolian" was ...

label. Another popular 1933 recording was done by

Cliff Edwards Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standar ...

. The song's lasting fame stems from its revival by popular artists during the last years of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, with hit recordings being made by

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

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 ...

, and Benny Goodman (vocal by Dottie Reid). It is now regarded as a jazz and pop standard, and has been recorded by numerous artists over the years. Blanche DuBois is heard singing the song when in the bathroom in Scene Seven of

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

' play ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pers ...

''.

Notable recordings

* Chet Baker * Art Blakey * Dion and the Belmonts *

Nat King Cole Trio Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...

– '' Unforgettable... with Love'' (1991) * Perry Como * Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney recorded the song for Crosby's radio show and it was heard on the March 26, 1953 broadcast and released on the album ''Bing & Rosie - The Crosby-Clooney Radio Sessions'' (2010). *

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 ...

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

– ''

The Nat King Cole Songbook ''The Nat King Cole Songbook'' is a 1965 studio album by Sammy Davis Jr., recorded in tribute to singer and pianist Nat King Cole, who had recently died. Track listing # " Rambling Rose" ( Joe Sherman, Noel Sherman) – 2:27 # "Unforgettable" ...

'' (1965) * Kenny Drew Trio *

with

The Delta Rhythm Boys The Delta Rhythm Boys was an American vocal group active from 1934 to 1987. The group was formed at Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma, in 1934 by Carl Jones, Traverse Crawford, Otha Lee Gaines, and Kelsey Pharr. They moved to Dillar ...

– recorded 27 March 1945 for Decca * Benny Goodman (feat. Dottie Reid) *

Stephane Grappelli Stephane may refer to: * Stéphane, a French given name * Stephane (Ancient Greece), a vestment in ancient Greece * Stephane (Paphlagonia) Stephane ( grc, Στεφάνη) was a small port town on the coast of ancient Paphlagonia, according to Arr ...

* Lionel Hampton *

Chiemi Eri , was a Japanese popular singer and actress. Eri was born as on January 11, 1937 in Tokyo, Japan. She started her singing career at the age of 14 with her version of "Tennessee Waltz." Her repertoire consisted largely of traditional Japanese son ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

– '' Kisses on the Bottom'' (2012) *

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...

– '' A Touch More Schmilsson in the Night'' (1988) *

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards ...

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

– ''

A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena ...

: Music from the Motion Picture'' (1992), '' American Standard'' (2020) *

John Pizzarelli John Paul Pizzarelli Jr. (born April 6, 1960, in Paterson, New Jersey) is an American jazz guitarist and vocalist. He has recorded over twenty solo albums and has appeared on more than forty albums by other recording artists, including Paul McCa ...

– ''

Dear Mr. Cole ''Dear Mr. Cole'' is a Nat King Cole tribute album by jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli. Pizzarelli is accompanied by pianist Benny Green, and bassist Christian McBride on all but one song. Track listing # "Style Is Coming Back in Style" ( Jerry L ...

'' (1994) *

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 ...

– ''Paper Moon: Songs of Nat King Cole'' (1995) * Frank Sinatra – ''

Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! ''Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!!'' is a 1961 album by Frank Sinatra. Six of the tracks on the album are re-recordings of a batch of songs that Sinatra had previously recorded on the Columbia album, ''Sing and Dance with Frank Sinatra''. It was ...

'' (1961) * Mel Tormé – '' Mel Tormé at the Crescendo'' (1957) *

Orchestra *

Lee Wiley Lee Wiley (October 9, 1908 – December 11, 1975) was an American jazz singer during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Biography Wiley was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. At fifteen, she left home to pursue a singing career, singing on New York ...

* Lena Zavaroni *

James Darren James William Ercolani (born June 8, 1936) known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had notable starring and supporting roles in fi ...

sang the song in character as

Vic Fontaine Vic Fontaine is a fictional character who appeared in the sixth and seventh seasons of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''. Portrayed by James Darren, he is a holographic representation of a 1960s-era ...

in the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' episode of the same name.

Usage in film and television

*The song features in the 1973 film '' Paper Moon''. *A 1933 recording of the song was the theme song for the 1974 ABC situation comedy '' Paper Moon''.Brooks & Marsh, p. 795. *A re-arrangement of the song done by Herbie Hancock is included in the 1986 movie '' Round Midnight'' (starring saxophonist Dexter Gordon), and the accompanying soundtrack album '' The other Side of Round Midnight''. *The Cliff Edwards recording of this song is featured in the 2012 film ''

Killing Them Softly ''Killing Them Softly'' (stylized in marketing as ''killing them softly'') is a 2012 American neo-noir crime film written and directed by Andrew Dominik and stars Brad Pitt. Based on George V. Higgins' 1974 novel '' Cogan's Trade'', the stor ...

''.

References

Citations

Bibliography

*Brooks, Tim & Marsh, Earle (1995). ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows: 1946-Present''. Ballantine Books. . {{DEFAULTSORT:It's Only A Paper Moon (Song) 1932 songs 1933 singles Songs with music by Harold Arlen Pop standards Songs with lyrics by Yip Harburg Songs with lyrics by Billy Rose 1930s jazz standards Benny Goodman songs Ella Fitzgerald songs Nat King Cole songs Vocalion Records singles Victor Talking Machine Company singles

Background

Notable recordings

Usage in film and television

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography