"Someone to Watch Over Me" is a 1926 song composed by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, assisted by Howard Dietz who penned the title. It was written for the musical '' Oh, Kay!'' (1926), with the part originally sung on Broadway by English actress

Gertrude Lawrence Gertrude Lawrence (4 July 1898 – 6 September 1952) was an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York. Early life Lawrence was born Gertr ...

while holding a rag doll in a sentimental solo scene. The musical ran for more than 200 performances in New York and then saw equivalent acclaim in London in 1927, all with the song as its centerpiece. Lawrence released the song as a medium-tempo single which rose to #2 on the charts in 1927.

Origin

Initially, "Someone to Watch Over Me" was written by George Gershwin for the musical ''Oh, Kay!'' as a "fast and jazzy" up-tempo rhythm tune – marked ''scherzando'' (playful) in the sheet music – but in the 1930s and 1940s it was recorded by singers in a slower ballad form, which became the standard. The definitive slow

torch song A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affect ...

version was first released by

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 ...

in 1939, followed by Margaret Whiting in 1944. Howard Dietz, who was involved in composing other songs in ''Oh Kay!'' while Ira Gershwin was hospitalized for six weeks for a ruptured appendix, claimed he helped write the lyrics to "Someone to Watch Over Me". He was not named in the song credits, and he was paid very little for his contribution. Dietz said in his 1974 memoir that the song's title was his idea, a fact first revealed by Ira in his 1959 book ''Lyrics on Several Occasions''. Lawrence's performances of the song in 1926 and 1927 were presented in a solo scene at the beginning of Act II with Lawrence wearing a maid's uniform and singing to a rag doll that she held in her hand. The rag doll was described in male gender terms by George Gershwin in 1934, saying "I don't know where he is now... He certainly did his part well." Gershwin said he found the doll in a toy shop in Philadelphia, where the play was in development, and he gave it to Lawrence to use as a prop in the scene, to increase the sense of her character's vulnerability. This late addition surprised the play's director.

Recordings and features

The song was recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1946 for his first album ''

The Voice of Frank Sinatra ''The Voice of Frank Sinatra'' is the first studio album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released on Columbia Records, catalogue C-112, March 4, 1946. It was first issued as a set of four 78 rpm records totaling eight songs, the individual dis ...

'', and again in 1954 for the film '' Young At Heart''. Sinatra's popular recordings helped cement the standard slow style. "Someone to Watch Over Me" was notably covered by

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 ...

(1950 and 1959),

Blossom Dearie Margrethe Blossom Dearie (April 28, 1924 – February 7, 2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She had a recognizably light and girlish voice. Profile at AllMusic/ref> Dearie performed regular engagements in London and New York City o ...

(1952), Chet Baker (1955), Sarah Vaughan (1957),

Dakota Staton Dakota Staton (June 3, 1930 – April 10, 2007) was an American jazz vocalist who found international acclaim with the 1957 No. 4 hit "The Late, Late Show". She was also known by the Muslim name Aliyah Rabia for a period due to her conversion to ...

(1960),

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

(1965),

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

(1969),

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...

(1978), Sting (1987),

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author. Over the course of a career that spans five decades, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, and jazz. A two ...

(2000), Elton John (2002) and

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz. A membe ...

(2008). Nelson Riddle arranged two lush orchestral versions, one backing Keely Smith in 1959 on '' Swingin' Pretty'', and the other for

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

in 1983 on '' What's New'' – the latter album winning a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

. The song was also used prominently in the film '' Mr. Holland's Opus'' (1995) with vocals by

Jean Louisa Kelly Jean Louisa Kelly (born March 9, 1972) is an American actress and singer. After making her film debut as Tia Russell in '' Uncle Buck'' (1989) alongside John Candy, she appeared in a wide range of other films including '' The Fantasticks'' (1 ...

in the film and Julia Fordham on the film's soundtrack. More than 1,800 recordings of the song have been released, almost all of them in the slow ballad style.

Origin

Recordings and features

See also

References

Further reading