''Swing Softly'' is the fifth
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
by American pop singer
Johnny Mathis that was released on July 28, 1958,
[ by Columbia Records and was a departure from the ballads that accounted for the vast majority of singles and album tracks he had recorded thus far. This project features uptempo arrangements of popular standards, most of which originated in a movie or stage musicals, and a couple of new songs: "To Be in Love" and "Easy to Say (But Hard to Do)".
The album made its first appearance on '' Billboard'' magazine's list of the 25 Best-Selling Pop LPs in the US in the issue dated September 8, 1958, and peaked at number six over the course of 16 weeks. It also spent its one week on the UK album chart at number 10][ Type ''Johnny Mathis'' in the Search box and press ''Enter''.]
The album was released for the first time on compact disc in 2000 as one of two albums on one CD, the other LP being another of his Gold records, '' Warm'' from 1957.
Reception
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 ...
's Greg Adams noted, "Close listeners will appreciate the purity of Mathis's vocal technique, which differs markedly from that of later singers for its infrequent use of modulation."[ He concludes, "Mathis swings with ease on these twelve favorites and offers something a little bit different from his previous albums."][
]
Track listing
Side one
#"You Hit the Spot" from '' Collegiate'' (Mack Gordon
Mack Gordon (born Morris Gittler; June 21, 1904 – February 28, 1959) was an American composer and lyricist for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times in 11 years, including five consecutive years betwee ...
, Harry Revel
Harry Revel ( Glaser; 21 December 1905 – 3 November 1958) was a British-born American composer, mostly of musical theatre, working with various lyricists, notably Mack Gordon. He is also seen as a pioneer of " space age pop".
Early life and c ...
) – 2:52
#"It's De-Lovely
"It's De-Lovely" is one of Cole Porter's hit songs, originally appearing in his 1936 musical, '' Red Hot and Blue''. It was introduced by Ethel Merman and Bob Hope. The song was later used in the musical ''Anything Goes'', first appearing in the ...
" from '' Red Hot and Blue'' ( Cole Porter) – 2:47
#"Get Me to the Church on Time
"Get Me to the Church on Time" is a song composed by Frederick Loewe, with lyrics written by Alan Jay Lerner for the 1956 musical ''My Fair Lady'', where it was introduced by Stanley Holloway.
It is sung by the cockney character Alfred P. Doolit ...
" from ''My Fair Lady
''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...
'' ( Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe) – 1:45
#"Like Someone in Love
"Like Someone in Love" is a popular song composed in 1944 by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was written (along with "Sleigh Ride in July") for the 1944 film, ''Belle of the Yukon'', where it was sung by Dinah Shore. It was a hi ...
" from ''Belle of the Yukon
''Belle of the Yukon'' is a 1944 American comedy musical Western film produced and directed by William A. Seiter and starring Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee, Dinah Shore and Bob Burns. Based on a story by Houston Branch and set in the days of ...
'' ( Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 2:40
#"You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
"You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" is a popular song written by Cole Porter for the 1943 film '' Something to Shout About'', where it was introduced by Janet Blair and Don Ameche. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original ...
" from '' Something to Shout About'' (Porter) – 2:12
#"Love Walked In
"Love Walked In" is a song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The tune was composed in 1930, but the lyric was not written until 1937, for the movie musical ''The Goldwyn Follies'' (1938), where it was sung by Kenny Baker. ...
" from ''The Goldwyn Follies
''The Goldwyn Follies'' is a 1938 Technicolor film written by Ben Hecht, Sid Kuller, Sam Perrin and Arthur Phillips, with music by George Gershwin, Vernon Duke, and Ray Golden, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Sid Kuller. Some sources credit Kurt ...
'' (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 ' ...
, Ira Gershwin) – 2:38
Side two
#"This Heart of Mine
"This Heart of Mine" is a 1944 song. This music standard was written by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Arthur Freed to be featured in the musical film score ''Ziegfeld Follies''. This song is introduced by Fred Astaire who danced with Luci ...
" from ''Ziegfeld Follies
The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Ai ...
'' (Arthur Freed
Arthur Freed (September 9, 1894 – April 12, 1973) was an American lyricist and Hollywood film producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice, in 1951 for '' An American in Paris'' and in 1958 for '' Gigi''. Both films were musicals. ...
, Harry Warren) – 2:31
#"To Be in Love" (Bart Howard
Bart Howard (born Howard Joseph Gustafson, June 1, 1915 – February 21, 2004) was an American composer and songwriter, most notably of the jazz standard " Fly Me to the Moon", which has been performed by Kaye Ballard, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, ...
) – 3:01
#"Sweet Lorraine
"Sweet Lorraine" is a popular song with music by Cliff Burwell and words by Mitchell Parish that was published in 1928 and has become a jazz standard. It is written in F major and has an AABA structure.
A version by Teddy Wilson charted in Octobe ...
" (Clifford Burrell, Mitchell Parish
Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky; July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was an American lyricist, notably as a writer of songs for stage and screen.
Biography
Parish was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania, Russian Empire in July 190 ...
) – 2:24
#" Can't Get Out of This Mood" from '' Seven Days' Leave'' (Frank Loesser
Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...
, Jimmy McHugh
James Francis McHugh (July 10, 1894 – May 23, 1969) was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by many artists, including Chet Baker, Ju ...
) – 3:08
#"I've Got the World on a String
"I've Got The World on a String" is a 1932 popular jazz song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler. It was written for the twenty-first edition of the Cotton Club series which opened on October 23, 1932, the first of th ...
" ( Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
Ted L. Koehler (July 14, 1894 – January 17, 1973) was an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
Life and career
Koehler was born in 1894 in Washington, D.C.
He started out as a photo-engraver, but w ...
) – 3:11
#"Easy to Say (But So Hard to Do)" (Marvin Fisher, Jack Segal) – 2:44
Recording dates
From the liner notes for '' The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection'':[
*May 15, 1958 — "Can't Get Out of This Mood", "Like Someone in Love", "To Be in Love", "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To"
*May 16, 1958 — "Easy to Say (But Hard to Do)", "I've Got the World on a String", "It's De-Lovely", "Love Walked In"
*June 17, 1958 — "Get Me to the Church on Time", "Sweet Lorraine", "This Heart of Mine", "You Hit the Spot"
]
Personnel
*Johnny Mathis – vocals
*Mitch Miller
Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor ...
– producer[
*]Al Ham
Albert W. Ham (February 6, 1925 in Malden, Massachusetts — October 4, 2001 in Spring Hill, Florida) was an American composer and jingle writer. He was notable as the composer of the ''Move Closer to Your World'' music package used since the 19 ...
– producer[
*]Percy Faith
Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian-American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizing the "easy listeni ...
– arranger and conductor[(1958) ''Swing Softly'' by Johnny Mathis lbum jacket New York: Columbia Records CL 1165.]
*Friedman Abeles – photography[
]
References
Bibliography
*
{{Authority control
1958 albums
Jazz albums by American artists
Johnny Mathis albums
Columbia Records albums
Albums arranged by Percy Faith
Albums conducted by Percy Faith
Albums produced by Mitch Miller
Albums recorded at CBS 30th Street Studio