"All of Me" is a

popular song Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

and

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...

written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons in 1931.

Composition and characteristics

Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons wrote the words and music of "All of Me" in 1931. It has an ABAC structure, and is written in the key of B-flat major. There is a 20-bar introductory verse, but this is routinely omitted. "The melody ..combines the contradictory possibilities of the song. The downward thrusts of the opening phrases hint at emotional despair while the closing line, with its repeated high notes, seems almost jubilant." It is usually performed at a medium tempo. The harmony is relatively straightforward, and has served as the basis for

Lennie Tristano Leonard Joseph Tristano (March 19, 1919 – November 18, 1978) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher of jazz improvisation. Tristano studied for bachelor's and master's degrees in music in Chicago before moving to New Yo ...

's "Line Up",

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

's "Background Music", and Bill Dobbins's "Lo Flame". In 2000, "All of Me" was given the Towering Song Award by the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...

Successful recordings

"All of Me" first came to public awareness when a performance by

Belle Baker Belle Baker (born Bella Becker; December 25, 1893 in New York City – April 29, 1957, in Los Angeles) was a American Jews, Jewish American singer and actress. Popular throughout the 1910s and 1920s, Baker introduced a number of ragtime and ...

was broadcast over the radio in 1931.

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American Jazz 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 193 ...

and His Orchestra recorded the song on December 1 that year, with vocalist

Mildred Bailey Mildred Bailey (born Mildred Rinker; February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady", and "Mrs. Swing". She recorded the songs " For Sentime ...

; this went to the top of the US pop charts. Within weeks, another two versions were in the charts, with a

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

rendition also reaching No. 1, and

Ben Selvin Benjamin Bernard Selvin (March 5, 1898 – July 15, 1980) was an American musician, bandleader, and record producer. He was known as the Dean of Recorded Music. According to ''The Guinness Book of World Records,'' Selvin recorded more musical si ...

and His Orchestra peaking at No. 19. The song was used in the 1932 film '' Careless Lady''. In the view of critic

Ted Gioia Ted Gioia (born October 21, 1957) is an American jazz critic and music historian. He is author of 12 books, including ''Music: A Subversive History'', '' The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire'', ''The History of Jazz'' and ''Delta Blues'' ...

, the definitive version was sung by

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

in 1941: "she staked a claim of ownership that no one has managed to dislodge in subsequent years". Two years later, Lynne Sherman's recording with

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

and His Orchestra reached No. 14 in the charts.

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

recorded several versions of "All of Me". His 1948 release peaked at No. 21. He also sang it in the film '' Meet Danny Wilson'', which may have helped

Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blu ...

's rendition up to No. 12 in the charts that year.

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

's recording of the song was included in his '' Stardust'' album and reached No. 3 on the

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart in 1978.

References

External links

{{authority control Pop standards 1930s jazz standards 1931 songs 1932 singles Columbia Records singles Belle Baker songs Benny Goodman songs Billie Holiday songs Frank Sinatra songs Great Depression songs Johnnie Ray songs Mildred Bailey songs NOFX songs Real Book Song Songs with music by Gerald Marks Songs written by Seymour Simons Willie Nelson songs

Composition and characteristics

Successful recordings

See also

References

External links