"Be Anything (but Be Mine)" is a popular song composed by Irving Gordon, which was published in 1952.

Recorded versions

*The most successful version of the song was that by

Eddy Howard Edward Evan Duncan Howard (September 12, 1914 – May 23, 1963) was an American vocalist and bandleader who was popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Early years Eddy Howard was born in Woodland, California, and after attending San Jose State Coll ...

was released as Mercury 5815, which reached number 13 in the spring of 1952.The song marked the debut release of

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, and actress whose career spanned seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local r ...

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

, being recorded on April 3, 1952 and issued on Decca (catalog number 8142). This version reached number 21. *A version by Champ Butler ( Columbia 39690) reached No. 26. *A version by

Helen O'Connell Helen O'Connell (May 23, 1920 – September 9, 1993) was an American singer, actress, and hostess, described as "the quintessential big band singer of the 1940s". Early life Born in Lima, Ohio, O'Connell grew up in Toledo, Ohio. By the ti ...

( Capitol 2011) (number 30) *Mercury Records also cut a version for the R&B market with Wini Brown & her Boyfriends; released as Mercury 8270, the track reportedly featured

the Ravens The Ravens were an American R&B vocal group, formed in 1946 by Jimmy Ricks and Warren Suttles. They were one of the most successful and most influential vocal quartets of the period, and had several hits on the R&B chart in the late 1940s and e ...

as the male chorale. *

Ruth Brown Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a popular music, pop music ...

also recorded "Be Anything (but be Mine)" (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

2015) but her version was relegated to the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of the track " 5-10-15 Hours". *

Gloria Lynne Gloria Lynne (born Gloria Wilson; November 23, 1929 – October 15, 2013), also known as Gloria Alleyne, was an American jazz vocalist with a recording career spanning from 1958 to 2007. Early life Lynne was born in Harlem in 1929 to John and Ma ...

recorded "Be Anything (but Be Mine)" early in 1964 as her debut release on Mercury Records' Fontana label (Fontana 1890). The track entered the Hot 100 in April 1964, but rose no higher than number 88, its hit potential stymied by a lawsuit which barred the sales of any Fontana releases by Lynne, the singer's prior label Everest Records contending to still have Lynne contractually obligated. Fontana was prevented from releasing product by Lynne until February 1965, when her version of "Be Anything (but Be Mine)" made its album debut on her album ''Intimate Moments''. *"Be Anything (but Be Mine)" did again become a major hit in 1964 via a remake by

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero ( ; born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a retired American Pop music, pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She is estimated to have sold more th ...

recorded in an April 8, 1964 session in New York City produced by Danny Davis with

Alan Lorber Alan Lorber is a prolific American music arranger, record producer, and composer. He was especially active in the 1960s and produced a wide variety of music. Among his own recordings is the 1967 album ''The Lotus Place'' which features pop cov ...

as arranger/conductor. With "Be Anything (but Be Mine)", Francis returned to the mode of remaking traditional pop songs which had provided her with most of her early Top Ten hits, although in the 1960s she had abandoned that formula, with the exception of "

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", a number 8 hit in 1961. "Be Anything (but Be Mine)" did not return Francis to the Top Ten, but did maintain her recent profile as a moderate chart presence with a number 25 peak on ''Billboard'' Hot 100, where it would mark Francis' final appearance in the Top 40.¹ On the Easy Listening chart, which is now the

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

chart, it peaked at number 9. In Australia, Francis' "Be Anything (but Be Mine)" charted at number 48."Be Anything (but Be Mine)" peaked at number 24 on the ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' Pop 100 where Francis would subsequently reach the Top 40 with "Looking For Love" (number 34), "Don't Ever Leave Me" (number 37), "For Mamma (La Mamma)" (number 35) and " Jealous Heart" (number 29). *Betty Everett recorded a version of 'Be Anything (But Be Mine)' on her cult 1974 album Love Rhymes. The track was produced by Johnny Guitar Watson and David Axelrod.

Other recordings

The song has also been recorded by: *

Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, and actress. She has received various accolades, including a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe ...

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is Honorific nicknames in popular music, honorifically known ...

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American baritone singer. He released 61 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably the song " You'll Never Find Another Love like Min ...

*( cs) (as "Buď Můj") *

Jerry Vale Jerry Vale (born Gennaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 – May 18, 2014) was an American traditional pop singer. During the 1950s and 1960s, he reached the top of the pop charts with his interpretations of romantic ballads, including a cover of E ...

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "List of nicknames of jazz musicians, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

* Timi Yuro

References

{{authority control 1952 songs 1964 singles Connie Francis songs Songs written by Irving Gordon