"(I'm) Confessin' (that I Love You)" (also known as "Confessin
'", "I'm Confessin
'" and "Confessin' that I Love You") is a
jazz and
popular standard
The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant early-20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes.
Definition
According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: The "Great American Songbook" is ...
that has been recorded many times.
Background
The song was first produced with different lyrics as "Lookin' For Another Sweetie", credited to
Chris Smith and Sterling Grant, and recorded by
Thomas "Fats" Waller & His Babies on December 18, 1929.
In 1930 it was reborn as "Confessin'", with new lyrics by
Al Neiburg, and with the music this time credited to Doc Daugherty and Ellis Reynolds. Louis Armstrong made his first, and highly influential, recording of the song in August 1930,
and continued to play it throughout his career.
Unlike the crooners, Armstrong did not try to deliver the original song's lyrics or melody; instead, he smeared and dropped lyrics and added melodic scat breaks.
Cover versions
Other important recorded versions in the United States were done by:
*
Chester Gaylord (1930)
*
Seger Ellis (1930)
*
Guy Lombardo (1930),
Rudy Vallee (1930)
*
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...
(1945)
*
Les Paul and Mary Ford
Les Paul and Mary Ford were a popular 1950s husband-and-wife musical duo who performed and recorded during 1945–1963. They both sang and played guitars.
Ford and Paul were music superstars during the first half of the 1950s, putting out 28 hit ...
(1952)
*
Thelonious Monk (1965)
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Anne Murray (1993)
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Samara Joy
Samara Joy McLendon (born November 11, 1999) is an American jazz singer. She released her self-titled debut album in 2021 and was subsequently named Best New Artist by ''JazzTimes''. Her second album, ''Linger Awhile'', was released in September ...
(2022)
The song was also a number one hit for
Frank Ifield in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 1963.
See also
*
List of 1930s jazz standards
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Confessin'
Songs with lyrics by Al J. Neiburg
Perry Como songs
1930 songs
1963 singles
UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Irish Singles Chart number-one singles
Judy Garland songs
Van Morrison songs
Johnnie Ray songs
Frank Ifield songs
1930s jazz standards
Songs with music by Chris Smith (composer)