"Let's Get Lost" is a

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 ...

with music by

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, J ...

and lyrics by

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser ( "lesser"; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls (musical), Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business ...

. It first appeared in the 1943 film '' Happy Go Lucky'' and several recordings were released in the same year, with three reaching the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' charts. A 1955

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

version helped popularise the song again.

1940s

The song was first performed by

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in ''South Pacific (musica ...

for the 1943 film '' Happy Go Lucky''. The music was published by

Famous Music Famous Music Corporation was the worldwide music publishing division of Paramount Pictures, a division of Paramount Global since 1994. Its copyright holdings span several decades and include music from such Academy Award-winning motion pictures ...

. A recording by

Vaughn Monroe Vaughn Wilton Monroe (October 7, 1911 – May 21, 1973) was an American baritone singer, trumpeter and big band leader who was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for recording and another f ...

and his orchestra was released by

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...

early in 1943. A reviewer for ''

The Billboard The Billboard () is a massive granite monolith in the Sarnoff Mountains of the Ford Ranges of Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica, standing just west of Mount Rea between Arthur Glacier and Boyd Glacier. History It was discovered in November 193 ...

'' described the composition as "a light love ballad with an infectious lilt" and wrote: "Capably aided by the Four Lee Sisters, Monroe starts the side singing the verse and chorus. Band ensemble brings up the last half of another chorus, giving way on the last lines to allow Monroe and the harmonizing sister team to take it out." The same issue of the magazine announced that

Jimmy Dorsey James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards " I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary Peopl ...

had recorded another version of the song for

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 ...

. This was soon followed by a

Teddy Powell Teddy Powell (born Teodoro Paolella; March 1, 1905 – November 17, 1993) was an American jazz musician, band leader, composer, and arranger. Some of his compositions were written under the pseudonym Freddy James. Born in Oakland, California, P ...

rendition for

Bluebird Records Bluebird Records is an American record label best known for its low-cost releases, primarily of children's music, blues, jazz and swing in the 1930s and 1940s. Bluebird was founded in 1932 as a lower-priced subsidiary label of RCA Victor. Bluebi ...

, featuring vocalist Peggy Mann, which the reviewer described as "an impressive and lovely torch ballad on the blues side". These were followed by Columbia's release of a

Kay Kyser James Kern Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985), known as Kay Kyser, was an American bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s. Early years Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Emily Royster Kyser ...

version at the end of March 1943, which the reviewer wrote was "Set at a slow and soothing tempo that heightens the mood of the song". ''The Billboard'' ''Music Year Book'' listed the Monroe, Dorsey, and Kyser releases among the "most popular juke box records" between September 5, 1942 and September 11, 1943, and the Monroe and Kyser versions among the "best selling records". For the music publishers, the song also appeared in the top ten "songs with most radio plugs" and "national best selling retail records" charts at times in 1943.

Chet Baker

The song is the opening track on a 1955 album by jazz trumpeter

, a performance described by an

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

reviewer as "the definitive reading of the song". Baker's vocal performances of "Let's Get Lost" helped spread awareness of the composition among other musicians decades later. The song subsequently served as the title for a 1988 documentary about his life. "Let's Get Lost" has been covered by many other musicians.

References

{{authority control 1943 songs Songs with music by Jimmy McHugh Songs written by Frank Loesser Chet Baker songs