"Lush Life" 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 ...

that was written by

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take the ...

between 1933 and 1936. It was performed publicly for the first time by Strayhorn and vocalist Kay Davis with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Carnegie Hall on November 13, 1948. Jazz 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'' ...

says the song "ranks among the most sophisticated jazz balladswhether one considers its intricate harmonic palette, its elaborate structure, or just its world-weary lyrics."

Background

The verse describes the author's weariness of the night life after a failed romance, wasting time with "jazz and cocktails" at "come-what-may places" and in the company of girls with "sad and sullen gray faces/ with ''distingué'' traces". Strayhorn was a teenager when he wrote most of the song, which was to become one of his signature compositions, along with " Take the 'A' Train". The song was written in the key of D-flat major. The melody is over relatively complex chord changes, compared with many jazz standards, with chromatic movement and modulations that evoke a dreamlike state and the dissolute spirit characteristic of the "lush life". The song's verse is 32 bars long, and its chorus is 24 bars. Unlike most other jazz standards with a verse and a chorus, "Lush Life" is never performed without the verse because it is completely integral to the composition. Gioia calls this standard "an art song, not a pop tune". Strayhorn's biographer, David Hajdu, says, "It is a masterpiece of fatalistic sophistication that belies its author's youth .... Most impressively, the piece exquisitely weds words and music: A key change on 'everything seemed so sure' suddenly suggests optimism, and stress notesfor instance, the 'blue note' E-natural on the word ''jazz''fall precisely on the lyrics' points of drama." During a 1949 interview, Strayhorn spoke of the song's genesis: "'Lush Life' wasn't the first tune of mine Duke llingtonheard. In fact, he didn't hear it until just a little while ago. I wrote it in 1936 while I was clerking at the Pennfield drugstore on the corner of Washington and Penn in Pittsburgh …. I was writing a song a day then, and I've forgotten many of them myself …. One night I remembered it and played it for Duke …. I called it 'Life is Lonely,' but when anyone wanted me to play it they'd ask for 'that thing about lush life'."

Mercer Ellington Mercer Kennedy Ellington (March 11, 1919 – February 8, 1996) was an American musician, composer, and arranger. His father was Duke Ellington, whose band Mercer led for 20 years after his father's death. Biography Early life and education Elli ...

, though, recalled that "Lush Life" and " Something to Live For" were the songs responsible for Duke Ellington's decision to hire Strayhorn in early 1939.

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

recorded "Lush Life" in 1949, while trumpeter

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band to great commercial success from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947, but ...

recorded it four times. In the 1950s, it was recorded by jazz vocalists

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretati ...

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, ...

, and

Chris Connor Mary Jean Loutsenhizer, known professionally as Chris Connor (November 8, 1927 – August 29, 2009), was an American jazz singer. Biography Chris Connor was born Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri, to Clyde Loutsenhizer and Mabel Sh ...

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the Jazz#Post-war jazz, history of jazz and 20th-century musi ...

recorded it twice. The first was a 14-minute version recorded in 1958 as the title track of an album for

Prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

with trumpeter

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...

. The other was on '' John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman'', with vocalist Johnny Hartman, recorded in 1963, which Gioia notes "cast a long shadow over all later attempts to perform" the song. Strayhorn himself recorded it in 1961 with wordless vocals by the Paris Blue Notes for his album '' The Peaceful Side.''

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 ...

attempted to record a version of it for his 1958 ''Only the Lonely'' album but never finished a complete version. The unfinished takes of Sinatra singing "Lush Life" were eventually officially released on the 60th anniversary rerelease of the album. "Lush Life" has gone on to become one of the most widely recorded of all jazz standards.

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music. Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...

's version won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) (1986). Kurt Elling recorded a version for his tribute album '' Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman'' (2009).

Some other notable versions

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. A pioneer in the development of bebop and its associated contributions to jazz theory,Grove Powell's application of complex phrasing to ...

– '' Strictly Powell'' (1956) *

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously a ...

– '' No Cover, No Minimum'' (1960) * Sammy Davis Jr. – '' The Wham of Sam'' (1961) * Phineas Newborn – '' A World of Piano!'' (1961) * Jack Jones – ''Where Love Has Gone'' (1964) * Nancy Wilson – '' Lush Life'' (1967) *

Stan Getz Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wis ...

– '' Captain Marvel'' (1972) * Donna Hightower – ''El Jazz y Donna Hightower'' (1975) *

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

– ''

'' produced by

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

(1982) *

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. Over the course of a career that spans five decades and 15 studio albums, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, an ...

– '' Girl at Her Volcano'' (1983) * Rare Silk – ''New Weave'' (1983) * Joe Pass – '' Virtuoso No. 4'' (1983, recorded in 1973) *

Tony Scott Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was a British film director and producer. He made his theatrical film debut with ''The Hunger (1983 film), The Hunger'' (1983) and went on to direct highly successful action and t ...

– ''Lush Life'' and ''Lush Life Volume 2'' (1989) – 13 interpretations of the song; from the liner notes: "An homage to Billy Strayhorn's 'Lush Life', an obsession, fullfilled 'sic''by Tony Scott" *

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA J ...

– ''

Things Ain't What They Used to Be "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" is a 1942 jazz standard with music by Mercer Ellington and lyrics by Ted Persons. Background In 1941 there was a strike against the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, of which Duke Ellingt ...

'' (1989) *

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

– '' Unforgettable… with Love'' (1991) * Harry Allen with the

Bill Charlap William Morrison Charlap (born October 15, 1966, pronounced "Shar-Lap") is an American jazz pianist and educator. Early life and education Born in New York City, Bill Charlap is the son of American Broadway composer Moose Charlap and the singe ...

Trio – ''Harry Allen Plays Ellington Songs'' (1999) *

Geri Allen Geri Antoinette Allen (June 12, 1957 – June 27, 2017) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. She taught at the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh. Early life and education Allen was born in Pontiac, Michigan ...

– '' The Life of a Song'' (2004) *

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 ...

– '' The Dana Owens Album'' (2004) * Roberta Gambarini with

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians have described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts h ...

- '' You Are There'' (2005)"You Are There Review by Ken Dryden"
JazzTimes.com, Accessed June 8, 2025. *

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

– ''

Cheek to Cheek "Cheek to Cheek" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1934–35, specifically for Fred Astaire, the star of his new musical, ''Top Hat'', co-starring Ginger Rogers.

'' (2014)

References

External links

The song's entry at jazzstandards.com
{{Authority control 1930s jazz standards Nat King Cole songs Nancy Wilson (jazz singer) songs Carmen McRae songs Real Book Song Songs with music by Billy Strayhorn Jazz compositions in D-flat major LGBTQ-related songs Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals