CHEEK TO CHEEK
Music and lyrics: Irving Berlin
Year: 1935
Origin of the song
Fred Astaire sang ‘Cheek to Cheek’ –and danced with Ginger Rogers- in the film Top Hat, whose premiere took place somewhere in New York on 30 August 1935. RKO Radio Pictures was the film production company, the director, Mark Sandrich, and its leading actors, apart from Astaire and Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Erik Rhodes, Eric Blore, and Helen Broderick.
The song, which had been released before the film, had an immense success. Astaire’s version, accompanied with Leo Reisman’s orchestra, reached the top of the charts, where it remained for eleven weeks. In a very little time, other four versions entered the top charts and all of them were between the first ten positions.
As usual in Berlin, a part of the melody had already been written before. It was titled ‘Moon over Napoli’ and it was allocated for a programme produced in Broadway for the United Nations. Berlin worked again in the act and turned it into ‘Cheek to Cheek’.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
1935.06.26 |
1935.08.03 |
18 |
1 (eleven weeks) |
Fred Astaire (voc), Leo Reisman Orchestra |
|
|
1935.07.05 |
1935.08.24 |
11 |
2 (one week) |
Lee Sherwood (voc) |
|
|
1935.07.31 |
1935.08.31 |
7 |
5 |
Kenneth Baker (voc) |
|
|
1935.08.30 |
1935.09.28 |
10 |
2 (three weeks) |
Trio (voc) |
|
|
The Boswell Sisters |
1935.10.08 |
1935.11.02 |
4 |
10 |
Connee, Martha & Helvetia Boswell (voc) |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1949.04.11 |
Count Basie (p, dir), Emmett Berry, Clark Terry, Jimmy Nottingham, Harry 'Sweets' Edison (tp), Dicky Wells, Melba Liston, Ted Donnelly, George Matthews (tb), C.Q. Price, Earle Warren (as), Paul Gonsalves, William Parker (ts), Jack Washington (bars), Freddie Green (g), Singleton Palmer (b), Butch Ballard (d) |
|
|
1950.05.03 |
Red Norvo (vib), Tal Farlow (g), Charles Mingus (b) |
|
|
1951.03.08 |
Bill Harris (tb), Flip Phillips (ts), Dick Hyman (p), Gene Ramey (b), Jo Jones (d) |
|
|
1952.12.01 |
Oscar Peterson (p), Barney Kessel (g), Ray Brown (b) |
|
|
1953.02.27 |
Erroll Garner (p), Wyatt Ruther (b), Eugene Heard (d) |
|
|
1957.03.26 |
Red Mitchell (b), James Clay (ts), Lorraine Geller (p), Billy Higgins (d) |
|
|
1958.01.03 |
Jerome Richardson (fl), Gene Ammons (ts), Mal Waldron (p), George Joyner (b), Art Taylor (d) |
|
|
1958.06.30 |
Ahmad Jamal (p), Israel Crosby (b), Vernell Fournier (d) |
|
|
Teddy Edwards Quartet |
1980.12.05 |
Teddy Edwards (ts), Kenny Drew (p), Jesper Lundgaard (b), Billy Hart (d) |
|
Stephen Scott Quartet |
1998.03.?? |
Stephen Scott (p), Steve Kroon (g), Ron Carter (b), Victor Lewis (d) |
|
Uri Caine Trio |
2003.05.23 |
Uri Caine (p), Drew Gress (b), Ben Perowsky (d) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1935.10.08 |
Connee & Helvetia Boswell (voc), Martha Boswell (p, voc), Russ Case, Ed Wade (tp), Will Bradley (tb), Artie Shaw (cl, as), Carl Kress (g), Dick Cherwin (b), Stan King (d) |
|
|
1952.12.?? |
Fred Astaire (voc), Charlie Shavers (tp), Flip Phillips (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Barney Kessel (g), Ray Brown (b), Alvin Stoller (d) |
|
|
1956.08.14 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Harry 'Sweets' Edison (tp), Ben Webster (ts), Barney Kessel (g), Jimmy Rowles (p), Joe Mondragon (b), Alvin Stoller (d) |
|
|
1956.08.16 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Louis Armstrong (voc, tp), Oscar Peterson (p), Herb Ellis (g), Ray Brown (b), Buddy Rich (d) |
|
|
1958.03.18 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Paul Weston Orchestra |
|
|
1958.12.23 |
Sarah Vaughan (voc), Wendell Culley, Joe Newman, Eugene Young (tp), Thad Jones (tp, dir), Henry Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell (tb), Marshall Royal (as, cl), Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell (ts), Frank Wess (ts, as, fl), Charlie Fowlkes (bars), Ronnell Bright (p), Freddie Green (g), Richard Davis (b), Sonny Payne (d) |
|
|
Tony Bennett |
1986.10.?? |
Tony Bennett (voc), Ralph Sharon (p), George Benson (g), Paul Langosch (b), Joe LaBarbera (d) |
|
Susannah McCorkle |
1995.06.?? |
Susannah McCorkle (voc), Benny Aronov (p), Steve LaSpina (b), Joe Cocuzzo (d) |
|
Susannah McCorkle |
1996.10.30 |
Susannah McCorkle (voc), Greg Gisbert (tp, tpa), Conrad Herwig (tb), Chris Potter (cl, fl, ts), Allen Farnham (p, dir), Alexander Gafa (g), Steve Gilmore (b), Richard DeRosa (d, sint) |
|
2002.09.23 |
Jane Monheit (voc), Alan Broadbent Orchestra |
On cinemas
The song 'Cheek to Cheek' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL
TITLE |
TITLE IN
SPAIN |
YEAR OF
PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
Top Hat |
Sombrero de copa |
1935 |
Fred Astaire; background music |
|
Alexander's Ragtime Band |
La banda de Alexander |
1938 |
Background music |
|
The Purple Rose of Cairo |
La rosa púrpura de El Cairo |
1985 |
Fred Astaire |
|
Tap |
Tap Dancing |
1989 |
|
|
Consenting Adults |
Dobles parejas |
1992 |
Kevin Spacey |
|
The English Patient |
El paciente inglés |
1996 |
Fred Astaire; Ella Fitzgerald |
|
Mrs. Winterbourne |
Con cariño desde el cielo |
1996 |
|
|
Tu nombre envenena mis sueños |
Tu nombre envenena mis sueños |
1996 |
|
|
Out to Sea |
Por rumbas y a lo loco |
1997 |
|
|
The Truce |
La tregua |
1997 |
|
|
Meet Joe Black |
¿Conoces a Joe Black? |
1998 |
|
|
The Green Mile |
La milla verde |
1999 |
Fred Astaire |
|
Any Given Sunday |
Un domingo cualquiera |
1999 |
Ella Fitzgerald |
|
Me, Myself and I |
Yo y yo misma |
1999 |
Peggy Lee; Sam Browne with Lew Stone Band |
|
Love’s Labour’s Lost |
Trabajos de amor perdidos |
2000 |
|
|
A.I. Artificial Intelligence |
Inteligencia Artificial |
2001 |
Fred Astaire |
|
Mr. Deeds |
Mr. Deeds |
2002 |
Louis Armstrong |
|
The Human Stain |
La mancha humana |
2003 |
Fred Astaire |
|
Tiovivo c. 1950 |
Tiovivo c. 1950 |
2004 |
|
|
Confetti |
Confetti |
2005 |
Marc Wootton, Drew Pearce, Pete Gofton, Chris Bourn & Rob Talsma |
|
Hollywoodland |
Hollywoodland |
2006 |
Arturo O'Farrill Orchestra |
|
Gray Matters |
Los líos de Gray |
2006 |
Jane Krakowski & Tony Sotos |
|
The Savages |
La familia Savages |
2007 |
Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks |
|
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps |
Wall Street: El dinero nunca duerme |
2010 |
London Musicians Orchestra |
|
Neds |
Neds |
2010 |
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band |
|
She´s Funny That Way |
Lío en Broadway |
2014 |
Fred Astaire |
|
And So It Goes |
Así nos va |
2014 |
Diane Keaton |