EMBRACEABLE YOU

Music: George Gershwin- Lyrics: Ira Gershwin

Year: 1930

 

Origin of the song

The music of ‘Embraceable You’ was originally written for a Ziegfeld’s show that never came to stage. Some of the songs in it were recycled for Show Girl, another Ziegfeld’s production, and ‘Embraceable You’ was included in Girl Crazy.

Girl Crazy was released in the Alvin Theatre of New York on 14 October 1930. In the first act of the play, Ginger Rogers and Allen Kearns sang ‘Embraceable You’. The musical was relatively successful for the times, at the height of the Great Depression, as it was played two hundred and seventy two times.

On 26 November 1943, Girl Crazy, an adaptation for the big screen, was released and had much better reception by the critics and the audience than the one RKO Radio Pictures had produced before in 1932. It was the eighth collaboration between Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland. The original story and the music remained almost intact and all the songs were included in the original show, adding ‘Fascinating Rhythm’, taken from the musical Lady Be Good (1924).


Versions in the top charts

PERFORMERS

DATE OF RECORDING

DAY OF

ENTRANCE

PERMANENCE WEEKS

HIGH POSITION REACHED

 

The Captivators

1930.10.23

1930.11.22

9

2

(one week)

Dick Robertson (voc)

Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra

1941.05.19

1941.08.30

1

23

Helen O’Connell (voc)

Jazz. Outstanding performances

  Instrumental

PERFORMERS

DATE OF RECORDING

MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING

 

Jam Session at Commodore

1938.04.30

Bobby Hackett (cnt), Jack Teagarden (tb), Pee Wee Russell (cl), Bud Freeman (ts), Jess Stacy (p), Eddie Condon (g), Artie Shapiro (b), George Wettling (d)

Bobby Hackett Orchestra

1939.04.13

Bobby Hackett (cnt, dir), Sterling Bose, Jack Thompson (tp), Brad Gowans (vtb), George Troup (tb), Pee Wee Russell (cl), Louis Colombo (as), Bernie Billings (ts), Sid Jacob (bars), Dave Bowman (p), Eddie Condon (g), Ernie Caceres (b), Don Carter (d)

Teddy Wilson Sextet

1944.06.15

Teddy Wilson (p), Emmett Berry (tp), Benny Morton (tb), Edmond Hall (cl), Slam Stewart (b),

Sid Catlett (d)

Erroll Garner Trio

1945.12.05

Erroll Garner (p), Red Callender (b), Lou Singer (d)

Django Reinhardt- Quintette du Hot Club de France

1946.01.31

Django Reinhardt (g), Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Jack Llewellyn, Allan Hodgkiss (g),

Coleridge Goode (b)

Charlie Parker Quintet

1947.10.28

Charlie Parker (as), Miles Davis (tp), Duke Jordan (p), Tommy Potter (b), Max Roach (d)

Jazz at the Philharmonic

1949.09.17

Roy Eldridge (tp), Tommy Turk (tb), Charlie Parker (as), Lester Young, Flip Phillips (ts), Hank Jones (p), Ray Brown (b), Buddy Rich (d)

In Carnegie Hall, New York

James Moody Quartet

1950.10.09

James Moody (ts), Errol Parker (p), Pierre Michelot (b), Kenny Clarke (d)

Bud Powell Trio

1953.05.15

Bud Powell (p), Charles Mingus (b), Max Roach (d)

Clifford Brown- Max Roach

Quintet

1955.01.20

Clifford Brown (tp), Richie Powell (p), Barry Galbraith (g), George Morrow (b), Max Roach (d), Neal Hefti Orchestra

Barney Kessel

1955.07.26

Barney Kessel, Al Hendrickson (g), Jimmy Rowles (p), Red Mitchell (b), Irv Cottler (d)

Jimmy Smith Quartet

1960.03.22

Jackie McLean (as), Jimmy Smith (org), Quentin Warren (g), Donald Bailey (d)

Ornette Coleman Quartet

1960.07.26

Don Cherry (cnt), Ornette Coleman (as), Charlie Haden (b), Ed Blackwell (d)

Eric Kloss Quartet

1965.09.01

Eric Kloss (as, ts), Don Patterson (org), Pat Martino (g), Billy James (d)

Zoot Sims Quintet

1975.06.06

Zoot Sims (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Joe Pass (g), George Mraz (b), Grady Tate (d)

Ron Carter & Jim Hall

1982.11.??

Jim Hall (g), Ron Carter (b)

George Cables Trio

1987.02.27

George Cables (p), John Heard (b), Ralph Penland (d)

John Stetch

1996.02.02

John Stetch (p)

 Vocal

PERFORMERS

DATE OF RECORDING

MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING

 

The Captivators

1930.10.23

Red Nichols (tp, dir), Ruby Weinstein, Charlie Teagarden (tp), Glenn Miller (tb), Benny Goodman (cl), Sid Stoneburn (as), Larry Binyon (ts, fl), Ed Bergman, Wladimir Selinsky (vn), Jack Russin (p), Treg Brown (g), Art Miller (b), Gene Krupa (d), Dick Robertson (voc)

Tommy Dorsey Orchestra

1941.09.26

Tommy Dorsey (tb, dir), Ziggy Elman, Chuck Peterson, Jimmy Blake, Al Stearns (tp), Dave Jacobs, George Arus, Jimmy Skiles (tb), Heinie Beau, Mannie Gershmann (cl, as), Fred Stulce (as), Don Lodice, Bruce Snyder (ts), Joe Bushkin (p), Clark Yocum (g), Sid Weiss (b), Buddy Rich (d), Jo Stafford, The Pied Pipers (voc)

King Cole Trio

1943.12.15

Nat Cole (p, voc), Oscar Moore (g), Johnny Miller (b)

Billie Holiday with Eddie Heywood Orchestra

1944.04.01

Billie Holiday (voc), Eddie Heywood (p, dir), Doc Cheatham (tp), Vic Dickenson (tb), Lem Davis (as), John Simmons (b), Sid Catlett (d)

Frank Sinatra

1944.12.19

Frank Sinatra (voc), Charles Griffard, Leonard Mach, William May (tp), Carl Loeffler, Jimmy Skiles, Elmer Smithers (tb), James Stagliano (tpa), Heine Beau, Leonard Hartman, Harold Lawson, Don Logiudice, Fred Stulce (sax), Dave Barbour (g), Philip Stephens (b), Mark McIntyre (p), Irma Clow (arp), Ray Hagan (d), string section, Axel Stordahl (dir)

Dinah Washington

1946.01.14

Dinah Washington (voc), Gus Chappell Orchestra

Sarah Vaughan

1954.12.18

Sarah Vaughan (voc), Jimmy Jones (p), Joe Benjamin (b), Roy Haynes (d)

Billie Holiday

1957.01.09

Billie Holiday (voc), Harry 'Sweets' Edison (tp), Ben Webster (ts), Jimmy Rowles (p), Barney Kessel (g), Red Mitchell (b), Larry Bunker (d)

Chet Baker Trio

1957.12.09

Chet Baker (tp, voc), Dave Wheat (g), Russ Savakus (b)

On cinemas

The song 'Embraceable You' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:

 

ORIGINAL TITLE

TITLE IN SPAIN

YEAR OF PRODUCTION

PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM

Girl Crazy

Loco por las chicas

1943

Judy Garland and chorus

Old Acquaintance

Vieja amistad

1943

 

Rhapsody in Blue

Rapsodia en blue

1945

Joan Leslie (dubbed by Louanne Hogan)

Humoresque

Humoresque / De amor también se muere

1946

Peg LaCentra

Nancy Goes to Rio

Nancy va a Río

1950

Jane Powell

An American in Paris

Un americano en Paris

1951

Danced by Leslie Caron

With A Song In My Heart

Con una canción en mi corazón

1952

Susan Hayward (dubbed by Jane Froman) and Robert Wagner

Manhattan

Manhattan

1979

New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta (dir)

City Heat

Ciudad muy caliente

1984

Irene Cara

Off Beat

Policía por error

1986

 

Betsy’s Wedding

Boda pasada por agua

1990

 

The Public Eye

El ojo público

1992

Roy Eldridge Orchestra

Bicentennial Man

El hombre bicentenario

1999

Paula West

Catch Me If You Can

Atrápame si puedes

2002

Judy Garland

The Human Stain

La mancha humana

2003

Teddy Wilson

The Good Shepherd

El buen pastor

2006

 

Edge of Darkness

Al límite

2010

Charlie Parker

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