HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN?

Music and lyrics: Irving Berlin

Year: 1932

how deep is the ocean-standards jazz-clasicos del jazz

Origin of the song

Before the Great Crash of 1929, Irving Berlin’s life, although productive from the artistic and worthwhile from the economic point of view, wasn’t free of problems. In 1928, his three-years-and-a-half-son died, which led him into major depression for many years. Also, during the second half of the 20s, his ease to write songs disappeared and he started doubting his value as a compositor. On the other hand, his first musicals in Hollywood were a discouraging experience. He continued writing songs but he lacked self-confidence to promote them.

In 1932, while the country was in the middle of the Great Depression, Max Winslow, Berlin’s friend and employee, sent Rudy Vallée one of his songs, ‘Say It Isn’t So’. The version that Vallée recorded reached the top of the charts and soon became a jazz standard, which it still is today. This success cheered the depressed compositor up and he took four lines from the chorus of his old song ‘To my mammy’ (1920), also the sentence ‘How Deep Is The Ocean?’, and created a new one, which chorus was a series of questions: ‘How Deep Is The Ocean? How High Is The Sky?’

Irving Berlin won the Oscar in 1942 for the song ‘White Christmas’, from the film Holiday Inn.

Versions in the top charts

PERFORMERS	DATE OF RECORDING	DAY OF ENTRANCE	PERMANENCE WEEKS	HIGH POSITION REACHED
Paul Whiteman Orchestra	1932.09.26	1932.10.22	5	5	Jack Fulton (voc)
Ethel Merman	1932.09.29	1932.11.05	3	14	Ethel Merman (voc), Nat Shilkret Victor Orchestra
Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians	1932.10.07	1932.10.29	6	4	Carmen Lombardo (voc)
Rudy Vallée & His Connecticut Yankees	1932.10.27	1932.11.26	4	7	Rudy Vallée (voc)
Benny Goodman Orchestra	1941.10.08	1945.10.06	4	19	Peggy Lee (voc)

Jazz. Outstanding performances

Instrumental

PERFORMERS	DATE OF RECORDING	MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
Coleman Hawkins Orchestra	1943.12.08	Bill Coleman (tp), Andy Fitzgerald (cl), Coleman Hawkins (ts), Ellis Larkins (p), Al Casey (g), Oscar Pettiford (b), Shelly Manne (d)
Duke Ellington Orchestra	1945.10.15	Duke Ellington (p, dir), Rex Stewart (cnt), Cat Anderson, Shelton Hemphill, Taft Jordan (tp), Lawrence Brown, Joe Nanton (tb), Claude Jones (vtb), Jimmy Hamilton (cl, ts), Johnny Hodges (as), Otto Hardwick (as, cl), Al Sears (ts), Harry Carney (bars, cl), Fred Guy (g), Junior Raglin (b), Sonny Greer (d)
Charlie Parker Quintet with J.J. Johnson	1947.12.17	Charlie Parker (as), Miles Davis (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Duke Jordan (p), Tommy Potter (b), Max Roach (d)
Miles Davis Sextet	1952.05.09	Miles Davis (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Jackie McLean (as), Gil Coggins (p), Oscar Pettiford (b), Kenny Clarke (d)
Harry Edison Orchestra	1956.09.04	Harry 'Sweets' Edison (tp), Ben Webster (ts), Jimmy Rowles (p), Barney Kessel (g), Joe Mondragon (b), Alvin Stoller (d)
The Prestige All Stars	1956.09.07	Al Cohn, John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Zoot Sims (ts), Red Garland (p), Paul Chambers (b), Art Taylor (d)
Curtis Counce Quintet	1957.05.13	Jack Sheldon (tp), Harold Land (ts), Carl Perkins (p), Curtis Counce (b), Frank Butler (d)
Ben Webster & Oscar Peterson Trio	1959.11.06	Ben Webster (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Ray Brown (b), Ed Tighpen (d)
Bill Evans Trio	1961.02.02	Bill Evans (p), Scott LaFaro (b), Paul Motian (d)
Art Blakey Jazz Messengers	1981.06.??	Wynton Marsalis (tp), Bobby Watson (as), Billy Pierce (ts), James Williams (p), Charles Fambrough (b), Art Blakey (d)
J.J. Johnson Quintet	1992.06.03	J.J. Johnson (tb), Rob Schneiderman (p), Ted Dunbar (g), Rufus Reid (b), Akira Tana (d)
David Friesen Trio	1994.05.03	David Friesen (b), Randy Porter (p), Alan Jones (d)
Tommy Flanagan Trio	1996.03.11	Tommy Flanagan (p), Peter Washington (b), Lewis Nash (d)
Joshua Redman	1998.??.??	Joshua Redman (ts, as, ss), Brad Mehldau (p), Larry Grenadier (b), Brian Blade (d)
Chick Corea	1999.11.30	Chick Corea (p)
Mad Duran	2005.02.14	Mad Duran (as), Eddie Duran (g), Ray Drummond (b), Akira Tana (d)

Vocal

PERFORMERS	DATE OF RECORDING	MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
Benny Goodman Orchestra	1941.10.08	Benny Goodman (cl, dir), Billy Butterfield, Al Davis, Jimmy Maxwell, Cootie Williams (tp), Cutty Cutshall, Lou McGarity (tb), Skip Martin, Clint Neagley (as), George Berg, Vido Musso (ts), Chuck Gentry (bars), Mel Powell (p), Tommy Morgan (g), Sid Weiss (b), Sid Catlett (d), Peggy Lee (voc)
Frank Sinatra	1946.03.10	Frank Sinatra (voc), Axel Stordahl Orchestra
Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra	1954.04.14	Billie Holiday (voc), Charlie Shavers (tp), Oscar Peterson (p), Herb Ellis (g), Ray Brown (b), Ed Shaughnessy (d)
Ella Fitzgerald	1958.03.17	Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Paul Weston Orchestra
Diana Krall	1997.??.??	Diana Krall (voc, p), Russell Malone (g), Christian McBride (b)

On cinemas

The song 'How Deep Is The Ocean?' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:

ORIGINAL TITLE	TITLE IN SPAIN	YEAR OF PRODUCTION	PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM
The Life of Jimmy Dolan	Su última pelea	1933	Background music
Blue Skies	Cielo azul	1946	Bing Crosby
Meet Danny Wilson	Te presento a Danny	1951	Frank Sinatra
Unconditional Love	Amor sin condiciones	2002	Dan Aykroyd