I THOUGHT ABOUT YOU

Music: Jimmy Van Heusen – Lyrics: Johnny Mercer

Year: 1939

Origin of the song

Four of the best bands recorded this song in 1939: Will Bradley’s, Bob Chester’s, Bob Crosby’s, and Benny Goodman’s. The latest’s orchestra version, with the voice of Mildred Bailey, was the only one to enter the top charts, and reached the seventeenth position.

‘I Thought About You’ was one of the first songs where the songwriter Johnny Mercer collaborated with the compositor Jimmy Van Heusen. In his biographical book, Mercer tells how he wrote the lyrics. Van Heusen had facilitated the melody and that night he would be off to Chicago where he would take part in a radio programme with Benny Goodman. Unable to sleep, he found inspiration for the song in the train during the journey, watching the small towns, la moon, and the landscape all along the way. Mercer used to say that his writing style was painting pictures with letters.

Johnny Mercer was nominated to the Oscar nineteen times for best song and he won it, as songwriter, four times: ‘On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe’ (1946), ‘In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening’ (1951), ‘Moon River’ (1961), and ‘Days of Wine and Roses’ (1962).

Versions in the top charts

PERFORMERS

DATE OF RECORDING

DAY OF

ENTRANCE

PERMANENCE WEEKS

HIGH POSITION REACHED

Benny Goodman Orchestra

1939.10. 20

1939.12.30

2

17

Mildred Bailey (voc)

Jazz. Outstanding performances

Instrumental

PERFORMERS	DATE OF RECORDING	MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
Johnny Smith Quartet	1955.??.??	Johnny Smith (g), Bob Pancoast (p), George Roumanis (b), Gerry Segal (d)
Mose Allison Trio	1957.03.07	Mose Allison (p), Taylor LaFarge (b), Frank Isola (d)
Miles Davis Quintet	1961.03.21	Miles Davis (tp), Hank Mobley (ts), Wynton Kelly (p), Paul Chambers (b), Jimmy Cobb (d)
Kenny Burrell with Coleman Hawkins	1962.09.14	Coleman Hawkins (ts), Kenny Burrell (g), Tommy Flanagan (p), Major Holley (b), Eddie Locke (d), Ray Barretto (cng)
Frank Rosolino Quartet	1978.08.01	Frank Rosolino (tb), Larry Willis (p), Kevan Brandon (b), Billy Higgins (d)
Carl Fontana Quintet	1985.09.05	Carl Fontana (tb), Al Cohn (ts), Richard Wyands (p), Ray Drummond (b), Akira Tana (d)
Stan Getz Quartet	1986.03.09	Stan Getz (ts), Kenny Barron (p), George Mraz (b), Victor Lewis (d)
Keith Jarrett Trio	1991.10.12	Keith Jarrett (p), Gary Peacock (b), Jack DeJohnette (d)
J.J. Johnson Quintet	1992.06.02	J.J. Johnson (tb), Rob Schneiderman (p), Ted Dunbar (g), Rufus Reid (b), Akira Tana (d)
Marian McPartland Trio	1998.09.16	Marian McPartland (p), Bill Crow (b), Joe Morello (d)
Ray Brown Quartet	2000.01.10	James Morrison (tp), Ray Brown (b), Geoff Keezer (p), Karriem Riggins (d)
Joey DeFrancesco Quartet	2005.08.24	Joey DeFrancesco (org), Bobby Hutcherson (vib), Jake Langley (g), Byron Landham (d)

Vocal

PERFORMERS	DATE OF RECORDING	MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
Benny Goodman Orchestra	1939.10.20	Benny Goodman (cl, dir), Ziggy Elman, Jimmy Maxwell, Johnny Martell (tp), Red Ballard, Vernon Brown, Ted Vesley (tb), Toots Mondello, Buff Estes (as), Jerry Jerome, Bus Bassey (ts), Fletcher Henderson (p), Charlie Cristian (g), Artie Bernstein (b), Nick Fatool (d), Mildred Bailey (voc)
Johnny Hartman	1959.01.14	Johnny Hartman (voc), Rudy Traylor Orchestra
Dinah Washington	1959.08.??	Dinah Washington (voc), unidentified orchestra, Belford Hendricks (dir)
Nancy Wilson	1969.??.??	Nancy Wilson (voc), Hank Jones (p), Gene Bertoncini (g), Ron Carter (b), Grady Tate (d)
Carmen McRae	1971.11.06	Carmen McRae (voc), Jimmie Rowles (p), Joe Pass (g), Chuck Domanico (b), Chuck Flores (d)
Maxine Sullivan	1984.??.??	Maxine Sullivan (voc), Scott Hamilton (ts), John Bunch (p), Chris Flory (g), Phil Flanigan (b), Chuck Riggs (d)
Shirley Horn	1987.05.13	Shirley Horn (p, voc), Charles Ables (b), Steve Williams (d)
Mel Tormé & Cleo Laine	1991.03.12	Mel Tormé, Cleo Laine (voc), John Dankworth (ss, as, cl, dir), Guy Barker (tp, fis), Chris Smith (tb), Ray Swinfield (as, cl), David Roach (ts, fl), Jamie Talbot (bars, cl), Ray Colianni (p), Larry Koonse (g), John Leitham (b), Donny Osborne (d), Martyn David (per)
Diane Schuur	1993.??.??	Diane Schuur (voc), Earle Dumler (ob), Roger Kellaway (p), Chuck Domanico (b), Will Kennedy (d)
Ranee Lee	1994.05.??	Ranee Lee (voc), Oliver Jones (p), Terry Clarke (d)

On cinemas

The song 'I Thought About 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
Michael	Michael	1996	Frank Sinatra
In Too Deep	Juego de confidencias	1999	Miles Davis Quintet