NIGHT AND DAY

Music and lyrics: Cole Porter

Year: 1932

 

night and day-clasicos del jazz-standards jazz

Origin of the song

On 29 November 1932 Gay Divorce was released in the Ethel Baltimore Theater of New York. This musical, which reached two hundred forty seven performances, meant Fred Astaire’s first performance without his sister Adele and it was his last appearance in Broadway. That night, his partner was Claire Luce and both sang for the first time ‘Night and Day’ in the play’s first act, although many people think that the presentation of the theme was actually in the film The Gay Divorcee. The film, while it keeps a big part of the original plot, doesn’t preserve any of the songs Porter’s musical, but ‘Night and Day’, which Fred Astaire sings and dances with Ginger Rogers.

Some people say that the idea of using a persistent note at the beginning of the song came up to Porter during a visit to Morocco, when he heard some firm footsteps coming. Other upheld another version. When in a rainy night the compositor went to visit some friends in Newport, the host exclaim in relation with a broken pipe: ‘This drip-drip-drip is driving me crazy!’. Porter ran to the piano to shape the song. And in the lyrics, he also refers to this origin ‘Like the drip drip drip of the rain drops…’


Versions in the top charts

PERFORMERS

DATE OF RECORDING

DAY OF ENTRANCE

PERMANENCE WEEKS

HIGH POSITION REACHED

 

Fred Astaire

1932.11.22

1932.12.17

18

1

(ten weeks)

Fred Astaire (voc), Leo Reisman Orchestra

Eddy Duchin Orchestra

1932.12.07

1933.01.01

8

2

(three weeks)

Lee Sherwood (voc)

Charlie Barnet Orchestra

1940.09.17

1940.11.23

1

24

Instrumental

Frank Sinatra

1942.01.19

1942.03.28

2

16

Frank Sinatra (voc), Axel Stordahl Orchestra

Frank Sinatra

1942.01.19

1944.09.02

3

15

New entrance in the top charts

Bing Crosby

1944.02.11

1946.09.21

3

21

Bing Crosby (voc), John Scott Trotter Orchestra

Jazz. Outstanding performances

  Instrumental

PERFORMERS

DATE OF RECORDING

MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING

 

Artie Shaw New Music

1937.04.28

Artie Shaw (cl, dir), John Best, Malcolm Crain, Tom DiCarlo (tp), George Arus, Harry Rodgers (tb), Les Robinson, Art Masters (as), Tony Pastor, Fred Petry (ts), Les Burness (p), Al Avola (g), Ben Ginsberg (b), Cliff Leeman (d)

Quintette du Hot Club de France

1938.01.31

Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Django Reinhardt (g), Roger Chaput, Eugène Vées (g), Louis Vola (b)

Benny Goodman Orchestra

1939.08.16

Benny Goodman (cl, dir), Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin, Corky Cornelius (tp), Red Ballard, Vernon Brown, Bruce Squires (tb), Toots Mondello, Buff Estes (as), Bus Bassey, Jerry Jerome (ts), Fletcher Henderson (p), Arnold Covey (g), Artie Bernstein (b), Nick Fatool (d)

Coleman Hawkins Quartet

1944.02.17

Coleman Hawkins (ts), Teddy Wilson (p), Israel Crosby (b), Cozy Cole (d)

Mary Lou Williams Trio

1944.08.10

Mary Lou Williams (p), Bill Coleman (tp), Al Hall (b)

Edmond Hall Swing Sextet

1944.12.04

Edmond Hall (cl), Irving Randolph (tp), Henderson C. Chambers (tb), Ellis Larkins (p), Johnny Williams (b), Arthur Trappier (d)

Red Norvo Trio

1950.05.03

Red Norvo (vib), Tal Farlow (g), Charles Mingus (b)

Zoot Sims Quartet

1950.06.06

Zoot Sims (ts), Gerald Wiggins (p), Pierre Michelot (b), Kenny Clarke (d)

Oscar Peterson Trio

1952.12.01

Oscar Peterson (p), Barney Kessel (g), Ray Brown (b)

Art Tatum

1953.12.28

Art Tatum (p)

Erroll Garner Quartet

1954.07.27

Erroll Garner (p), Cándido Camero (cng), Wyatt Ruther (b), Eugene Heard (d)

Art Tatum- Roy Eldridge Quartet

1955.03.29

Art Tatum (p), Roy Eldridge (tp), John Simmons (b), Alvin Stoller (d)

Art Tatum- Ben Webster Quartet

1956.09.11

Art Tatum (p), Ben Webster (ts), Red Callender (b), Bill Douglass (d)

Bill Evans Trio

1958.12.15

Bill Evans (p), Sam Jones (b), Philly Joe Jones (d)

Stan Getz- Bill Evans Quartet

1964.05.06

Stan Getz (ts), Bill Evans (p), Ron Carter (b), Elvin Jones (d)

Joe Henderson Quartet

1964.11.30

Joe Henderson (ts), McCoy Tyner (p), Bob Cranshaw (b), Elvin Jones (d)

Joe Pass

1973.08.28

Joe Pass (g)

Stéphane Grappelli

1995.10.09

Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Bucky Pizzarelli (g), Jon Burr (b)

Kenny Garrett Trio

1995.??.??

Kenny Garrett (as), Charnett Moffett (b), Brian Blade (d)

Adam Makowicz

1997.??.??

Adam Makowicz (p)

  Vocal

PERFORMERS

DATE OF RECORDING

MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING

 

Tommy Dorsey Orchestra

1937.07.20

Tommy Dorsey (tb, dir), George Erwin, Joe Bauer, Andy Ferretti (tp), Les Jenkins, Walter Mercurio (tb), Johnny Mince (cl), Fred Stulce (as), Skeets Herfurt (as, cl), Bud Freeman (ts), Howard Smith (p), Carmen Mastren (g), Gene Traxler (b), Dave Tough (d), Jack Leonard (voc)

Maxine Sullivan

1938.12.10

Maxine Sullivan (voc), Bobby Hackett (cnt), Slats Long, Chester Hazlett (cl, as), Bud Freeman (ts), Milt Rettenberg (p), Ken Binford (g), Ed Brader (b), Edward P. Rubsam (d)

Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra

1939.12.13

Billie Holiday (voc), Buck Clayton, Harry 'Sweets' Edison (tp), Lester Young (ts), Earle Warren (as), Jack Washington (as, bars), Joe Sullivan (p), Freddy Green (g), Walter Page (b), Jo Jones (d)

Frank Sinatra

1956.11.26

Frank Sinatra  (voc), Nelson Riddle Orchestra

Anita O'Day

1959.04.09

Anita O'Day (voc), Billy May Orchestra

On cinemas

 The song 'Night And Day' 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 Gay Divorcee

La alegre divorciada

1934

Fred Astaire

Sweethearts

Enamorados

1938

Background music

Now Voyager

La extraña pasajera

1942

 

Action In The North Atlantic

Acción en el Atlántico Norte

1943

Julie Bishop (dubbed by Martha Mears)

Destination Tokyo

Destino: Tokio

1943

Background music

Reveille With Beverly

La canción del amanecer

1943

Frank Sinatra

Lady On A Train

La dama del tren

1945

 

Night And Day

Noche y día

1946

Bill Days; a chorus

Desk Set

Su otra esposa

1957

Katherine Hepburn

Julia

Julia

1977

A band

Evil Under The Sun

Muerte bajo el sol

1982

 

Once Upon A Time In America

Érase una vez en America

1984

 

After Hours

¡Jo, qué noche!

1985

 

That’s Dancing!

¡Esto sí es bailar!

1985

Secuence of 'The Gay Divorcee'

Radio Days

Días de radio

1987

 

September

Septiembre

1987

Art Tatum- Ben Webster Quartet

Rocketeer

Rocketeer

1991

 

Jumanji

Jumanji

1995

 

Un divan á New York

Romance en Nueva York

1996

Sonia Wieder-Atherton and Bruno Fontaine

Jane Austen´s Mafia!

Mafia, estafa como puedas

1998

Rick Riso

What Women Want

¿En qué piensan las mujeres?

2000

The Temptations

De-Lovely

De-Lovely

2004

John Barrowman and Kevin Kline

The Good Shepherd

El buen pastor

2006

 

It’s Complicated

No es tan fácil

2009

Oscar Peterson

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantástico Sr. Fox

2009

Art Tatum

Phoenix

Phoenix

2014

 

The Monuments Men

Monuments Men

2014

Patrick Péronne

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman v Superman: El amanecer de la justicia

2016

Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine

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