TIME ON MY HANDS
Music: Vincent Youmans - Lyrics: Harold Adamson, Mack Gordon
Year: 1930
Origin of the song
On 18 November 1930, the musical comedy Smiles, one of the last theatrical performances by Fred and Adele Astaire, premiered at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York. In the first act of the play, Marilyn Miller and Paul Gregory sang 'Time On My Hands'. Only sixty-three performances of the show were given; it was one of Ziegfeld's few failures.
The first recording of 'Time On My Hands' was made on 19 February 1931 in London, and is due to Ray Noble & The New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, with singer Al Bowlly. The latter recorded it again that same year on three more occasions: with Roy Fox's orchestra on March 25, with The Waldorphians and with Deauville Dance Band, the latter two in the first days of June. Following the success of the song in Great Britain (which is said to have been the Prince of Wales's favourite song), Smith Ballew & His Piping Rock Orchestra recorded 'Time On My Hands' in the US on 25 September 1931. Shortly afterwards, in mid-December, Leo Reisman's orchestra took her to the album with a young 22-year-old singer, Lee Wiley. Both versions were ranked number six on the charts.
Mack Gordon is the author of the lyrics of 'Down Argentine Way' (1940), 'Chattanooga Choo-Choo' (1941), 'At Last' (1942), 'Serenade in Blue' (1942), '(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo' (1942), 'I Had the Craziest Dream' (1942), 'You'll Never Know' (1943) –which won the Oscar for best song that year- 'There Will Never Be Another You' (1943), 'Mam’selle' (1944), 'The More I See You' (1945), 'I Can’t Begin to Tell You' (1945), 'You Make Me Feel So Young' (1946) y 'Through a Long and Sleepless Night' (1949), among other songs.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
1931.09.25 |
1931.10.31 |
6 |
6 |
Smith Ballew (voc) |
|
|
1931.10.26 |
1931.12.12 |
4 |
6 |
Lee Wiley (voc) |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
Benny Goodman Trio |
1937.??.?? |
Benny Goodman (cl), Teddy Wilson (p), Gene Krupa (d) |
|
1939.03.22. |
Django Reinhardt (g), Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Joseph Reinhardt, Pierre Ferret (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b) |
|
|
1949.??.?? |
Art Tatum (p) |
|
|
1951.12.17 |
Sonny Rollins (ts), Kenny Drew (p), Percy Heath (b), Art Blakey (d) |
|
|
1952.12.12 |
Stan Getz (ts), Duke Jordan (p), Jimmy Raney (g), Bill Crow (b), Frank Isola (d) |
|
|
1957.10.15 |
Ben Webster (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Herb Ellis (g), Ray Brown (b), Stan Levey (d) |
|
|
1966.12.20 |
Coleman Hawkins (ts), Barry Harris (p), Bob Cranshaw (b), Eddie Locke (d) |
|
|
Earl Hines Quartet |
1972.10.27 |
Earl Hines (p), Tiny Grimes (g), Hank Young (b), Bert Dahlander (d) |
|
Pepper Adams Quartet |
1981.09.30 |
Pepper Adams (bars), Jimmy Rowles (p), George Mraz (b), Billy Hart (d) |
|
2004.07.?? |
Ahmad Jamal (p), James Cammack (b), Idris Muhammad (d) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
Leo Reisman Orchestra |
1930.10.26 |
Leo Reisman (vn, dir), Ernie Gibbs (tb, tpa) Jesse Smith (cl, as), Burt Williams (as, fg, ob), Lew Conrad (vn), Raymond Pugh (p), Jack Shilkret (cel), other unidentified musicians, Lee Wiley (voc) |
|
1940.06.07 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Roy Eldridge (tp), Billy Bowen, Joe Eldridge (as), Kermit Scott, Lester Young (ts), Teddy Wilson (p), Freddie Green (g), Walter Page (b), J.C. Heard (d) |
|
|
1942.07.27 |
Count Basie (p, dir), Buck Clayton, Ed Lewis, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Al Killian (tp), Dicky Wells, Robert Scott, Eli Robinson (tb), Don Byas, Buddy Tate (ts), Caughey Roberts (as), Earle Warren (as, voc), Jack Washington (as, bars), Freddie Green (g), Walter Page (b), Jo Jones (d) |
|
|
1950.12.13 |
Lee Wiley (voc), Cy Walter, Stan Freeman (p) |
|
|
Jimmy Scott |
1960.01.13 |
Jimmy Scott (voc), Robert Banks (p), Charles May (g), Abie
Baker (b), Bobby Donaldson (d), string section |
On cinemas
The song 'Time On My Hands' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL TITLE |
TITLE IN SPAIN |
YEAR OF PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
So This Is Love |
Cumbres doradas |
1953 |
Kathryn Grayson and others |
|
Dr. Phibes Rises Again |
El retorno del Doctor Phibes |
1972 |
|
|
I Hired A Contract Killer |
Contraté un asesino a sueldo |
1990 |
Billie Holiday |
|
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon |
El amor es el demonio |
1998 |
Al Bowlly |