American Pop Standards Week. Day Seven: All of Me

I've really enjoyed doing my first "theme week". I don't think I'll do them all that often, but I will revisit this idea with a new theme sometime in the near future. I've hardly begun to explore the world of the American popular standard this week. Seven great songs, lots of different genres and eras represented in the versions I chose, but there still a lot left to explore.
I'm ending the week with my all time favorite song, All of Me. It was written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons in 1931. Ruth Etting was the first to record it, and it has been recorded by a who's who of standards singers. It has received the usual instrumental treatment as well.

Like many standards I love, I came to love this one from hearing Willie Nelson play it. It was a hit single from his 1978 album Stardust. It has also been a staple of his live set:

Californian punk band NOFX recorded All of Me for a seven inch in 1996:

Jackie Lynton did a rather raw early rock and roll rendition in 1962:

There have been a few ska versions as well, including this one from French instrumental ska band Western Special:

American Pop Standards Week. Day Six: Summertime

Composed by the Gershwin brothers for the stage version of Porgy and Bess, with Porgy novelist DuBose Heyward. The song debuted in the 1935 opera, and soon afterward became a standard. While most pop standards fit multiple styles, they usually sound most at home in a more traditional setting. Summertime, on the other hand, sounds like it was meant to be a soulful blues vocal.
Recorded by a wide range of singers, including Janis Joplin, Doc Watson, Norah Jones, Nick Drake, Billie Holiday, Pete Seeger and Fantasia. There have also been numerous instrumental versions recorded, by Booker T. and the MGs, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, The Ventures, and many more.

Janis Joplin in 1969, not too long after she left Big Brother and the Holding Company:


Ska/rocksteady singer Lloyd Clark recorded several versions:


Of course Sam Cooke sang one of the definitive versions:


Miles Davis:

American Pop Standards Week. Day Five: Blue Skies

Blue Skies is another one of my favorite songs. Written by Irving Berlin in 1926 for Betsy, a short running musical by Rogers and Hart. It became a #1 hit for Ben Selvin in 1927. It was recorded many times over until it became a #1 hit for Willie Nelson in 1978. It continues to be recorded fairly often
Like many of the standards I love, it was Willie's version that made me fall in love with this song. It's lyrically kinda simple, in a good way, and accompanied by a great melody. It just sounds good.

Maxine Sullivan sang Blue Skies in 1937:

Art Tatum recorded this piano version in 1949:

Willie Nelson still plays Blue Skies live:

American Pop Standards Week. Day Four: I Can't Give You Anything But Love

In 1928, I Can't Give You Anything But Love debuted in the Broadway success Blackbirds of 1928, which was originally called Blackbird Revue. Jimmy McHugh wrote the music and Dorothy Fields wrote the lyrics. This song, and the rest of the material they wrote for Blackbirds, was their first success as a songwriting duo.
Like most pop standards, this song has many recorded many times and is successful both as a vocal song and as jazz song. It is somewhat brief and straight forward, but very catchy. It lends itself well to slower ballads, faster swing, and instrumental jams. Recently, in 2013, Willie Nelson recorded a version for his "Let's Face The Music and Dance" album.

George Barnes recorded this guitar based instrumental version in 1946:

The song found Western Swing with Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys:

Recorded shortly after it's Broadway review in 1928 by Annette Hanshaw:

American Pop Standards Week. Day Three: Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone

First published in 1930, Please Don't Talk About Me was written by Sam Stept and Sidney Clare. Like most pop standards, it has been recorded many times over both vocally and instrumentally. Of course Frank did it. Of course Willie did it, too. Ella, Dean, and Ray Price. Bob Wills did the song with his Western Swing outfit, The Texas Playboys. Bill Haley did it with his Comets. And on and on.
I really like this song. As far as standards go, the music is pretty simple. My personal favorite version is probably Willie Nelson's version from his 1994 album, Moonlight Becomes You.

Bill Haley and the Comets recorded this version in 1957 for an album of standards:

An instrumental version from Pete Daily and His Chicagoans:

Willie Nelson performing the song live:

American Pop Standards Week. Day Two: Night and Day

Night and Day was written by Cole Porter in 1932. It been recorded by both vocalists and instrumentalists many times in the eighty-plus years since Fred Astaire first sung it in The Gay Divorce on Broadway, soon followed by a film version, The Gay Divorcee. The 1946 biopic of Porter's life was named after the song. Willie Nelson named his instrumental album after the song. It has been recorded by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Tony Bennett, Stan Getz, Sergio Mendez, and on and on.
The song has a very interesting feel. Lyrically, it has a kinda rolling flow to it. The verses start "Night and day" and end "Day and night", just to go right back to "Night and day". The chords, key changes and vocal melody are all a little south of normal, in a good way.

Frank Sinatra recorded Night and day many times during his long career, including a disco version in 1977. Here is his upbeat 1957 version:

Billie Holiday, in 1939:

Django Rienhardt recorded multiple instrumental versions. This one was recorded in Rome in 1949 with his longtime partner Stephen Grappelli on violin:

American Pop Standards Week. Day One: Stardust

American popular standards are songs written in the first half of the twentieth century that have become important and influential. Typically written between 1920 and 1950, give or take, pop standards are generally recorded and performed by a wide range of musicians. Usually this includes both male and female vocal versions as well as instrumental jazz versions. Also known as the Great American Songbook, these songs truly stand the test of time and are still often recorded and performed today.

I'm going to start this week off with Stardust, written by Hoagy Carmichael in 1927 with lyrics added in 1929 by Mitchell Parish. It was first recorded by Hoagy Carmichael himself in late '27. It has since been recorded well over 1000 times. Stardust has in an interesting melody and flow, and a fairly complicated chord structure. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite standards.
Stardust has been recorded by so many great artists, including John Coltrane, Bob Wills, Django Reinhardt, and Les Paul. Like many standards, it works great both as a vocal and as an instrumental. Many of my favorite musicians have recorded this song. My personal favorite version is Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis together for their Live from the Lincoln Jazz Center DVD and accompanying album.

The first recorded version, Hoagy Carmichael and His Pals:


Louis Armstrong recorded a great vocal version in 1931:


 Ella Fitzgerald, from here 1954 album Songs in a Mellow Mood:

Willie Nelson recorded an album of standards in 1978 entitled Stardust. The album, which featured the Carmichael/Parish composition, was a huge cross-genre success: