"All of Me" | |
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Song | |
Published | 1931 by Irving Berlin, Inc. |
Genre | |
Songwriter(s) | Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons |
"All of Me" is a popular song and jazz standard written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons in 1931.
Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons wrote the words and music of "All of Me" in 1931. [1] It has an ABAC structure, and is written in the key of B-flat major. [2] There is a 20-bar introductory verse, but this is routinely omitted. [2]
"The melody [...] combines the contradictory possibilities of the song. The downward thrusts of the opening phrases hint at emotional despair while the closing line, with its repeated high notes, seems almost jubilant." [3] It is usually performed at a medium tempo. [3] The harmony is relatively straightforward, and has served as the basis for Lennie Tristano's "Line Up", Warne Marsh's "Background Music", [3] and Bill Dobbins's "Lo Flame". [2]
"All of Me" first came to public awareness when a performance by Belle Baker was broadcast over the radio in 1931. [1] Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra recorded the song on December 1 that year, with vocalist Mildred Bailey; this went to the top of the US pop charts. [1] Within weeks, another two versions were in the charts, with a Louis Armstrong rendition also reaching No. 1, and Ben Selvin and His Orchestra peaking at No. 19. [1] The song was used in the 1932 film Careless Lady. [1] In the view of critic Ted Gioia, the definitive version was sung by Billie Holiday in 1941: "she staked a claim of ownership that no one has managed to dislodge in subsequent years". [3] Two years later, Lynne Sherman's recording with Count Basie and His Orchestra reached No. 14 in the charts. [1]
Frank Sinatra recorded several versions of "All of Me". [3] His 1948 release peaked at No. 21. [1] He also sang it in the film Meet Danny Wilson, which may have helped Johnnie Ray's rendition up to No. 12 in the charts that year. [1] Sinatra's use of "All of Me" brought a non-jazz audience to the song, and so too did Willie Nelson, whose version was included in his Stardust album [3] and reached No. 3 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1978. [4] In 2000, "All of Me" was given the Towering Song Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. [1]