"I Remember You" was one of several songs introduced in the film The Fleet's In (
1942).[2]
In 1941, Mercer began an affair with 19-year-old
Judy Garland, while she was engaged to composer David Rose. Garland ended her involvement when she married Rose. In later years, Garland and Mercer rekindled their affair. Mercer stated that his song "I Remember You" was the most direct expression of his feelings for Garland.
Renditions
Australian singer
Frank Ifield recorded the song in a
yodeling country-music style on 27 May 1962,[3] and his version went to number one on the
UK Singles Chart, selling 1.1 million copies in the UK alone.[4] The recording stayed at No.1 for seven weeks.[2] It also reached number five on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the U.S.
Easy Listening chart.[5]
Slim Whitman recorded the song in 1966, taking it to No. 49 on the Billboard Country Chart. In 1980, Whitman re-recorded the song,[7] taking it to No. 44. Whitman's 1966 recording was also featured in the 2003 film House of 1000 Corpses.[citation needed]
Björk recorded a stripped-down acoustic cover, accompanied by a
harp, that is featured on the
B-side of her 1993 single, "
Venus as a Boy". This version has since become infamous as it is associated with Bjork's stalker
Ricardo López who in 1996, after having mailed a
letter bomb loaded with
sulphuric acid to Björk's London home, filmed his suicide whilst listening to the song in a disturbing video diary [11][12] which later became public after being released to journalists.[13]