"Baltimore Oriole" is a 1942 song written by American composer Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by

Paul Francis Webster Paul Francis Webster (December 20, 1907 – March 18, 1984) was an American lyricist who won three Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and was nominated sixteen times for the award. Life and career Webster was born in New York City, United St ...

and Carmichael. Carmichael said it was his favorite of all the songs he had written. Like those of Carmichael's composition " Skylark", the lyrics of "Baltimore Oriole" convey a love affair in terms of a bird–in this case the

Baltimore oriole The Baltimore oriole (''Icterus galbula'') is a small icterid blackbird common in eastern North America as a migratory breeding bird. It received its name from the resemblance of the male's colors to those on the coat-of-arms of 17th century L ...

. In the description of his biographer

Richard Sudhalter Richard Merrill Sudhalter (28 December 1938 – 19 September 2008)Biography ''AllMusic'' was an American jazz trumpeter and writer. Biography Born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, Sudhalter was inspired to pursue a musical career by his ...

, the song is "one of Carmichael's most evocative of the time" and addresses "the effects of a wayward eye on an avian love relationship". The song was one of three Carmichael compositions due to be featured in the 1944 film ''

To Have and Have Not ''To Have and Have Not'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1937 by Charles Scribner's Sons. The book follows Harry Morgan, a fishing boat captain out of Key West, Florida. ''To Have and Have Not'' was Hemingway's second novel set in th ...

'', starring

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

, Carmichael and

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...

. According to Bacall,

Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter of the classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American director who is not a household name." A v ...

, the film's director, envisioned the song becoming her signature tune. Instead, Bacall sang the less vocally demanding "

How Little We Know "How Little We Know" is a song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer for the 1944 film ''To Have and Have Not'', where it is performed by the character "Slim" played by Lauren Bacall. A young Andy Williams recorded the song for the film as ...

", and "Baltimore Oriole" was relegated to serving as background music in the film. Carmichael recorded the song for his 1956 album '' Hoagy Sings Carmichael'' and again for his final album, ''Ole Buttermilk Sky''. Australian composer Andrew Ford, writing for ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' in 2002, said that "Baltimore Oriole" was his personal favorite of Carmichael's songs. Regarding the lyrics, he added: "I am delighted to report ... hatmy favourite line turns out to be by Hoagy himself: 'Forgivin' is easy, it's a woman-like now-and-then-could-happen-to thing.'" A jazz instrumental version was released in 1964 by

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

on ''

The Blues Roar ''The Blues Roar'' (also released as ''Screamin' Blues'') is an album released by Canadian jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson featuring tracks recorded in 1964 and originally released on the Mainstream label.Edwards, D., Callahan, Eyries, P., Watts, ...

''. A lifelong fan of Carmichael,

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

covered the song and Carmichael's "

Hong Kong Blues "Hong Kong Blues" is a popular song composed by American songwriter Hoagy Carmichael in 1939. It was featured in the 1944 film ''To Have and Have Not'', an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's novel by the same name. Former Beatle George Harrison cov ...

" on his 1981 album '' Somewhere in England''. In 2007,

Rachel Gould Rachel Gould (born June 25, 1953 in Camden, New Jersey, as ''Rachel Field'') is an American singer and teacher of Modern Jazz. Life and works Gould studied cello and classical singing at Boston University from 1960 till 1971. From 1964 she wor ...

and Luigi Tessarollo included "Baltimore Oriole" among the ten Carmichael songs on their album ''Tribute to Hoagy Carmichael''.

References

{{authority control 1942 songs Songs with music by Hoagy Carmichael Songs with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster George Harrison songs Song recordings produced by George Harrison