"Don't Blame Me" is a popular song with music by Jimmy McHugh and lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was part of the 1932 show ''Clowns in Clover'' and was published in 1933. Popular versions that year were recorded by: Ethel Waters (US No. 6), Guy Lombardo, and

Charles Agnew Charles Agnew (June 22, 1901 – October 25, 1978) was a popular dance-band leader. Most popular in the 1930s as a midwestern territory band appearing in a sequence of hotel ballrooms, he enjoyed a long career that extended into the 1960s. Bi ...

Later recordings

*It was a No. 21 hit for Nat King Cole in 1948. *The song received two significant "rock era" remakes: a ballad version by the Everly Brothers in 1961 which reached No. 20 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', and an up-tempo version by Frank Ifield which reached No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart on 15 February 1964, as well as in New Zealand. In the U.S., Ifield's version reached No. 128.

Other recordings

and his Hotel Stevens Orchestra (1933). ''The New Yorker'' magazine reviewed this recording as "richly played." * Duke Jordan with Sam Jones and Al Foster (1975) * Terence Blanchard with Cassandra Wilson – ''Let's Get Lost'' (2001) * King Cole October 1938, July 1944,The King Cole Trio: The MacGregor Years, 1941-1945, Music & Arts Project of America November 21, 1944, May 19, 1945, July 14, 1955 *

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

's earliest known recording of the song was broadcast Monday, May 3, 1943 from New York City as part of ''Columbia Presents Perry Como''. He recorded the song as part of a

Chesterfield Supper Club ''The Chesterfield Supper Club'' is an NBC Radio musical variety program (1944–1950), which was also telecast by NBC television, NBC Television (1948–1950). Radio ''The Chesterfield Supper Club'' began on December 11, 1944, as a 15-minute ...

program in 1945 or 1946 that was rebroadcast by the AFRS as ''AFRS Supper Club #283''. *

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

recorded the song in 1956 for use on his

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

. It was included in the box set ''The Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings (1954–56)'' issued by Mosaic in 2009. * Shep Fields with his New Music Orchestra – (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, 1948) * Coleman Hawkins with Teddy Wilson – 1944 *

J. J. Johnson J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop. Biograph ...

– 1949 * Johnnie Ray Johnnie Ray with The Buddy Cole Quartet, (Columbia Records CL-6199, 1952) Following "Whiskey & Gin" & the smash "Cry," his first two hit singles released on Okeh in 1951, "Don't Blame Me" was the first of eight sides of Johnnie Ray's debut album for Columbia in 1952 * Steve Grossman with Michel Petrucciani – ''Steve Grossman Quartet with Michel Petrucciani'' * Thelonious Monk – '' Criss Cross'' (1963) *

Yusuf Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

– ''Eastern Sounds'' (1962) * Ethel Waters with the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra – 1933 * Teddy Wilson – 1937

Popular culture

*The song was performed in a restaurant scene with

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...

and Diane Keaton in the 1982 film '' Shoot the Moon''.

References

External links

"Don't Blame Me" at Jazz Standards
{{authority control Songs with music by Jimmy McHugh Songs with lyrics by Dorothy Fields 1933 songs 1933 singles 1948 singles 1961 singles 1964 singles 1930s jazz standards The Everly Brothers songs Frank Ifield songs Warner Records singles Johnnie Ray songs Jazz compositions in C major Guy Lombardo songs Nat King Cole songs

Later recordings

Other recordings

Popular culture

See also

References

External links