"Emily" is a popular song composed by
Johnny Mandel
John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925June 29, 2020) was an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. The musicians he worked with include Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Benn ...
, with lyrics by
Johnny Mercer. It was the title song to the 1964 film ''
The Americanization of Emily.'' (The song wasn't sung in the movie, which is the reason that it couldn't be nominated for an Academy Award.) It has since been recorded by numerous artists, notably
Bill Evans,
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...
, and
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
.
Frank Sinatra recorded it twice, for his 1964 album ''
Softly, as I Leave You'' and again in the 1970s for an unreleased album. His second recording was released on ''
The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings''.
Andy Williams released a version in 1964 as the
B-side to his hit "
Dear Heart
''Dear Heart'' is a 1964 American romantic-comedy film starring Glenn Ford and Geraldine Page as lonely middle-aged people who fall in love at a hotel convention. It was directed by Delbert Mann, from a screenplay by Tad Mosel. Its theme song " ...
" and it was also included in his album ''
Andy Williams' Dear Heart
''Andy Williams' Dear Heart'' is the sixteenth studio album by American pop singer Andy Williams and was released in the spring of 1965 by Columbia Records and was the last of his Columbia releases that remained exclusively within the realm of ...
'' (1965).
Jack Jones for his album ''Dear Heart and Other Great Songs of Love'' (1965).
Paul Desmond
Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for composing that group's biggest hit, " Take Five". He ...
recorded the piece on his album ''
Summertime''.
"Emily" became particularly associated with Bill Evans, who recorded it for the first time for his 1967 album ''
Further Conversations with Myself''. Evans also performed it live with saxophonist
Stan Getz; it appeared on the album ''
But Beautiful.'' Both Desmond and Evans included it in nearly every live performance to the end of their lives, with multiple performances on Evans' "Turn Out The Stars" (1980) and "The Last Waltz" (1980), and Desmond's "The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings".
The song was recorded by
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...
for his album ''
The Movie Song Album
''The Movie Song Album'' is a 1966 studio album by Tony Bennett. The album consists of songs from films, opening with the theme from ''The Oscar'', in which Bennett had recently appeared. With this project of such high quality of song material an ...
'' (1966).
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
included the song on her album ''
The Movie Album'' (2003).
Julian Lage
Julian Lage ( ; born December 25, 1987) is an American guitarist and composer.
Career
A child prodigy, Lage was the subject of the 1996 short documentary film ''Jules at Eight''. At 12, he performed at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Three years later ...
has performed "Emily" both as a solo guitar piece and with his trio featuring bassist
Jorge Roeder and drummer
Dave King. The song was recorded by the trio on the album Squint (2021).
References
{{authority control
1964 songs
Songs with music by Johnny Mandel
Songs with lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Tony Bennett songs
Frank Sinatra songs
Andy Williams songs
Gene McDaniels songs
1960s jazz standards