"I'll Never Smile Again" is a

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

written by

Ruth Lowe Ruth Lowe (August 12, 1914 – January 4, 1981) was a Canadian pianist and songwriter. She composed the first '' Billboard'' top 80 song "I'll Never Smile Again". Early life Born in Toronto but raised in Glendale, California, Lowe returned to ...

. It has been recorded by many other artists since, becoming a

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

. The most successful and best-known million selling single version of the song was recorded by

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

and His Orchestra, with vocals provided by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

and

The Pied Pipers The Pied Pipers is an American popular singing group originally formed in the late 1930s. They had several chart hits through the 1940s, both under their own name and in association with Tommy Dorsey and with Frank Sinatra. Origins Originally ...

. This recording was released as a Victor 78, 26628A, in 1940. This version was number one 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 ...

s first "National List of Best Selling Retail Records"—the first official national music chart—on July 27, 1940, staying at the top spot for 12 weeks until October 12, 1940. The tune was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 1982.

Versions

The Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American pop vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely a ...

recorded the song in August 1940, which was just a few months after the first release of the song. *The song appears on the 1954

Dave Brubeck Quartet David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

live album '' Jazz at the College of the Pacific.'' *

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

recorded the song on the 1955 '' In the Land of Hi-Fi.'' *

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

recorded the song in 1959, the last year of her life, on the posthumous album ''

Last Recording ''Last Recording'' ( MGM Records, 1959) is final album Billie Holiday recorded. It was originally released during Holiday's lifetime with the title ''Billie Holiday'', and was retitled after her death. It is not to be confused with the 1954 Clef R ...

.'' *

The Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The ac ...

brought the song back to the top 40 in 1961, where their version went to #25 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and #17 on the Hot R&B Sides chart. *

Al Hirt Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java" and the accompanying album '' Honey in the Horn'' (1963), and for the them ...

released a version in 1962 on his ''

Trumpet and Strings ''Trumpet and Strings'' is an album by Al Hirt released on RCA Victor. The album was arranged by Marty Paich. The album landed on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart in 1962, reaching #96.Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

on the 1963 '' Interplay'' *Frank Sinatra included it on his 1959 '' No One Cares'' album. He also re-recorded the song in 1965 for the double album ''

A Man and His Music ''A Man and His Music'' is a 1965 double album by Frank Sinatra. It provides a brief retrospective of Sinatra's musical career. The album won the 1967 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Instead of using the original recordings, which were made f ...

'', complete with faithful reproduction of the celeste and choral accompaniment which characterized the 1940 recording. *Italian-American crossover artist,

Sergio Franchi Sergio Franchi (born Sergio Franci Galli; April 6, 1926 – May 1, 1990) was an Italian-American tenor and actor who enjoyed success in the United States and internationally after gaining notice in Britain in the early 1960s. In 1962, RCA Vict ...

covered this song on his 1967

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 ...

album, ''From Sergio - With Love''.http://www.discogs.com Sergio Franchi *The song was also covered by popular Australian rock group Daddy Cool—they scored an Australian Top 20 hit with their version, which was released as a single in July 1972, shortly before the group broke up; they also performed it at their farewell concert in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

in August 1972, which was recorded and subsequently released as a

double-album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

in 1973.

References

Sources

*Peter J. Levinson, ''Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way: a Biography'' (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2005). *Robert L. Stockdale, ''Tommy Dorsey: On The Side'' (Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1995). 1940 songs 1940 singles Songs written by Ruth Lowe Tommy Dorsey songs Canadian pop songs Number-one singles in the United States Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients RCA Victor singles {{pop-standard-stub

Versions

See also

References

Sources