"I'm Making Believe" is a 1944 song composed by

James V. Monaco James Vincent Monaco (January 13, 1885 – October 16, 1945) was an Italian-born American composer of popular music. Life and career Monaco was born in Formia, Italy. His family emigrated to the United States when he was six, and he grew u ...

with lyrics by

Mack Gordon Mack Gordon (born Morris Gittler; June 21, 1904 – February 28, 1959) was an American lyricist for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times in 11 years, including five consecutive years between 1940 and 1 ...

. The song first appeared in the film '' Sweet and Low-Down''; the performance by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the Film industry, motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who h ...

. The version recorded by

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

and

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

topped '' The Billboard''s National Best Selling Retail Records chart for two weeks in 1944. Their version had sold over one million copies by the time of Fitzgerald's death in 1996.

Composition and appearance in ''Sweet and Low-Down''

"I'm Making Believe" was composed by

with lyrics by

. It first appeared in the 1944 film '' Sweet and Low-Down'', in which it is performed by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra. Their rendition earned the film an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination for Best Original Song.

The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald recording

On August 30, 1944,

and the vocal group

recorded the vocals for "I'm Making Believe" and " Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" in New York City for producer

Milt Gabler Milton Gabler (May 20, 1911 – July 20, 2001) was an American record producer, responsible for many innovations in the recording industry of the 20th century. These included being the first person to deal in record reissues, the first to sel ...

. "I'm Making Believe" was recorded with two opposing choruses by Fitzgerald and Ink Spots member Bill Kenny. The single was released in November 1944 as a 78-rpm disc by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

Other versions

"I'm Making Believe" was also recorded by the Three Suns, Hal McIntyre and Mark Warnow. In 2023, Orville Peck and King Princess contributed a version of the song to the soundtrack of the

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

biographical drama miniseries '' A Small Light''.

Reception

'' The Billboard'' praised the pairing of Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots, predicting the song would be popular among both jukebox and phonograph listeners. ''

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' wrote of it: " itzgeraldreally tears this one apart … She's never done anything like it, and her vocal is actually thrilling."

Chart performance

The Ink Spots' and Fitzgerald's recording of "I'm Making Believe" topped ''The Billboard''s National Best Selling Retail Records chart for two consecutive weeks in December 1944. It also peaked at number three on the magazine's Most Played Jukebox Records chart. In 1945, their version peaked at number two on the Harlem Hit Parade and number five on the Records Most Played on the Air chart, both published by ''The Billboard''. Hal McIntyre's cover of the song peaked at number 14 on the magazine's Records Most Played on the Air chart.

References