"I Know Why (And So Do You)" is a 1941 song by
Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. The song appeared in the 20th Century Fox movie ''
Sun Valley Serenade''. The song was also released as an RCA Bluebird 78 single.
Background
The song was written by
Mack Gordon
Mack Gordon (born Morris Gittler; June 21, 1904 – February 28, 1959) was an American composer and lyricist for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times in 11 years, including five consecutive years betwee ...
, lyrics, and
Harry Warren, music. The song is lip-synched by
Lynn Bari
Lynn Bari (born Marjorie Schuyler Fisher, December 18, 1919 – November 20, 1989) was a film actress who specialized in playing sultry, statuesque man-killers in roughly 150 films for 20th Century Fox, from the early 1930s through the 1940s.
...
in the movie ''
Sun Valley Serenade''.
Pat Friday sang the vocals with
John Payne and The Modernaires. The single, RCA Bluebird B-11230-A, reached no. 18 on the ''Billboard'' pop singles chart in a one-week chart run.
Song artist 6 - Glenn Miller
Tsort.info The single release featured vocals by Paula Kelly and The Four Modernaires
The Modernaires was an American vocal group, best known for performing in the 1940s alongside Glenn Miller.
Career
The Modernaires began in 1934 as "Don Juan, Two and Three," a trio of schoolmates from Lafayette High School in Buffalo, New Y ...
. The B side of the single was "Chattanooga Choo Choo
"Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a 1941 song written by Mack Gordon and composed by Harry Warren. It was originally recorded as a big band/swing tune by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra and featured in the 1941 movie '' Sun Valley Serenade''. It was ...
" which, de facto, was treated as the A-side.
The tune was the one being rehearsed in the film, ''The Glenn Miller Story
''The Glenn Miller Story'' is a 1954 American biographical film about the eponymous American band-leader, directed by Anthony Mann and starring James Stewart in their second non-western collaboration.
Plot
The film follows big band leader Glenn ...
'', when Jimmy Stewart
James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...
was pretending to be Glenn Miller, trying to invent a new sound; then the trumpeter hurt his lip, which caused Miller to substitute a clarinet, creating the new sound.
Covers of the song have been recorded by numerous artists, including The Manhattan Transfer, Mel Torme
Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to:
Biology
* Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL)
* National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL
People
* Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...
, Richard Himber
Richard Himber (born Herbert Richard Imber; February 20, 1899 – December 11, 1966) was an American bandleader, composer, violinist, magician and practical joker.
Early life
He was born as Herbert Richard Imber in Newark, New Jersey to the owne ...
And His Orchestra with Johnny Johnston and the Joseph Lilley Ensemble on vocals, Ray Anthony
Raymond Antonini (born January 20, 1922), known as Ray Anthony, is an American bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter, and actor. He is the last surviving member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Biography
Anthony was born to an Italian family in Ben ...
, Anne Shelton with Ambrose & his Orchestra, June Christy, Frankie Sardo on 20th Fox Records, Lionel Hampton, Jean Peters, Joan Regan, Michael Feinstein
Michael Jay Feinstein (born September 7, 1956) is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an archivist and interpreter for the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award for cele ...
and George Shearing
Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 ...
, Babik Reinhardt, Dick Smothers
Richard Remick Smothers (born November 20, 1938) is an American actor, comedian, composer, and musician. He was half of the musical comedy team the Smothers Brothers, with his older brother Tom.
Life and career
Smothers was born in New York Ci ...
, the Red Garland Trio, Orchestra Coco, the Michael Rose Orchestra, Teddy Petersen, Falconaires, US Air Force Band of the Rockies, Max Greger, Syd Lawrence, the Dino Olivieri Orchestra with refrain by Bruno Pallesi, David Pell, Diana Panton with Red Schwager on the album ''Red'', and Robert Clary
Robert Clary (born Robert Max Widerman; March 1, 1926 – November 16, 2022) was a French actor mainly active in the United States. He is best known for his role in the television sitcom ''Hogan's Heroes'' as Corporal Louis LeBeau (1965–197 ...
.
The 1941 Glenn Miller recording was featured in the 1990 Warner Bros. movie '' Memphis Belle'' and the 2017 film ''The Shape of Water
''The Shape of Water'' is a 2017 romantic fantasy film directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. It stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer ...
'' which was nominated for 13 Academy Awards. It also was played at Ginger Rogers' party early in the 1954 movie " Black Widow."
Personnel
The personnel on the 1941 recording by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra released as a 78 single were: Paula Kelly, The Modernaires (vo), Billy May, John Best, Ray Anthony
Raymond Antonini (born January 20, 1922), known as Ray Anthony, is an American bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter, and actor. He is the last surviving member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Biography
Anthony was born to an Italian family in Ben ...
, R.D. McMickle (tp), Glenn Miller, Jim Priddy, Paul Tanner, Frank D'Annolfo (tb), Hal McIntyre, Wilbur Schwartz (cl, as), Tex Beneke
Gordon Lee "Tex" Beneke ( ; February 12, 1914 – May 30, 2000) was an American saxophonist, singer, and bandleader. His career is a history of associations with bandleader Glenn Miller and former musicians and singers who worked with Miller. H ...
, Al Klink
Al Klink (December 28, 1915 in Danbury, Connecticut – March 7, 1991 in Bradenton, Florida) was an American swing jazz tenor saxophonist.
Career
Klink played with Glenn Miller from 1939 to 1942, and is a featured soloist, along with Tex Ben ...
(ts), Ernie Caceres
Ernesto Caceres (November 22, 1911 – January 10, 1971) was an American jazz saxophonist born in Rockport, Texas. He was a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1940–1942.
Background
Caceres's brothers were both musicians. Emilio Caceres ...
(bar), J.C. McGregor (p), Jack Lathrop
John Marcus Lathrop (May 11, 1913, Sherburne, New York – January 9, 1987, Stonington, Connecticut) was an American vocalist and guitarist with the Tune Twisters, Glenn Miller, and Hal McIntyre. Beginning around 1947, Lathrop was leader of the ...
(g), Trigger Alpert
Herman "Trigger" Alpert (September 3, 1916 – December 21, 2013) was an American jazz bassist from Indianapolis, Indiana.
Music career
A native of Indianapolis, Alpert attended Indiana University, where he studied music. Soon after, he played ...
(sb), and Maurice Purtill
Maurice "Moe" Purtill (May 4, 1916 – March 9, 1994), was an American swing jazz drummer, best known as the drummer for the Glenn Miller Orchestra from 1939 to 1942.
Career
Born in Huntington, New York, Purtill dropped out of high schoo ...
(dm).
The version used in the 1941 film Sun Valley Serenade features lead vocals by Pat Friday (and a verse by star John Payne) once again backed by The Modernaires.
Album appearances
The song appears on the following albums:
* ''Remember Glenn Miller'', 20th Century, 1973
* ''The Complete Glenn Miller, Vol. 6 (1940-1941)'', RCA Bluebird
* ''Glenn Miller: The Popular Recordings (1938-1942)'', RCA Bluebird, 1989
* ''The Ultimate Glenn Miller'', RCA Bluebird, 1993
* ''The Essential Glenn Miller'', RCA Bluebird, 1995
References
Sources
*Flower, John (1972). Moonlight Serenade: a bio-discography of the Glenn Miller Civilian Band. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House. .
*Miller, Glenn (1943). Glenn Miller's Method for Orchestral Arranging. New York: Mutual Music Society. ASIN: B0007DMEDQ
*Simon, George Thomas (1980). Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. New York: Da Capo paperback. .
*Simon, George Thomas (1971). Simon Says. New York: Galahad. .
*Schuller, Gunther (1991). Volume 2 of The Swing Era:the Development of Jazz, 1930–1945 /. New York: Oxford University Press. .
{{authority control
Glenn Miller songs
Songs with music by Harry Warren
Songs with lyrics by Mack Gordon
1941 songs
Songs written for films
Jazz compositions
Jazz songs