"Just as Though You Were Here" is a song written by

John Benson Brooks John Benson Brooks (February 23, 1917, Houlton, Maine – November 13, 1999, New York City) was an American jazz pianist, songwriter, arranger, and composer. Brooks worked early in his career as an arranger for Randy Brooks, Les Brown, Boyd R ...

(music) and

Eddie DeLange Eddie DeLange (''né'' Edgar DeLange Moss; 15 January 1904 – 15 July 1949) was an American bandleader and lyricist. Famous artists who recorded some of DeLange's songs include Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Duk ...

(lyrics). The first recording was made 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 on May 18, 1942 with vocals 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 ...

. It reached the Billboard charts in July 1942, peaking at No. 6 during a ten-week stay. Sinatra recorded the song again on September 24, 1974 for Reprise.

Other versions

*Many other artists have recorded the song including

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 ...

in 1942 (Decca 18466A). This version went to number ten on the

Harlem Hit Parade The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. *This song was played by

Tom Oren Tom Oren (born November 4, 1994) is an Israeli jazz pianist and winner of the 2018 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Piano Competition. Oren was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. He graduated from Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, Givat ...

to win the 2018 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz competition.

References

1942 songs Frank Sinatra songs Songs with lyrics by Eddie DeLange Songs with music by John Benson Brooks {{1940s-song-stub