"Mon Homme" (),also known by its

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

translation, "My Man", is a

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

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 ...

first published in 1920. The song was originally composed by

Maurice Yvain Maurice Yvain (12 February 1891 – 27 July 1965) was a French composer noted for his operettas of the 1920s and 1930s. Some of which were written for Mistinguett, at one time the best-paid female entertainer in the world. In the 1930s and 1940s, ...

with French lyrics by Jacques-Charles (Jacques Mardochée Charles) and

Albert Willemetz Albert Willemetz (14 February 1887 – 7 October 1964) was a French libretto, librettist. Career Albert Willemetz was a prolific lyricist. He invented a new type of musical, with a humorous and "sexy" style. He was the author of more than 3000 ...

. The English lyrics were written by Channing Pollock.

History

''Mon Homme'' was copyrighted in France by

and Jacques-Charles (Jacques Mardochée Charles) in 1920 and was introduced to Parisian audiences in the revue "''Paris qui Jazz''" at the

Casino de Paris The Casino de Paris, located at 16, rue de Clichy, in the 9th arrondissement, is one of the well known music halls of Paris, with a history dating back to the 18th century. Contrary to what the name might suggest, it is a performance venue, not ...

. The song was performed by revue star

Mistinguett Mistinguett (, born Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois; 5 April 1873 – 5 January 1956) was a French actress and singer. She was at one time the highest-paid female entertainer in the world. Early life The daughter of Antoine Bourgeois, a 31-year- ...

and her stage partner American dancer

Harry Pilcer Harry Pilcer (April 29, 1885January 14, 1961) was an American actor, dancer, choreographer, and lyricist. Biography Pilcer is mainly remembered for his association with French dancer and singer Gaby Deslys who may have been his wife. According t ...

. Although the song originated in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

–where it was a hit for

– it was popularized in the English speaking world in the 1920s with the 1921 recording by

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ...

singer

Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedienne, illustrated song model, singer, and theater and film actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. S ...

. The song was a hit, and the record eventually earned a

Grammy Hall of Fame Award 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 ...

for Brice in 1999. Brice also sang the song during one of the sound sequences of the

part-talkie A part-talkie is a partly, and most often primarily, silent film which includes one or more synchronous sound sequences with audible dialog or singing. During the silent portions, lines of dialog are presented as "titles"—printed text briefly ...

film '' My Man'' (1928).

Alice Faye Alice Faye (born Alice Jeanne Leppert; May 5, 1915 – May 9, 1998) was an American actress and singer. A musical star of 20th Century-Fox in the 1930s and 1940s, Faye starred in such films as ''On the Avenue'' (1937) and ''Alexander's Ragtime B ...

sang it in the musical film ''

Rose of Washington Square ''Rose of Washington Square'' is a 1939 American musical drama film, featuring the already well-known popular song with the same title. Set in 1920s New York City, the film focuses on singer Rose Sargent and her turbulent relationship with con ar ...

'' (1939), a thinly veiled biography of

. The ballad version recorded by Brice was modified by

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 ...

, who introduced a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

recording of "My Man" in 1937. Holiday's version was also successful, although the song continued to be associated with Brice. Over the years, other artists from both the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and abroad covered the song, though none of the artists achieved as much success as Brice and Holiday. Holiday's version of the song was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2018.

Notable cover versions

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

recorded the song for her 1959 album ''

I Like Men! ''I Like Men!'' is a 1959 studio album recorded by Peggy Lee, arranged and conducted by Jack Marshall. Track listing # "Charley, My Boy" (Ted Fio Rito, Gus Kahn) – 1:35 # "Good-For-Nothin' Joe" (Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler) – 2:32 # " ...

.'' Her arrangement is very minimalistic, with the drums predominant in the mix. This version peaked at #81 on the US

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 ...

. *In 1965, the song was covered by

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 List ...

on her album ''

My Name Is Barbra ''My Name Is Barbra'' is the first of two studio album tie-ins to Barbra Streisand's Emmy award-winning CBS-TV debut special '' My Name Is Barbra'', which aired on April 28, 1965, and was choreographed by Joe Layton. The album was certified g ...

'' and in the film adaptation of ''Funny Girl'' (1968), a loosely based biography of Fanny Brice. Her rendition of "My Man", sung during the film's finale, drew additional critical praise to an already lauded performance that earned her the Oscar for Best Actress at the

41st Academy Awards The 41st Academy Awards were presented on April 14, 1969, the first to be staged at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. For the first time since the 11th Academy Awards, there was no host. ''Oliver!'' is the only Best Picture winner ...

. *French singer

Mireille Mathieu Mireille Mathieu (; born 22 July 1946) is a French singer. She has recorded over 1200 songs in eleven languages, with more than 122 million records sold worldwide. Biography and career Early years Mireille Mathieu was born on 22 July 1946 in A ...

recorded the song in both French and in English. This was one of her concert songs in international tours, and she also performed the song at various concerts in Paris. *

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

performed the song in her final concert appearance as a Supreme at the Frontier Hotel in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, on January 14, 1970. Her performance was recorded and later released on the 1970 live album ''Farewell.'' Ross adopted Holiday's

and

version rather than the Brice or Streisand versions. In 1972, Ross recorded "My Man" again for the soundtrack for the film '' Lady Sings the Blues,'' in which she portrayed Billie Holiday. The soundtrack album peaked at #1 on ''Billboard'''s Pop albums chart, reportedly selling over 300,000 copies during its first eight days of release. Ross' performance in the film received critical acclaim and

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

and

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominations for Best Actress; she won the Golden Globe award for "Most Promising Newcomer." Ross' second version of the song was a revival of Holiday's jazz/blues reading. Ross gave one of her most critically hailed performances of the song in 1979 at

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesars P ...

, which was recorded for an

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

concert special during her "The Boss" world tour. *In 1958, Spanish singer/actress

Sara Montiel María Antonia Abad Fernández MML (10 March 1928 – 8 April 2013), known professionally as Sara Montiel, also Sarita Montiel, was a Spanish actress and singer, who also held Mexican citizenship since 1951. She began her career in the 1940s an ...

performed the song in the film ''

The Violet Seller ''The Violet Seller'', better known under its Spanish title ''La Violetera'', is a 1958 Spanish-Italian historical jukebox musical film produced by Benito Perojo, directed by Luis César Amadori and starring Sara Montiel, Raf Vallone, Frank Vi ...

'' with

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

lyrics by Jesús María de Arozamena and José Juan Cadenas, and it was released under the title "Es mi hombre" in the film's soundtrack album. *In 1971, Spanish singer Maruja Garrido also recorded a cover of the Spanish version, for a

Televisión Española Televisión Española (acronym TVE, branded tve, "Spanish Television") is Spain's national state-owned public television broadcaster and the oldest regular television service in the country. It was also the first regular television service in ...

special featuring

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

. *

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

covered the song, giving it a jazz-pop approach in a medley with "

All the Man That I Need "All the Man That I Need" is a song written by Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore. The song was first recorded as "All the Man I Need" by Linda Clifford for her album ''I'll Keep on Loving You'' (1982). In 1990, American singer Whitney Houston had a ...

" at the 1991 ''Billboard'' Music Awards. Houston also performed the song as part of the set list during her I'm Your Baby Tonight Tour. *

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

recorded the song for her album '' Blue Gardenia'' (2001). *

Lea Michele Lea Michele Sarfati (; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway (theatre), Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérab ...

covered the song in the ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'' episode "Funeral". Prior to the episode's airing, she sang the song at

MusiCares MusiCares Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1989 and incorporated in 1993 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, ...

2011, where Streisand was honored as Person of the Year. *

Regina Spektor Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (russian: Регинa Ильинична Спектор, ; born February 18, 1980) is a Russian–born American singer, songwriter, and pianist. After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in ...

covered the song for the ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s and ...

'' soundtrack in 2011 (featured in the end credits of "

A Dangerous Maid ''A Dangerous Maid'' is a musical with a book by Charles W. Bell, music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin (writing under the pseudonym "Arthur Francis"). The script is based on Bell's 1918 play ''A Dislocated Honeymoon''. The story ...

"). * ''The X Factor'' (UK) contestant

Rebecca Ferguson Rebecca Louisa Ferguson Sundström (born 19 October 1983) is a Swedish actress. She began her acting career with the Swedish soap opera ''Nya tider'' (1999–2000) and went on to star in the slasher film ''Drowning Ghost'' (2004). She came to in ...

covered the song on her album '' Lady Sings the Blues'', a cover album of songs made famous by Billie Holiday.

Notes

References

{{authority control Songs from musicals Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Fanny Brice songs Barbra Streisand songs Billie Holiday songs Belle Baker songs Diana Ross songs Dorothy Lamour songs 1916 songs 1920 songs Regina Spektor songs Pop standards Torch songs Songs from Funny Girl (film) Songs with lyrics by Albert Willemetz Compositions by Maurice Yvain United States National Recording Registry recordings