"Once Upon a Summertime" is the title of the American version (with lyrics from

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallich ...

) of a French song written by

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...

Eddie Barclay Édouard Ruault (26 January 1921 – 13 May 2005), better known as Eddie Barclay, was a French music Record producer, producer whose singers included Jacques Brel, Dalida and Charles Aznavour. He founded record label Barclay (record label), ...

and

Eddy Marnay Edmond Bacri known by the professional name Eddy Marnay ( Algiers, 18 December 1920 – 3 January 2003), was a French songwriter. In his career, he wrote more than 4000 songs, including works for Édith Piaf, Frida Boccara and Céline Dion. H ...

. The French original is La valse des lilas.

Notable recordings

Blossom Dearie Margrethe Blossom Dearie (April 28, 1924 – February 7, 2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She had a recognizably light and girlish voice. Profile at AllMusicDearie performed regular engagements in London and New York City over ...

– ''

Once Upon a Summertime "Once Upon a Summertime" is the title of the American version (with lyrics from Johnny Mercer) of a French song written by Michel Legrand, Eddie Barclay and Eddy Marnay. The French original is La valse des lilas. Notable recordings *Blossom D ...

'' (1958), ''

Blossom Time at Ronnie Scott's ''Blossom Time at Ronnie Scott's'' is a 1966 live album by Blossom Dearie. Recorded at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, this was Dearie's first live album. Track listing #" On Broadway" ( Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) – 3:5 ...

'' (1966) *

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

– ''

I Wanna Be Around "I Wanna Be Around" is a popular song. In the lyrics, the singer declares that he "wants to be around" when the woman who spurned him inevitably gets her heart broken. The song is credited to Sadie Vimmerstedt and Johnny Mercer. Origins Vimmers ...

'' (1963) *

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

– '' Quiet Nights'' (1963) *

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 ...

– '' Star Eyes'' (1963) *

Monica Zetterlund Monica Zetterlund (born Eva Monica Nilsson; 20 September 1937 – 12 May 2005) was a Sweden, Swedish jazz Singing, singer and Actor, actress. Through her lifetime, she starred in over 10 Swedish film productions and recorded over 20 studio ...

and

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 ...

– '' Waltz for Debby'' (1964) *

Carmen Mcrae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

– ''

Second To None ''2nd to None'' (also known as ''ELVIIS: 2nd to None'') is a collection of songs by American rock and roll musician Elvis Presley. The album was released by on October 7, 2003 by RCA Records as the sequel to the previous year's highly successful ...

'' (1964) *

Astrud Gilberto Astrud Gilberto (; born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, March 29, 1940) is a Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer. She gained international attention in the 1960s following her recording of the song "The Girl from Ipanema". Biography Astrud Gilbert ...

– '' Look to the Rainbow'' (1966) *

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 ...

– ''

Je m'appelle Barbra ''Je m'appelle Barbra'' (1966) is the eighth studio album released by Barbra Streisand. She sings much of the album in French. The album peaked at #5 on the ''Billboard'' 200, and was certified gold by the RIAA on April 24, 2002, almost 36 years ...

'' (1966) *

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

– '' Walking the Line'' (1970) *

June Christy June Christy (born Shirley Luster; November 20, 1925June 21, 1990) was an American singer, known for her work in the cool jazz genre and for her silky smooth vocals. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued a sol ...

– ''

Impromptu An impromptu (, , loosely meaning "offhand") is a free-form musical composition with the character of an ''ex tempore'' improvisation as if prompted by the spirit of the moment, usually for a solo instrument, such as piano. According to ''Allgeme ...

'' (1977) with the Lou Levy Sextet *

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

– ''

'' (1977) *

Maria Farantouri Maria Farantouri or Farandouri ( el, Μαρία Φαραντούρη; born 28 November 1947 in Athens) is a Greek singer and also a political and cultural activist. She has collaborated with Greek composers such as Mikis Theodorakis, who wrote the ...

– '' 17 Songs '' (1990) *

Betty Carter Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inter ...

– '' It's Not About the Melody'' (1992) *

with

Vienna Art Orchestra The Vienna Art Orchestra was a European jazz group based in Vienna, Austria. Organized at different times as either a big band or as a smaller combo, it was regarded as one of the leading European jazz ensembles and was an official cultural ambas ...

- '' Quiet Ways: Ballads '' (1997)

References

Songs with music by Michel Legrand Songs with lyrics by Johnny Mercer The Walker Brothers songs Songs written by Eddy Marnay Year of song missing 1950s songs {{1950s-pop-song-stub