"Thinking of You" is a popular

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 ...

, composed by Harry Ruby with lyrics by Bert Kalmar. It was introduced in the Broadway show, '' The Five O'Clock Girl'' (1927) when it was sung by

Mary Eaton Mary Eaton (January 29, 1901 – October 10, 1948) was an American stage actress, singer, and dancer in the 1910s and 1920s, probably best known today from her appearance in the first Marx Brothers film, ''The Cocoanuts'' (1929). A profession ...

and

Oscar Shaw Oscar Shaw (born Oscar Schwartz, October 11, 1887, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – died March 6, 1967, in Little Neck, New York), was a stage and screen actor and singer, remembered primarily today for his role as Bob Adams in the first f ...

. The song had two special periods of popularity:

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

and

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

, the latter in relation to the release of the

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

film, '' Three Little Words'', based on the life of Kalmar and Ruby. In the film, Vera-Ellen (dubbed by Anita Ellis) sings the song which then develops into a major dance routine with Fred Astaire. Hit versions of the song were recorded by

Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...

and Don Cherry. The recording by Don Cherry was released by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

as catalog number 27128. It first reached the ''Billboard'' Best Seller chart on September 15, 1950, and lasted 21 weeks on the chart, peaking at number four. The recording by

was released by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

as catalog number 20-3901 (78 r.p.m.) and 47-3901 (45 r.p.m). It first reached the ''Billboard'' Best Seller chart on October 6, 1950, and lasted 18 weeks on the chart, peaking at number eight. This was Fisher's first charting hit. Cherry re-recorded the song for his album, ''There Goes My Everything'' in 1967.

Other recorded versions

* Annette Hanshaw - recorded in 1927 for Chappell Recorded Music. *Harry Archer and his Orchestra (vocal:

Franklyn Baur Franklyn Baur (April 5, 1903 – February 24, 1950) was a popular tenor vocal recording artist.Gracyk, Tim with Frank Hoffman, ''Popular American Recording Pioneers: 1895--1925'', Haworth Press, New York, 2000, pp. 39--42. DeLong, Thomas A., ''Radio ...

) - recorded on October 27, 1927 for Brunswick Records (catalog No. 3704). * Les Baxter with his Orchestra and Chorus for the Capitol LP ''Thinking of You'' (1954). *

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

- recorded in 1959 for a proposed album called '' One for the Boys'' which was not issued. The song was later included in the Bear Family Records compilation ''White Sox, Pink Lipstick...And Stupid Cupid'' (1993). *Carlos Molina and his Orchestra, recorded for Columbia Records on February 11, 1936 (catalog No. 3122D). *

Dorothy Provine Dorothy Michelle Provine (January 20, 1935 – April 25, 2010) was an American singer, dancer and actress. Born in 1935 in Deadwood, South Dakota, she grew up in Seattle, Washington, and was hired in 1958 by Warner Bros., after which she first ...

- Great version of this song on a

Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in the U ...

TV show album ''The Vamp of the Roaring 20's - Vol. 2'' (1961). * Ben Selvin's Broadway Nitelites (vocal by Franklyn Baur) - recorded on October 25, 1927 for Columbia Records (catalog No. 1164D). *

Nathaniel Shilkret Nathaniel Shilkret (December 25, 1889 – February 18, 1982) was an American musician, composer, conductor and musical director. Early career Shilkret (originally named Natan Schüldkraut) was born in New York City, United States, to parents ...

and The Victor Orchestra (vocal:

Lewis James Lewis Lyman James (July 27, 1892 – February 19, 1959) was a vocalist and among the most active of recording artists in the United States from 1917 through much of the 1930s. He was a member of The Shannon Four, The Revelers, and The Criterion ...

) - recorded on September 29, 1927 for Victor (catalog No. 20996B). * Martha Tilton - recorded for Coral Records in 1950. *

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 ...

- recorded on July 1, 1950 for Columbia Records (catalog No. 38925).

References

{{Authority control 1927 songs 1950 singles Don Cherry songs Eddie Fisher (singer) songs Songs with lyrics by Bert Kalmar Songs with music by Harry Ruby