"The Very Thought of You" is a pop standard that was recorded and published in 1934 with music and lyrics by Ray Noble. The song was first recorded by Ray Noble and His Orchestra with Al Bowlly on vocals for HMV in England in April 1934. This record was then released in the United States by

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

, and it reached number one for five weeks on the pop music charts. The song was the subject of litigation in 1962. In 1934, Noble assigned the copyright to British publisher Campbell, Connelly & Company. Before the copyright was renewed, however, Noble assigned the United States copyright to M. Witmark & Sons. A suit was brought by Campbell, Connelly against Noble, stating that the assignment covered all rights, including rights in the USA. A British High Court judge ruled in favor of Campbell, Connelly.

Charting cover versions

* In 1946, Luis Russell recorded the song, which went to number three on the Most-Played Juke Box Race Records charts. * A rhythm and blues version by

Little Willie John William Edward "Little Willie" John (November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968) was an American R&B singer who performed in the 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his successes on the record charts, with songs such as " All Around the World" (1 ...

reached number 61 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

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 1961. * Three years later Ricky Nelson's rock and roll version reached No. 26 on the ''

'' chart, lasting 7 weeks in the Hot 100, and crossing to No. 11 on the ''Billboard'' magazine Easy Listening chart. * Natalie Cole reached #34 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart in the spring of 1992 with her version from her LP '' Unforgettable... with Love'' (1991). In Canada, her version spent two weeks at #19 Adult Contemporary.

Covers by notable artists

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

(1934) * Billie Holiday (1938) *

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

(1950) *

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

(1953) * Nat King Cole (1958) *

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 ...

(1962) * Albert King (1967) *

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

(1995) *

Harry Connick Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...

(2003) * Tony Bennett with Paul McCartney (2006) * Michael Bublé (2016) * Bryan Ferry (2022)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Very Thought of You, The 1934 songs 1934 singles 1946 singles 1961 singles 1964 singles 1992 singles 1930s jazz standards Songs written by Ray Noble Pop standards Al Bowlly songs Bing Crosby songs Billie Holiday songs Doris Day songs Harry Connick Jr. songs Ricky Nelson songs Natalie Cole songs Sarah Vaughan songs Vaughn Monroe songs Elektra Records singles Number-one singles in the United States