"To Each His Own" 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 ...

with music written by

Jay Livingston Jay Livingston (born Jacob Harold Levison, March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was an American composer best known as half of a song-writing duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote music and Evans t ...

and lyrics by

Ray Evans Raymond Bernard Evans (February 4, 1915 – February 15, 2007) was an American songwriter. He was a partner in a composing and song-writing duo with Jay Livingston, known for the songs they composed for films. Evans wrote the lyrics and Living ...

. It is the title song of the movie of the same name and was published in

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

Paramount Music Paramount Music is an American record label. It serves as the in-house label for film and television music across all divisions of Paramount Pictures. Soundtracks See also * List of record labels * Paramount Records (1969) Paramount Record ...

. They were assigned to write this song after film composer

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

turned it down.

Original 1946 recordings

In 1946, three different versions hit number one on the ''Billboard'' charts in the United States. Two other versions reached number three and number four. *On the ''Billboard'' "Most Played" chart for August 24, 1946, and again on September 7, September 14 and October 5, all five versions appeared simultaneously in the Top Ten. While many popular songs of the pre-rock period had multiple hit versions — for example, ''

Dinah In the Book of Genesis, Dinah (; ) was the seventh child and only daughter of Leah and Jacob, and one of the matriarchs of the Israelites. The episode of her violation by Shechem, son of a Canaanite or Hivite prince, and the subsequent vengean ...

'' had nine Top-Ten covers over the years, and fifteen versions of "

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...

" charted between 1916 and 1953 — according to its co-composer Ray Evans, "To Each His Own" is the only song to take up half the slots on the Top Ten at the same time. *

Eddy Howard Edward Evan Duncan Howard (September 12, 1914 – May 23, 1963) was an American vocalist and bandleader who was popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Early years Eddy Howard was born in Woodland, California Woodland is a city in and the county ...

reached number one after debuting on the Most Played On the Air chart with his version of the song on July 6, 1946. Released by

Majestic Records Majestic Records was a mid-20th century record label based in New York City, incorporated in 1945 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Majestic Radio & Television. The label enjoyed its greatest commercial success in the 1940s until expansion and supp ...

as catalog number 7188 and 1070, the single lasted 24 weeks on the chart, reaching the top spot on August 3 for eight weeks, and scoring number 1 single of 1946 The two Howard releases had different B sides — ''Cynthia's in Love'' on Majestic 7188 and ''Careless'' on Majestic 1070. *

Freddy Martin Frederick Alfred Martin (December 9, 1906 – September 30, 1983) was an American bandleader and tenor saxophonist. Early life Freddy Martin was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Raised largely in an orphanage and by various relatives, ...

& his Orchestra, featuring vocals by Stuart Wade, and Tony Martin both had their versions debut on the chart on August 8, 1946, with each remaining on the chart for twelve weeks. While Freddy Martin, whose version was released by

RCA Victor Records 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 ...

, was able to top the chart for two weeks, Tony Martin's version, released by

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

, peaked at number four. *The next version to reach the ''Billboard'' charts was performed by

The Modernaires The Modernaires was an American vocal group, best known for performing in the 1940s alongside Glenn Miller. Career The Modernaires began in 1934 as "Don Juan, Two and Three," a trio of schoolmates from Lafayette High School in Buffalo, New Y ...

with Paula Kelly. Released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, together they debuted on the chart on August 15, 1946, lasting fourteen weeks on the chart and peaking at number three. *The third recording to reach number one was by

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 ...

, which 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 ...

. Reaching the charts on August 29, 1946, it remained on the chart for fourteen weeks, and topped it on September 21. This version also reached number three on the Most-Played Juke Box Race Records chart. 1946 was the first full year where Billboard ran its three main popular charts, "Best Selling", "Most Played Jukebox", and "Most Air Play". Each week in each section, 15 points were awarded for #1, 9 points for #2, 8 points for #3, and so on. There were no ties. The totals of all 3 categories were combined, and the highest numbers won. "For Each His Own" by Eddy Howard was the no. 1 record of the year, leading the runner-up by over 100 points.

Other recordings

Margie Rayburn Marjorie Helen Orwig (June 3, 1924 – June 14, 2000), better known as Margie Rayburn, was an American traditional pop singer. Rayburn was born in Madera, California, United States, and sang as a member of The Sunnysiders, who had a Top 40 hit in ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1958, but it did not chart. *

Johnny Hartman John Maurice Hartman (July 3, 1923 – September 15, 1983) was an American jazz singer who specialized in ballads. He sang and recorded with Earl Hines' and Dizzy Gillespie's big bands and with Erroll Garner. Hartman is best remembered for hi ...

included a version on his 1959 '' And I Thought About You'' album. *

The Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The ac ...

covered "To Each His Own" in 1960, their version reaching number 21 (US). *

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...

recorded the song for his 1965 LP ''

Try a Little Love ''Try a Little Love'' is the second posthumous studio album by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. Sammy Davis Jr. composed the liner notes. Track listing Side one # "Try a Little Love" ( J.W. Alexander, Sam Cooke) # "Don't Cry on My Should ...

''. *

Jerry Vale Jerry Vale (born Gennaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 – May 18, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter and actor. During the 1950s and 1960s, he reached the top of the pop charts with his interpretations of romantic ballads, including a cover ...

recorded it for his 1968 LP ''You Don't Have to Say You Love Me''. *

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American Singing, singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to hi ...

's 1968 version reached #82 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also spent four weeks at number two on the

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart. *

Keely Smith Dorothy Jacqueline Keely (March 9, 1928The reference work ''The Encyclopedia of Native Music: More Than a Century of Recordings from Wax Cylinder to the Internet'' gives Smith's date of birth as March 9, 1932. – December 16, 2017), profession ...

recorded it for her 1962 Dot LP, ''Cherokeely Swings''. *

Ronnie Dove Ronnie may refer to: * Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe *"Ronnie," a song from the Metallica album '' Load'' *Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an association football stadiu ...

recorded the song for his '' Right or Wrong'' album in 1964. *The song was also performed in the 1990 film ''

The Godfather Part III ''The Godfather Part III'' is a 1990 American crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from the screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo. The film stars Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy García, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, ...

'' by

Al Martino Al Martino (born Jasper Cini; October 7, 1927 – October 13, 2009) was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid-1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop croone ...

's character, Johnny Fontane.

References

1946 songs 1946 singles 1958 singles 1960 singles 1964 singles 1968 singles Songs with music by Jay Livingston Songs with lyrics by Ray Evans Songs written for films Frankie Laine songs Margie Rayburn songs Number-one singles in the United States ABC Records singles Liberty Records singles Mercury Records singles Eddy Howard songs {{1940s-song-stub