"All of Me" is a popular song and jazz standard written by

Gerald Marks Gerald Marks (October 13, 1900 – January 27, 1997) was an American composer from Saginaw, Michigan. He was best known for the song " All of Me" which he co-wrote with Seymour Simons and has been recorded about 2,000 times. He also wrote the s ...

and

Seymour Simons Seymour Simons (January 14, 1896 – February 12, 1949) was an American pianist, composer, orchestra leader, and radio producer. Biography Simons born in Detroit, Michigan, was originally trained in engineering and went to work as a researc ...

in 1931.

Composition and characteristics

and

wrote the words and music of "All of Me" in 1931. It has an ABAC structure, and is written in the key of B-flat major. There is a 20-bar introductory verse, but this is routinely omitted. "The melody ..combines the contradictory possibilities of the song. The downward thrusts of the opening phrases hint at emotional despair while the closing line, with its repeated high notes, seems almost jubilant." It is usually performed at a medium tempo. The harmony is relatively straightforward, and has served as the basis for

Lennie Tristano Leonard Joseph Tristano (March 19, 1919 – November 18, 1978) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher of jazz improvisation. Tristano studied for bachelor's and master's degrees in music in Chicago before moving to New Yo ...

's "Line Up",

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

's "Background Music", and Bill Dobbins's "Lo Flame".

Successful recordings

"All of Me" first came to public awareness when a performance by

Belle Baker Belle Baker (December 25, 1893 in New York City – April 29, 1957 in Los Angeles) was an American singer and actress. Popular throughout the 1910s and 1920s, Baker introduced a number of ragtime and torch songs including Irving Berlin's " ...

was broadcast over the radio in 1931.

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

and His Orchestra recorded the song on December 1 that year, with vocalist

Mildred Bailey Mildred Bailey (born Mildred Rinker; February 27, 1907 – December 12, 1951) was a Native American jazz singer during the 1930s, known as "The Queen of Swing", "The Rockin' Chair Lady" and "Mrs. Swing". She recorded the songs " For Sentimenta ...

; this went to the top of the US pop charts. Within weeks, another two versions were in the charts, with a Louis Armstrong rendition also reaching No. 1, and

Ben Selvin Benjamin Bernard Selvin (March 5, 1898 – July 15, 1980) was an American musician, bandleader, and record producer. He was known as the Dean of Recorded Music. Selvin was born in New York City, United States, the son of Jewish Russian immigran ...

and His Orchestra peaking at No. 19. The song was used in the 1932 film ''

Careless Lady ''Careless Lady'' is a 1932 American comedy film directed by Kenneth MacKenna and written by Guy Bolton. The film stars Joan Bennett, John Boles, Minna Gombell, Weldon Heyburn, Nora Lane and Raul Roulien. The film was released on April 3, 1 ...

''. In the view of critic

Ted Gioia Ted Gioia (born October 21, 1957) is an American jazz critic and music historian. He is author of eleven books, including ''Music: A Subversive History'', '' The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire'', ''The History of Jazz'' and ''Delta Blu ...

, the definitive version was sung 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 s ...

in 1941: "she staked a claim of ownership that no one has managed to dislodge in subsequent years". Two years later, Lynne Sherman's recording with

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

and His Orchestra reached No. 14 in the charts. Frank Sinatra recorded several versions of "All of Me". His 1948 release peaked at No. 21. He also sang it in the film '' Meet Danny Wilson'', which may have helped

Johnnie Ray John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blu ...

's rendition up to No. 12 in the charts that year. Sinatra's use of "All of Me" brought a non-jazz audience to the song, and so too did

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album '' Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (1 ...

, whose version was included in his '' Stardust'' album and reached No. 3 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1978. In 2000, "All of Me" was given the Towering Song Award by the

Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...

References

External links

"All of Me"
Harmonic analysis and jazz guitar arrangement {{authority control Pop standards 1930s jazz standards 1931 songs 1932 singles Songs written by Seymour Simons Belle Baker songs Mildred Bailey songs Benny Goodman songs Billie Holiday songs Frank Sinatra songs Willie Nelson songs NOFX songs Great Depression songs Johnnie Ray songs Columbia Records singles Songs with music by Gerald Marks

Composition and characteristics

Successful recordings

See also

References

External links