"This Year's Kisses" is a popular song written in 1936 by

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russi ...

for the musical film ''

On the Avenue ''On the Avenue'' is a 1937 American musical film directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Dick Powell, Madeleine Carroll, Alice Faye, George Barbier, and The Ritz Brothers. Many of the songs were composed by Irving Berlin. Many of the plot deta ...

'' (1937) and introduced by

Alice Faye Alice Faye (born Alice Jeanne Leppert; May 5, 1915 – May 9, 1998) was an American actress and singer. A musical star of 20th Century-Fox in the 1930s and 1940s, Faye starred in such films as '' On the Avenue'' (1937) and ''Alexander's Ragtime ...

.Bergreen, Laurence, ''As Thousands Cheer: The Life of Irving Berlin'', Da Capo Press, New York, 1996. Popular recordings in 1937 were by Benny Goodman,

Hal Kemp James Hal Kemp (March 27, 1904 – December 21, 1940) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. Biography Hal Kemp was born in Marion, Alabama. He formed his first band in high school, and by the a ...

Shep Fields Shep may refer to: People Given name * Shep Fields, American band leader *Shep Goodman, American music producer and songwriter *Shep Gordon, American talent manager, Hollywood film agent, and producer * Shep Mayer, Canadian ice hockey player *Shep ...

and by

Teddy Wilson Theodore Shaw Wilson (November 24, 1912 – July 31, 1986) was an American jazz pianist. Described by critic Scott Yanow as "the definitive swing pianist", Wilson had a sophisticated, elegant style. His work was featured on the records of many ...

with

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 ...

. Billie Holiday recorded the song on January 25, 1937, accompanied by Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra (Brunswick 7824), an historic session that marked her first collaboration with tenor saxophonist

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most ...

. Benny Goodman (clarinet) also performed on the recording, along with several members of the

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 ...

Orchestra, including

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

on trumpet,

Freddie Green Frederick William Green (March 31, 1911 – March 1, 1987) was an American swing jazz guitarist who played rhythm guitar with the Count Basie Orchestra for almost fifty years. Early life and education Green was born in Charleston, South Car ...

on guitar, Walter Page on double bass, and Jo Jones on drums. Jazz critic

Gary Giddins Gary Giddins is an American jazz critic and author. He wrote for ''The Village Voice'' from 1973; his "Weather Bird" column ended in 2003. In 1986 Gary Giddins and John Lewis created the American Jazz Orchestra which presented concerts using a j ...

, writes that the song "inaugurated the uncanny bond between Billie and Lester Young, whose tenor saxophone--borrowed from Hammond's favorite orchestra, the Basie band--invariably complements, echoes, spurs, and inspires her in one of the most gratifying, unusual, and far too brief musical collaborations of the past century."Giddins, Gary, ''Weather Bird: Jazz at the Dawn of Its Second Century'', Oxford University Press, Oxford ; New York, 2004. Lester Young recorded the song again on January 12, 1956, with several musicians from the original 1937 Holiday session, including Teddy Wilson,

and Jo Jones, for the album ''

The Jazz Giants '56 ''The Jazz Giants '56'' is an album by saxophonist Lester Young, issued in 1956 on Verve Records. Track listing # "I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan" (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz) - 9:35 # "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" ( Richard Rodgers, ...

'' on

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

Recorded versions

* Benny Goodman & His Orchestra (vocal by Margaret McCrae) recorded the song on December 30, 1936 (Victor 25505). * Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra recorded the song on December 28, 1936 for Bluebird Records (no. 6757). * Billie Holiday w/ Lester Young and Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra (1937) * Hal Kemp & His Orchestra (1937) *

Hildegarde Hildegarde Loretta Sell, known as Hildegarde (February 1, 1906 – July 29, 2005) was an American cabaret singer, who was well known for the song " Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup". Early life She was born Hildegarde Loretta Sell in Adell, Wis ...

Carroll Gibbons Carroll Richard Gibbons (January 4, 1903 – May 10, 1954) was an American-born pianist, bandleader and popular composer who made his career primarily in England during the British dance band era. Image of Gibbons from the W.D. & H.O. Wills ...

and His Boy Friends (1937) * Lester Young w/ Teddy Wilson - ''

'' (1956) * June Christy - ''

The Misty Miss Christy ''The Misty Miss Christy'' is a 1956 studio album by June Christy. Christy sings several jazz standards along with a few lesser-known tunes. Pete Rugolo arranged the songs and conducted the orchestra, which consisted of different combinations o ...

'' (1956) *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

- ''

Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! ''Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!'' is a 1961 studio album by Ella Fitzgerald, with a jazz quartet led by Lou Levy. The painting on the cover is by Jean Dubuffet. The liner notes are by Benny Green of the London Observer. Track listing For ...

'' (1961) *

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...

- ''

Let It All Out ''Let It All Out'' is an album by Nina Simone, released by Philips Records in February 1966. The song "Chauffeur" is an adaptation of Memphis Minnie's " Me and My Chauffeur Blues" (1941), which Simone first heard Big Mama Thornton sing. Thornt ...

'' (1966)

References

{{Irving Berlin songs Songs about kissing Songs written by Irving Berlin Billie Holiday songs 1936 songs 1930s jazz standards