"Day In, Day Out" is a popular song with music by

Rube Bloom Reuben Bloom (April 24, 1902 – March 30, 1976) was an American songwriter, pianist, arranger, band leader, recording artist, vocalist, and author. Life and career Bloom was born and died in New York City. He was Jewish. During his career, he w ...

and lyrics by

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Wallichs Music Cit ...

and published in 1939.

Background

According to Alec Wilder the song, 56 measures long, has a wonderful, soaring melodic line, free from pretentiousness, but full of passion and intensity which is superbly supported by the lyrics. Although the catch phrase "day in—day out" sounds like a dull routine, Mercer uses exotic images to contrast with the boring sound of the phrase.

Recordings

The song has been recorded by numerous artists. *

Helen Forrest Helen Forrest (born Helen Fogel, April 12, 1917 – July 11, 1999) was an American singer of traditional pop and swing music. She served as the "girl singer" for three of the most popular big bands of the Swing Era (Artie Shaw, Benny Good ...

with

Artie Shaw Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...

and his Orchestra – ''Bluebird Records 78 rpm single'' (1939) * Helen Ward with

Bob Crosby George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the younge ...

and his Orchestra (1939) – a #1 hit on the Billboard charts. *

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sch ...

– ''Horace Silver Trio'' (1953) *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

– '' The Point of No Return'' (Expanded Edition 2002 – Song recorded April 4, 1953), '' Come Dance with Me!'' (1959), ''

Nice 'n' Easy ''Nice 'n' Easy'' is the eighteenth studio album by Frank Sinatra, released on July 25, 1960. All the songs, with the notable exception of the title song, are sung as ballads and were arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle. The title song was ...

'' (1960), '' Sinatra & Sextet: Live in Paris'' (1994) *

Margaret Whiting Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was an American singer of popular music who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.Mapes, Jillian.Margaret Whiting, Iconic Standards Singer, Dies at 86. ''Billboard'', January 12, ...

– '' Margaret Whiting Sings for the Starry Eyed'' (1956) *

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 made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

– ''

Songs for Distingué Lovers ''Songs for Distingué Lovers'' is an album by jazz singer Billie Holiday, released in 1958 on Verve Records. It was originally available in both mono (catalogue number MGV 8257) and stereo (catalog number MGVS 6021). It was recorded at Capitol ...

'' (1957) *

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years and covered film, television and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the C ...

with Nat Brandwynne's Orchestra – '' Lena Horne at the Waldorf Astoria'' (1957) *

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer. Starting his 69-year career with singles of standard (music), standard music, Mathis is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century and became highly popular as ...

– '' Wonderful, Wonderful'' (1957) *

Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...

– ''Petula Clark in Hollywood'' (1959) *

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...

– ''

Judy in Love ''Judy in Love'' is a studio album by Judy Garland. It was released on November 3, 1958, by Capitol Records, and arranged by Nelson Riddle. The tracks of the album include upbeat songs to balance the sad themes of her previous album, '' Alone'' ...

'' (1958) and ''

Garland at the Grove ''Garland at the Grove'' is the debut live album by Judy Garland. It was released in mono on February 2, 1959 and in stereo on February 16, 1959, by Capitol Records, and accompanied by Freddy Martin and his orchestra. The album was recorded at the ...

'' (1959) *The

Four Freshmen 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...

and

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though ...

– '' Road Show'' (1960) *

Carmen Cavallaro Carmen Cavallaro (May 6, 1913 – October 12, 1989) was an American pianist. He established himself as one of the most accomplished and admired light music pianists of his generation. Music career Carmen Cavallaro was born in New York City, Uni ...

– ''Swingin' Easy'' (1962) *

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

– ''

Let's Face the Music! ''Let's Face the Music!'' is a 1964 studio album by Nat King Cole, arranged by Billy May. It was recorded in November 1961, and released three years later. Reception The ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' review from February 29, 1964 comme ...

'' (1964) *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, 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, phra ...

– ''

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Songbook Ella is a feminine given name, which also used as a surname. Ella (or similar) may also refer to: Places United States * Ella, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Ella, Oregon, an unincorporated community * Ella, Pennsylvania, an unincor ...

'' (1964), '' Ella at Juan-Les-Pins'' (1964) * Phyllis Marshall - ''That Girl'' (1964) *

The Peddlers The Peddlers were a British jazz/soul trio of the 1960s and 1970s. Led by organist Roy Phillips, they had hits with "Birth" and " Girlie". They were very popular in New Zealand during the 1970s. History The Peddlers formed in Manchester in A ...

– ''

Birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many religion ...

'' (1969) *

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

– '' Triplicate'' (2017)

Notes

1939 singles Songs with music by Rube Bloom Frank Sinatra songs Ella Fitzgerald songs Nancy Wilson (jazz singer) songs Judy Garland songs Johnny Mathis songs 1939 songs Songs with lyrics by Johnny Mercer Nat King Cole songs Bluebird Records singles {{Pop-standard-stub