"I'll Never Smile Again" is a

1939 This year also marks the start of the World War II, Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Events related to World War II have a "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Coming into effect in Nazi Ger ...

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

which became a 1940 ''Billboard'' chart-topper by

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombone, trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-to ...

written by Ruth Lowe. It has been recorded by many other artists since, becoming a jazz and pop

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

. The most successful and best-known million selling single version of the song was recorded by

and His Orchestra, with vocals provided by

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 ...

and

The Pied Pipers The Pied Pipers are an American popular singing group originally formed in the late 1930s. They had several chart hits throughout the 1940s, both under their own name and in association with Tommy Dorsey, with Johnny Mercer and with Frank Sin ...

. Tommy Dorsey has a solo on trombone during the break and as a coda near the end of the song. This recording was released as a Victor 78, 26628A, in 1940. This version was number one on ''

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 advertis ...

s first "National List of Best Selling Retail Records"—the first official national music chart—on July 27, 1940, staying at the top spot for 12 weeks until October 12, 1940. The tune was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 1982. Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra performed the song in the 1941

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

musical '' Las Vegas Nights''. The Dorsey and Sinatra recording was also released as a V-disc in February, 1946 by the U.S. War Department for the armed forces. Ruth Lowe personally presented the song to Tommy Dorsey.

Percy Faith Percy Faith (April 7, 1908 – February 9, 1976) was a Canadian–American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of instrumental ballads and Christmas standards. He is often credited with popularizin ...

performed it first live on radio broadcasts on the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

Glenn Miller Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces ...

made the first recording and was the first to release it. The composition had its copyright renewed in 1966, and it will enter the American public domain on January 1, 2035.

Versions

was the first to record and release the song on RCA Bluebird Records with

Ray Eberle Raymond Eberle (January 19, 1919 – August 25, 1979) was a vocalist during the Big Band Era, making his name with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. His elder brother, Bob Eberly, sang with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Career Eberle was born in Me ...

on vocals. He recorded the song on February 19, 1940, and released it on April 12. *

The Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American vocal pop group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style predated the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely ...

recorded the song in August 1940, which was just a few months after the first release of the song. *In 1940, the song was also recorded by Tony Martin, Elton Britt,

Ginny Simms Virginia Ellen SimmsSleeve notes from ''Ginny Simms – I'd Like To Set You To Music'', Jasmine JASCD 118, 2001. (May 25, 1913 – April 4, 1994) was an American popular singer and film actress. Simms sang with big bands and with Dinah Shore, ...

, and Oscar Rabin *The song appears on the 1954 Dave Brubeck Quartet live album '' Jazz at the College of the Pacific.'' *

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 ...

recorded the song in 1959, the last year of her life, on the posthumous album '' Last Recording.'' *

The Platters The Platters are 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 act ...

brought the song back to the top 40 in 1961, when their version went to #25 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the 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), o ...

and #17 on the Hot R&B Sides chart. *

Al Hirt Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java (instrumental), Java" and the accompanying album ''Honey in the Horn (album ...

released a version in

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

on his '' Trumpet and Strings'' *

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...

released it on his 1963 album, '' Interplay'' *

Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (November 12, 1917July 16, 2008) was an American traditional pop singer, whose career spanned five decades from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Admired for the purity of her voice, she originally underwent classical tr ...

, who had sung background on the Sinatra bestseller as an original Pied Piper, covered it in her 1963 studio album saluting Dorsey hits. *Frank Sinatra included it on his 1959 '' No One Cares'' album. He also re-recorded the song in 1965 for the double album '' A Man and His Music'', complete with faithful reproduction of the celeste and choral accompaniment which characterized the 1940 recording that was arranged by Fred Stulce.Freedland, Michael (1998). ''All the Way: A Biography of Frank Sinatra.'' New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-19108-5. *The song was also covered by popular Australian rock group Daddy Cool, who scored an Australian Top 20 hit with their version, which was released as a single in July 1972, shortly before the group broke up; they also performed it at their farewell concert in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

in August 1972, which was recorded and subsequently released as a double-album in 1973.

References

Sources

*Peter Jennings, ''Until I Smile At You: How one girl's heartbreak electrified Frank Sinatra's fame!'' (Victoria, BC, Canada: Castle Carrington, 2020). *Peter J. Levinson, ''Tommy Dorsey: Livin' in a Great Big Way: a Biography'' (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2005). *Robert L. Stockdale, ''Tommy Dorsey: On The Side'' (Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1995). {{authority control 1940 songs 1940 singles Songs written by Ruth Lowe Tommy Dorsey songs Frank Sinatra songs Pop standards Jazz standards Canadian pop songs Number-one singles in the United States Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients RCA Victor singles

Versions

See also

References

Sources