"It Isn't Fair" is a popular

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 ...

written by Richard Himber, Frank Warshauer, and Sylvester Sprigato and published in

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

Isham Jones Isham Edgar Jones (January 31, 1894 – October 19, 1956) was an American bandleader, saxophonist, bassist and songwriter. Career Jones was born in Coalton, Ohio, United States, to a musical and mining family. His father, Richard Isham Jon ...

and His Orchestra (vocal by Rita Smith) had a hit with it the same year.

1950 revival

The song enjoyed a revival in 1950 when the best-known version was done by Don Cornell and the

Sammy Kaye Sammy Kaye (born Samuel Zarnocay Jr.; March 13, 1910 – June 2, 1987) was an American bandleader and songwriter, whose tag line, "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye", became one of the most famous of the Big Band Era. The expression springs fr ...

orchestra. This recording was released by

RCA Victor Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

as catalog number 20-3609 (78 rpm) and 47-3115 (45 rpm). It first reached the ''

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 ...

'' Best Sellers chart on February 3, 1950 and lasted for 22 weeks on the chart, peaking at number three. Other hits with the song that year were by

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

and His Orchestra (vocal by Buddy Greco); Bill Farrell; and by Les Brown and His Orchestra (vocal by Four Hits and a Miss).

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian, entertainer and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwi ...

sang "It Isn't Fair" twice on his radio show in May 1950, though he never made a commercial recording of the song. The song did not appear in the UK's sheet music charts during this period. However, a British cover version by

Steve Conway Steve, Steven or Stephen Conway may refer to: * Steve Conway (politician) (born 1944), State Senator from Washington State * Steve Conway (singer) Steve Conway (born Walter James Groom; 24 October 1920 – 19 April 1952) was a British singer ...

was released in June 1950.

Later notable versions

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (; born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a ...

included it in her album '' Music for a First Love'' (1957). *

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously a ...

- recorded it for his album '' Don't Worry 'Bout Me'' (1962)

References

1933 songs 1950 singles {{pop-standard-stub