A Fine Romance (song)

"A Fine Romance"
Song by Fred Astaire
B-side	"The Waltz in Swing Time"
Published	1936 by Chappell & Co.[1][2]
Released	August 1936
Recorded	July 28, 1936
Studio	Los Angeles, California
Genre	Jazz, Pop Vocal
Label	Brunswick 7716
Composer(s)	Jerome Kern
Lyricist(s)	Dorothy Fields[3]
Fred Astaire singles chronology
"I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket" (1936) "A Fine Romance" (1936) "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936)

"A Fine Romance" is a popular song composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields, published in 1936.

The song was written for the musical film, Swing Time, where it was co-introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Astaire recorded a solo version of the song on July 28, 1936 for Brunswick records (catalog 7716)^[5] and it topped the charts of the day for five weeks.^[6] Billie Holiday recorded the song for Vocalion Records on September 29, 1936^[7] and this too reached the charts of the day as did versions by Henry King and Guy Lombardo.^[8]

In Hollywood, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald recorded their version of the song in the summer of 1957. In 1963, Fitzgerald included a solo rendition on her Verve Records album, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook, produced by Norman Granz.

In a version sung by Judi Dench it also became the theme song of A Fine Romance, a British television series starring Dench and her husband Michael Williams.

In the film Till the Clouds Roll By (1946), the song is performed by Virginia O'Brien.

A recording by Lena Horne features in the film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994). The song also features in the stage musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert – the Musical.

Notable recordings[]

• Bing Crosby and Dixie Lee Crosby with Victor Young & His Orchestra (recorded August 19, 1936)^[9]
• Henry King and his Orchestra with vocals by Joe Sudy (1936)^[10]
• Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald – Ella and Louis Again (1957)
• Fred Astaire – The Astaire Story (1953)
• Count Basie and Joe Williams – The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards (1956)
• Ann Hampton Callaway – To Ella with Love (1996)
• Sammy Davis, Jr. and Carmen McRae – Boy Meets Girl (1957)
• Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook (1963)
• Billie Holiday – 1936 single, The Quintessential Billie Holiday: Vol. II (1987)
• Lena Horne – Lena in Hollywood (1966)
• Stacey Kent – Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire (2000)
• Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé – Cozy (1961)
• Susannah McCorkle – How Do You Keep the Music Playing (1985)
• Sylvia McNair – Sure Thing: The Jerome Kern Songbook (1994)
• Marian McPartland – Lullaby of Birdland (1952)
• Johnny Mercer and Martha Tilton – 1946 single, The Song Is You: Capitol Sings Jerome Kern (1992)
• Marilyn Monroe^[11] – Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (2006)
• Frank Sinatra – Ring-a-Ding-Ding! (1961)
• Mel Tormé – Mel Tormé Sings Fred Astaire (1956)
• Margaret Whiting – Margaret Whiting Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook (1960)
• Jerry Hadley and Frederica Von Stade - Puttin' on the Ritz with Erich Kunzel / Cincinnati Pops (1995)
• Kiri Te Kanawa - Kiri Sings Kern (1993)

References[]

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