Love Is the Sweetest Thing
"Love Is the Sweetest Thing" is a popular song written in 1932 by British band leader and singer Ray Noble. Using guest vocalist Al Bowlly, Noble's recording was a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic, bringing Noble his first American success.[1] It was published by Redwood Music. Like most compositions published in the period (commonly called Tin Pan Alley songs), its main refrain (in thirty-two bar A-A-B-A form) is preceded with what were then called "sectional verses" or "introductory verses" which are usually omitted from early recordings and modern performances.
Notable recordings[]
The following artists, among others, have made recordings :-
- Ray Noble and His New Mayfair Orchestra (8 September 1932) - vocal by Al Bowlly.
- Jack Hylton and His Orchestra (4 October 1932) - vocal by J. Pat O'Malley.
- Jack Payne and His Orchestra (14 November 1932) - vocal by Jack Payne. Recorded for inclusion in the British musical drama film .
- Hal Kemp and His Orchestra (14 August 1933) – vocal by Skinnay Ennis.[2][3]
- Perry Como - recorded circa mid-February, 1945 from a "Chesterfield Supper Club" radio broadcast and issued as a V-Disc Record Number A-444-B (Navy N-224-B).[4]
- Mel Tormé (1946).
- Artie Shaw and His Orchestra (1950).
- Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1954[5] for use on his radio show and it was subsequently included in the box set The Bing Crosby CBS Radio Recordings (1954–56) issued by Mosaic Records (catalog MD7-245) in 2009.[6]
- Mario Lanza – recorded for his Coca-Cola Radio Show in 1952 and included in the album The Touch of Your Hand (1955).[7]
- Gogi Grant – included in her album Suddenly There's Gogi Grant (1956).[8]
- Ferlin Husky – included in his album Sittin' on a Rainbow (1958).[9]
- Frankie Vaughan – a single release in 1959.[10]
- Dinah Washington – for her album Dinah Washington – In Love (1962).[11]
- Mary Hopkin – included in her album Post Card (1969).
- Peter Skellern – for the album Skellern (1978).[12]
Film appearances[]
- 1932 - performed by Jack Payne
- 1945 Confidential Agent – performed by Lynn Baggett at the road house
- 1956 Reach for the Sky
- 1959 The Lady Is a Square – sung by Frankie Vaughan
- 1959 The Captain's Table
- 1970 Country Dance – sung by Al Bowlly
- 1978 "The Sweetest Thing" (episode 2 of Pennies from Heaven) – sung by Al Bowlly
- 1980 Rising Damp
- 1990 Come See the Paradise – performed by Mark Earley
- 2004 Death on the Nile - the BBC-TV series with David Suchet as Hercule Poirot - sung by Al Bowlly
- 2004 Spider-Man 2 – performed by Peter Cincotti and The Peter Cincotti Trio
Lyrics extracts[]
First introductory verse:
- Whether you're 20 and starting in life
- Whether to 30 you've grown
- Whether to 40, a husband or wife,
- Whether you're 50, a Darby and Joan
- There's one thing certain that you'll have to own...
Start of main refrain (nowadays "Verse One"):
- Love is the sweetest thing
- What else on earth could ever bring
- Such happiness to ev'rything
- As Love's old story.
End of main refrain (nowadays "Verse Three"):
- Love is the greatest thing
- The oldest yet, the latest thing
- I only hope that fate may bring
- Love's story to you.
References[]
- ^ "A CENTURY OF SONG: PART ONE". www.m-magazine.co.uk. PRS for Music. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
Love is the Sweetest Thing was a massive hit for Ray on both sides of the Atlantic, earning him his first US number one. Its success brought him a few Hollywood acting roles, where he played alongside Fred Astaire and Joan Fontaine in the 1937 film A Damsel in Distress.
- ^ "78 Record: Hal Kemp - Snowball (1933)".
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 252. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ "Perry Como Discography". kokomo.ca. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- ^ Peter Skellern-Love is the sweetest thing.avi on YouTube
Categories:
- Songs written by Ray Noble
- 1932 songs
- Al Bowlly songs