Ann Sothern sings this beautiful song, in stereo for the first time ever. I love how the stereo improves the mix - the mono mixdown for the film obscures the nicely dissonant chords under "squeaky horns". Now they're very clear.
The song was not written for the film "Lady Be Good" in 1941, but rather in response to the Nazi occupation of Paris. It's the only song Oscar Hammerstein ever wrote that was not "written to order", and the first Kern-Hammerstein piece whose words were written before the music.
Kern was so upset at winning the Academy Award for "Best Original Song" with a song that was not written for the film (and that had been published and recorded before the film was released), he petitioned the Motion Picture Academy to change the rules. Since then, a nominated song has to have been written specifically for the film in which it is performed.
Thanks to Art Smith for the stereo track!
22 сен 2021
