- For the Pogues song, see Sunny Side of the Street (song)
"On the Sunny Side of the Street" is a 1930 song composed by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Some authors say that Fats Waller was the composer, but he sold the rights to the song.[1] It was introduced in the Broadway musical Lew Leslie's International Revue starring Harry Richman and Gertrude Lawrence.
Richman and Ted Lewis enjoyed hit records with the song in 1930.[2]
Other notable recordings
Having become a jazz standard, it was played by Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Earl Hines, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Tatum, James Booker, Count Basie, and Lester Young.[3] The Louis Armstrong version was recorded in the key of C major, but it has been recorded in a range of keys; Ted Lewis recorded it in D major and Ella Fitzgerald in G major.
Cover versions date as far back as 1930, when Layton & Johnstone released the song for Columbia. The song was recorded by Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby (January 21, 1946 with Lionel Hampton),[4] Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Doris Day, Brenda Lee (1961), Frankie Laine, Keely Smith, Nat King Cole, Jo Stafford with The Pied Pipers (a No. 17 hit in 1945),[5] Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson, and Jon Batiste. Arguably the most popular arrangement was by Tommy Dorsey and the Sentimentalists which achieved chart success in 1945 reaching the No. 16 spot.[6]
In popular culture
The song was featured in the 1991 film JFK,[7] and in an episode of the sitcom Frasier.[8]
See also
- List of 1930s jazz standards
References
- ^ "On The Sunny Side Of The Street". jazzstandards.com. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 563. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ "On the Sunny Side of the Street" Search Results February 17, 2012.
- ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 405. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin: Record Research. p. 138. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/jfk-mw0000277303
- ^ "Remembering John Mahoney, The Tony Award-Winning Actor And 'Frasier' Star". NPR. February 9, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2020.