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“…[Irving Berlin]
followed Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s
lead in ‘How Do I Love Thee’ by
spinning a series of questions into
a children’s riddle …”
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- Philip Furia
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In 1932
Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra
with vocalist
Jack Fulton were the first to
make the pop charts with their recording
of “How Deep Is the Ocean?”
The song would spawn four hit
recordings that year:
In 1945, with Peggy Lee’s growing
appeal, Columbia released a 1941
recording:
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Preceding the Great Stock Market
Crash of 1929, life for Irving Berlin
had been both productive and profitable.
His life, however, was not without
its troubles. In 1928 Berlin’s three-week-old
son died, precipitating a bout of
depression that would last for several
years. Also, in the latter half
of the 1920’s, Berlin had let up
on what had been non-stop songwriting
and began to doubt his viability
as a composer. In Caryl Brahms and
Ned Sherrin’s book
Song by Song: The Lives and Work
of 14 Great Lyric Writers,
Berlin confesses, “I was scared
… I had had all the money I wanted
for the rest of my life. Then all
of a sudden I didn’t. I had taken
it easy and gone soft, and wasn’t
too certain I could get going again.”
Discouraging experiences with
early Hollywood musicals gave Berlin
further reason to despair, and while
he continued to write songs he lacked
the self-confidence to promote them.
In 1932 when the rest of the
country was sunk in the depths of
the Great Depression, Irving Berlin
embarked on the second half of his
career. Unwilling to accept Berlin’s
professional demise, Max Winslow,
a friend and employee, retrieved
a song Berlin had filed and presented
it to
Rudy Vallee. “Say
It Isn’t So” became a number
one hit and one of only a few Berlin
songs to be introduced on the radio.
The song endures to this day as
a jazz standard.
A reenergized Berlin then borrowed
four lines of the chorus of his
“To My Mammy” (1920), including
the querying phrase, “How Deep Is
the Ocean?” and created a new song
whose lyrics are a succession of
questions, “How deep is the ocean?
(How high is the sky?)”
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Berlin begins the
refrain with
How much do
I love you?
I’ll tell you no lie.
The second line, “I’ll tell you
no lie,” is the only line that does
not ask a question. Philip Furia,
in
The Poets of Tin Pan Alley: A History
of America's Great Lyricists
depicts the lyrics as
Another slang
formula—the Yiddish penchant
for answering a question with
another question…
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The melody of “How Deep Is the Ocean?” requires
little more than a one-octave range, making it an
easy vehicle for vocalists. Its form can be diagrammed
as A-B-A-B’ or A-B-A-C with no formal bridge. According
to Allen Forte in his book
The American Popular Ballad of the Golden Era, 1924-1950
: A Study in Musical Design, “What momentarily
appears to be the bridge proves to be the second
period of a double contrasting period.” -JW
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Musical analysis of
“How Deep Is the Ocean? (How High Is the
Sky?)”
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| Original
Key |
One flat,
beginning in D minor and ending in the relative
major with a false key change to A minor
in mm 4-7. |
| Form |
A - B - A
- C |
| Tonality |
Primarily
minor, gradually moving toward major |
| Movement |
Arpeggios
with lower neighbor tone embellishments
and descending scale patterns. |
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Comments
(assumed
background)
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A descending bass line in section “A” creates
a harmonic progression that is at once unique
and firmly grounded in tonal tradition.
The only unusual sounding spot is the modulation
in mm 4-5, in which Berlin goes directly
from iių7 to i in A minor (the V7 [E7] would
clash with the melody at this point). The
shift from Am up to C7 (as a V7 of F major)
is also unusual but not jarring to the ear
because of the close relationship between
the tonalities involved. The “B” section
uses what sounds suspiciously like a “blue
note” – a flatted third in the key of F
major played over the IV7 chord (Bb7). This
note alternates with a lower F over a G
bass, creating a V7(b9)/V7 in the key of
F. However, there is a deceptive resolution
to the V7(b9) in the key of D minor– that
is, A7(b9). Again, this is not completely
jarring to the ear. It works because of
the diminished triad shared by C7 and A7(b9). |
K. J. McElrath - Musicologist for JazzStandards.com
Check out K. J. McElrath's book of Jazz Standards Guide Tone Lines at his web site (www.bardicle.com). |
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“How Deep Is the Ocean” has a lovely melody,
and I always associate it instrumentally with Bill
Evans. The lyrics express warmth and deep love and
ask what would happen without that love. I like
“question” songs—“What Is This Thing Called Love,”
“If I Should Lose You.” You can swing this tune
like Miles (Davis) does because the beat gives emphasis
to the lyrics.
Jay
Clayton, jazz vocalist
www.jayclayton.com
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Instrumentalist?
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“How Deep Is the Ocean?
(How High Is the Sky?)” was included
in these films:
- Blue Skies (1946, Bing Crosby)
- Meet Danny Wilson (1952, Frank
Sinatra)
- Unconditional Love (2002,
Dan Aykroyd)
And on television:
- I Love Lucy (1954, Desi Arnaz)
Episode 88, "Ricky's Hawaiian Vacation"
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Click on a CD for more details
at Amazon.com
Diana Krall
Love Scenes
1997, GRP Records 233
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| Canadian pianist/vocalist Krall
does a wonderful job on this melancholy
rendition of the song. Joined by bassist
Christian McBride and guitarist Russell
Malone, Krall dazzles with her deft piano
and sultry voice. |
Joshua Redman
Timeless Tales (For Changing Times)
1998 Warner Bros. Records 47052
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| Saxophonist Joshua Redman’s explorations
lead to some intriguing places in this mid-tempo
version. It is packed with soul and originality. |
The David Friesen Trio
1.2.3
1994, Burnside Records 17
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| This sensitive and interactive trio,
comprised of bassist Friesen, pianist Randy
Porter, and drummer Alan Jones, exemplifies
the art of jazz, improvising everything
on the spot with magical results. |
Ben Webster
Meets Oscar Peterson
1997, Polygram 521448
Original recording, 1959
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| A warm, romantic version, courtesy
of Webster’s breathy tenor sax and support
from pianist Oscar Peterson, bassist Ray
Brown, and drummer Ed Thigpen. |
Hank Mobley/Cohn/Coltrane/Sims
Tenor Conclave
1991, Orig. Jazz Classics 127
Original recording, 1956
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| While there are four great tenor
sax men on this track, it is more about
camaraderie than competition. Mobley, Cohn,
Sims and Coltrane trade solos with reserve
on this sentimental reading. |
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Benny Goodman’s 1941 recording of this number
no doubt brought it back to the attention of the
jazz world. But it wasn’t until Coleman Hawkins’
1943 version that the tune really caught on with
jazz players.
Hawkins had probably played the number with Fletcher
Henderson’s Orchestra in the early 1930’s when it
was initially popular. Using an approach similar
to that of his 1939 hit “Body
and Soul,” Hawkins is accompanied by a rhythm
section of Ellis Larkins (piano),
Fats Waller’s guitarist Al Casey, bassist Oscar
Pettiford and drummer Shelly Manne, a group he would
make several successful recordings with. The results
are astounding; Hawkins outdoes his own version
of “Body
and Soul” and plays an unaccompanied coda that
is brilliant.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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| This section shows the jazz standards
written by the same writing team. Click on a name
to see all of a writer's jazz standards.
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Additional information on “How Deep Is the Ocean? (How High Is the Sky?)” may be found in:
2 paragraphs including the following types of information: history.
4 pages including the following types of information: history and music analysis.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: history and performers.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: film productions, lyric analysis, music analysis and performers.
Includes the following types of information: song lyrics.
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