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“... on Verve Jazz Masters 6
Ella Fitzgerald sings a 350-plus
word version that lasts nearly
seven and one half minutes.” |
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- JW
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Singer/actress
Dorothy Dickson introduced “These
Foolish Things” in the 1936 British
musical comedy Spread it Abroad.
A modest hit, the production opened
at London’s Saville Theater on the
first of April and ran for 209 performances.
French actor Jean Sablon was originally
chosen to sing “These Foolish Things,”
but the death of King George V in
January meant the show was delayed.
In the meantime Sablon took a position
starring in the American radio series
“The Magic Key.”
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Dorothy Dickson never did record
the song, but it still became a
major hit in the United States with
no fewer than five recordings making
the top 20 that summer (see the
visitor's comment below).
Benny Goodman’s rendition, featuring
vocalist Helen Ward, was first on
the charts, holding the number one
position for two weeks. All told,
in 1936, the song appeared by:
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Benny Goodman and his Orchestra
(Helen Ward, vocal, #1)
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Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra
(Billie
Holiday, vocal, #5)
- Nat Brandywynne and His
Stork Club Orchestra (Buddy
Clark, vocal, #6)
- Carroll Gibbons and His
Orchestra (#8)
- Joe Sanders and His Orchestra
(#17)
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In short time Jean Sablon did
get an opportunity to sing the song,
and in 1936 he recorded “These Foolish
Things” as “Ces Petites Choses.”
In 1947 Red Ingle and the Natural
Seven recorded the novelty number
“Them Durn Fool Things,” based on
“These Foolish Things,” which rose
to number twenty-six.
With a book and lyrics by Herbert
Farjeon and music by William Walker,
Spread it Abroad had an excellent
cast including
Dorothy Dickson, Ivy St. Helier,
Nelson Keys, Walter Crisham, Tessa
Deane, Lyle Evans, and Michael Wilding,
the future husband of Elizabeth
Taylor.
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Here's an
interesting comment from a
JazzStandards.com visitor:
I think the
original British hit recording
of “These Foolish Things” by
Leslie Huchinson (Hutch) -
deserves a mention.
The song's lyricist Eric
Maschwitz, according to the book
Hutch by Charlotte Breese
(Bloomsbury Publishing, 1999),
told the Sunday Dispatch in an
interview on 8th December 1957:
One day, a
manuscript copy - by that
time, rather dog-eared -
attracted the attention of
Hutch, who found it lying on
top of my piano. With
characteristic enthusiasm,
he sang and played it
through, took an immediate
fancy to it, and agreed to
record it. From the day his
record appeared, the song
was made. Artists all over
the world clamored to be
allowed to sing it. (p.138)
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“These Foolish Things” is a song about memories,
presented as a list. The introductory verse begins
by mentioning a love affair from the past, then
the lead-in to the refrain declares, “and still
those little things remain, that bring me happiness
or pain.” The refrain then follows an A1-A2-B-A2
form where every A section starts by listing the
“things,” such as “the winds of March that make
my heart a dancer,” and closes with “these foolish
things remind me of you.” A core set of lyrics is
nearly always sung. There also are seldom-heard
lyrics that are included in longer recitations,
and frequently vocalists may sing a stanza or two
of their own. On her
Verve Jazz Masters 6 CD, Ella Fitzgerald
sings a 350-plus word version that lasts nearly
seven and one half minutes. -JW
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Musical analysis of
“These Foolish Things”
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| Original
Key |
Eb major,
turning to G minor and Bb major during the
bridge |
| Form |
A1 – A2 –
B – A2 |
| Tonality |
Primarily
major; brief shift to minor during first
four measures of “B” |
| Movement |
Primarily
step-wise with several skips down and up
or vice-versa; occasional upward leaps of
a sixth or downward of a fifth. |
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Comments
(assumed
background)
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For a ballad, this could almost be described
as a “bouncy” melody, making full use of
the entire range of a tenth. The chord progression
is I – vi – ii – V7, similar to “Heart
And Soul” and “I
Got Rhythm.” But it resolves differently
when the V chord turns minor, becoming a
ii/IV. The IV is followed by VI7 going to
ii. In the original key, this is Bbm7– Eb7
– Ab – C7 – Fm. This sequence does not resolve
to the tonic key until the second time through
“A.” Transition into the minor key during
the “B” section is accomplished by dropping
the tonic chord a half step which easily
resolves to the key of iii (G minor, in
the original). From there, it is a simple
matter to return to the tonic via the circle
of fifths. |
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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Add a comment and we'll credit you with a link
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“These Foolish Things”
was included in these films:
- Tokyo Joe (1949, Florence
Marly)
- Daddy Nostalgie aka Daddy Nostalgia
aka These Foolish Things (1990, Jane
Birkin, voice; Jimmy Rowles, piano, voice; Philip
Catherine, guitar; Louis Sclavis & Jacques Di
Donato, clarinets; Jean-Charles Capon, cello;
Ron Carter, bass)
- Traces of Red (1992, Dinah
Washington)
- In the Line of Fire (1993)
- Clean Slate (1994, Oleta Adams)
- Deja Vu (1997, Frank Sinatra)
- Playing by Heart (1999, Chet
Baker)
- Joe Gould's Secret (2000,
Lester Young)
And on stage:
- Spread It Abroad (1936, Dorothy
Dickson, Walter Crisham) London revue
- Blues in the Night (1982)
Broadway revue
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Click on a CD for more details
at Amazon.com
Thelonious Monk Trio
Thelonious Monk Trio
2001, Prestige
Original recording, 1954, Original Jazz
Classics
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| Within the trio setting Monk allows
the listener a mere glimpse into his genius
as he strips “These Foolish Things” down
to reconfigure it in his own distinctive
voice. It is a reverent rendition from a
modern jazz master. |
Chet Baker
Chet is Back
2003, RCA
Original recording, 1962
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| The energy is high as trumpeter
Baker gives a nice, clear, lyrical reading
of the song. Recorded in Italy, the album
is considered some of Baker’s finest work,
and it is interesting to note the involvement
of Ennio Morricone as arranger on additional
cuts. |
Stephane Grappelli/Michel Petrucciani
Flamingo
1996, Dreyfus 36580
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| With excellent assists from drummer
Roy Haynes and bassist George Mraz, this
violin/piano duo delights us with several
standards. Violinist Grappelli’s sweet reading
of the melody is followed by pianist Petrucciani’s
lovely improvisation. |
Frank Sinatra
Point of No Return
2002, Capitol
Original recording, 1962
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| Sinatra takes the listener to an
after-hours club to drown his sorrows. Wonderfully
moody with a touch of weariness, Sinatra
captures the mood perfectly. |
Ella Fitzgerald
At the Opera House
1957 Polygram Records 831269
Original recording, 1957
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| This track captures perfectly all
the energy and charm of a live Ella Fitzgerald
performance. The Oscar Peterson trio swings
at a relaxed tempo as she delivers a stirring
and thoughtful rendition. |
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Teddy Wilson was a fabulous pianist who had
an unerring sense for material and talent. He never
played a bad note or made a record that wasn’t,
in musicians’ parlance, “tasty.” He recorded “These
Foolish Things” with
Billie Holiday on vocal and Ben Webster on tenor
saxophone. Wilson recorded a solo version a few
years later and continued to play it throughout
his career. It has become an integral part of many
jazz musicians’ repertoires; the list of artists
who recorded it is staggering. Saxophonists seem
to have a special fondness for it, from swing-era
players like Don Byas and Lester Young, bebop masters
Stan Getz and Art Pepper, to modern-day players
Harry Allen and Scott Hamilton (who play in a more
swing-era oriented style).
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 “These Foolish Things” may be found in:
1 paragraph including the following types of information: history and performers.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: film productions, history, performers and style discussion.
Includes the following types of information: song lyrics.
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