Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (The Song Is You)

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The Song Is You (1932)

Origin and Chart Information

Rank	159

Music	Jerome Kern

Lyrics	Oscar Hammerstein II

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Music and Lyrics Analysis

Musical analysis of “The Song Is You”
Original Key	C major; false key change to E major during “B”
Form	A1 - A2 - B - A3
Tonality	Major throughout
Movement	“A” is primarily step-wise descending; “B” contains a series of lyrical upward leaps followed by stepwise descents
Comments (assumed background)
The potential monotony of repeated notes in “A” is relieved by embellishing tones and use of both common-tone and leading diminished seventh chords. The melodic contour and harmonic changes in “B” offer an almost spectacular contrast to “A,” with leaping, lyrical intervals and an unusual chord progression. Suddenly shifting from the tonic of C major to E major, it continues in this key for three measures. As the melody note lands on the major seventh, it becomes the common-tone of the following Eb (D#) chord, the V7 of yet another new key, G# minor. It starts going through the cycle of fifths, getting as far as B7. Here the melody note is on the root tone of the “chord of the moment,” which happens to be the initial melody note of “A” (the major seventh over the Cma7 chord). This makes for a smooth transition between two distant keys that, while unusual and exotic, is not jarring to the ear.
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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CD Recommendations for This Tune

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Art Blakey Quartet

A Jazz Message
1999 Impulse! 314547964
Original recording 1963

Drummer Blakey leads a stellar group through an upbeat, joyous rendition of the song. All four seem to be having the time of their lives, and saxophonist Sonny Stitt ups the ante by blowing fast and loose.

Teri Thornton

Devil May Care
1999 Original Jazz Recordings 1017
Original recording 1961

On her debut recording Thornton delivers a knockout punch with this energetic reading. Her voice soars to the heavens on this swinger that features pianist Wynton Kelly and a horn section that includes trumpeter Clark Terry.

Lee Konitz/Brad Mehldau/Charlie Haden

Alone Together
1997 Blue Note 57150
Original recording 1997

Three of the most innovative jazz minds join together for this exquisite live recording. The inspirational energy crackles off the disc as saxophonist Konitz, pianist Mehldau, and bassist Haden simultaneously depart on lofty flights of improvisation.

Walter Norris

Live at Maybeck Recital Hall Vol. 4
1990 Concord Records 4425

Norris is one of the world’s leading pianists both technically and creatively. His 8-plus-minute investigation of “The Song Is You” is a case in point. As he says, he lets the melody “kinda creep out at you.”

Jazz History Notes

Indie record label Roost hired a young but seasoned tenor saxophonist named Stan Getz in 1950, and he would be onboard with the label for the next two years. A three-CD set of Getz’s Roost recordings features two impressive versions from 1951 of “The Song Is You.” The first is a studio recording which elegantly drives along with Getz in top form, and the second, a much longer, live recording, is even more impressive.

Charlie Parker’s 1952 version finds the brilliant alto saxophonist flying at a tempo similar to Getz’s version but in a distinctly different improvisational texture.

Paul Desmond, an alto saxophonist whose eloquent approach was more akin to Getz’s than Parker’s, is featured in a stunning performance from a live 1953 recording with pianist Dave Brubeck’s Quartet. Their performance is part of the marvelous, much-acclaimed, and brilliantly recorded Jazz Goes to College album.

Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian

Stan Getz

The Complete Roost Recordings
Blue Note Records 59622

Charlie Parker

Essential
Polygram Records 517173

Dave Brubeck

Jazz Goes to College
Sony 45149

Written by the Same Composer or Team...

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.

Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern
Year	Rank	Title
1939	2	“All the Things You Are”
1932	159	“The Song Is You”
1927	236	“Ol’ Man River”
1927	339	“Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man”
1929	377	“Why Was I Born”
1927	431	“Why Do I Love You?”
1937	471	“The Folks Who Live on the Hill”
1925	607	“Who”
1946	657	“Nobody Else but Me”
1927	936	“Make Believe”

Dorothy Fields, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern and Jimmy McHugh
Year	Rank	Title
1935	999	“I Won’t Dance”

Reading and Research

Additional information on “The Song Is You” may be found in:

American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900-1950 by Alec Wilder

1 page including the following types of information: music analysis.

The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia by Thomas S. Hischak

1 paragraph including the following types of information: summary.

Reading Lyrics by Robert Gottlieb, Robert Kimball

Includes the following types of information: song lyrics.