Vocalist Al Bowlly introduced this tune in two different recorded versions in 1934. The first recording was with piano accompaniment by Monia Liter, and the second was as vocalist with composer Ray Noble’s Orchestra. The second version climbed to number one in the charts:

• Ray Noble and His Orchestra (1934, Al Bowlly, vocal, #1)
• Bing Crosby (1934, vocal, #11)
• Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra (1944, vocal, #19)

English composer/bandleader Ray Noble’s first big success, “Good Night Sweetheart” (1931), had become a hit due in part to an excellent Bing Crosby recording. The tune soon became the closer for many bands, undoubtedly one of the most oft-played tunes of the 1930s and ‘40s. In 1932 Noble wrote “Love Is the Sweetest Thing,” and his recording of the tune hit number one in the charts for 16 weeks. “The Very Thought of You” did the very same thing in 1934. Noble was soon getting offers from across the pond.

Noble’s bands were made up of English musicians from other successful bands, such as those led by Lew Stone and Roy Fox. Noble, a keen judge of talent, was basically a band organizer even though his groups performed publicly on radio and on recordings. Another “borrowed” band member was vocalist Al Bowlly, who had a large following in England and even a fan-base in the U.S.

In addition to Bowlly’s two recordings mentioned above, he was the first person to perform “The Very Thought of You” on film, appearing in a short feature with pianist Monia Liter.

Due to the American success of Noble’s recordings with Bowlly, both men, along with Noble’s drummer and manager Billy Harty, came to the U.S. towards the end of 1934. Noble and Harty engaged the services of trombonist Glenn Miller to assemble a band of top-flight American musicians to perform at Radio City’s swanky Rainbow Room in New York, quite possibly one of the choicest gigs in the U.S. Loaded with such fine jazz players as Bud Freeman (tenor sax), George Van Eps (guitar), Claude Thornhill (piano), Will Bradley (trombone), and Pee Wee Erwin (trumpet), the band opened at the Rainbow Room in early 1935.

Even with such a talented line-up and a recording contract with Victor Records, the band was never a huge success. The ensemble went through personnel changes and then broke up in 1937 when Noble and Harty headed to Hollywood for movie and radio work, Bowlly returned to England, and the remaining band members either worked for other leaders or formed their own bands (Miller, Bradley, Thornhill, and Freeman).

The American sojourn basically short-circuited Bowlly’s career. He had high hopes of huge success in the States, both with Noble’s band and in films, but his career never made the big leap like that of the hugely popular and successful Bing Crosby. Once back in the U.K. the momentum he had created before the American adventure had dissipated, and he was a “has-been” despite the fact that he had recorded more than 1000 sides, several of them huge hits. Yet his engaging and unusual vocal style still appeals to fans worldwide. Sadly, he was a victim of a German air raid in London in 1941.

Ray Noble was a songwriter who, like Irving Berlin, wrote both music and lyrics. “The Very Thought of You” is a lament for a lover who is physically far away but who is mentally seen “in every flower” and “in stars above.” It’s a simple yet touching ballad.