Songwriters George Fragos, Jack Baker (also referred to as Jack Wayne Baker, Jr.), and Dick Gasparre, a pianist who also led a society orchestra, receive equal credit for the words and music for “I Hear a Rhapsody.” The song charted several times:

• Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (1941, 10 weeks, two weeks at #1)
• Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra (1941, Bob Carroll, vocal, 16 weeks, five weeks at #2)
• Dinah Shore (1941, 2 weeks, peaking at #9)
• Al Donohue and His Orchestra (1941, one week peaking at #22)
• Frank Sinatra (1952, with the Jeff Alexander Choir, three weeks, peaking at #24)

“I Hear a Rhapsody” was at the top of Your Hit Parade in 1941. It was featured in the 1952 film noir, Clash by Night, in which it was sung by Tony Martin. The sound track featured jazz notables such as pianist Gerald Wiggins, alto saxophonist Benny Carter, and tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. The film, directed by Fritz Lang, involved a love triangle in a small fishing village and starred Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Ryan, and Paul Douglas.

The impassioned melody is well fitted with a romantic lyric in which the mere presence of the loved one inspires heavenly music: “My darling, hold me tight and whisper to me, Then soft through the starry night I hear a rhapsody.”

In addition to earlier recordings of “I Hear a Rhapsody” by guitarist Tal Farlow, pianist George Shearing, saxophonist John Coltrane, vocalist Frank Sinatra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and the piano/guitar duo of Bill Evans and Jim Hall, a spate of recordings of the song appeared in the ‘90s including those by guitarist Howard Alden, pianist Alan Broadbent, bassist David Friesen, and saxophonists Bennie Wallace and Nick Brignola. Since 2000 it has been recorded by The Drummonds and pianists Shelly Berg and Warren Bernhardt.