"I'm Beginning to See the Light" is a popular song and jazz standard, with music written by Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, and Harry James and lyrics by Don George and published in 1944.
| "I'm Beginning to See the Light" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Published | 1944 by Grand Music Corp |
| Songwriter(s) | Duke Ellington, Don George, Johnny Hodges, and Harry James[1] |
1945 recordings
edit- Duke Ellington recorded the song in New York City on December 1, 1944. Released as RCA Victor 20-1618[2] in early 1945, the record by Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra, featuring a vocal by Joya Sherrill,[3] went to No. 4 on the Harlem Hit Parade chart in Billboard and reached No. 6 on the pop chart.[4]
- A competing recording by Harry James and his Orchestra,[5] with lead vocals by Kitty Kallen, reached No. 1 for two weeks in January 1945. James' version also reached No. 7 on Billboard's Second Annual High School Survey in 1945.[6]
- The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald recorded a version for Decca Records, featuring singer Bill Kenny, that was on the pop song hits list for six weeks in 1945 and reached No. 5.
- The Delta Rhythm Boys also recorded a version of the song in 1945.
Other notable recordings
edit- Oscar Alemán (1946)
- Gerry Mulligan, on Gerry Mulligan with Chet Baker (1955)
- Count Basie and Joe Williams, on The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards (1956)
- Mel Tormé, on Mel Tormé At The Crescendo (1957)
- Connie Francis (1958)
- Peggy Lee, on Things Are Swingin' (1958)
- Johnnie Ray (1958)
- Joanie Sommers, on Positively the Most! (1960)
- Mary Stallings and Cal Tjader, on Cal Tjader Plays, Mary Stallings Sings (1961)
- Bobby Darin (1962); featured in the 1996 feature film Swingers.
- Frank Sinatra (1962), on "Sinatra And Swingin' Brass"
- Ella and Basie!, a 1963 Verve Records release with arrangements by Quincy Jones.
- Clare Fischer, on Songs for Rainy Day Lovers (1967)
- Bob Dorough with Bill Takas, on Beginning to See the Light (1976)
- Billy Eckstine has recorded the song on several occasions, including versions with Billy May, with Quincy Jones, with Bobby Tucker and with Gil Askey.
- Kate Ceberano, on Kate Ceberano and her Septet (1986)
- Natalie Cole, on Take a Look (1993)
- Peggy Lee, on Spotlight on Peggy Lee (1995)
- Dee Dee Bridgewater, on Prelude to a Kiss: The Duke Ellington Album (1996)
- Rosemary Clooney, on Out of This World (2000)
- The Hi-Lo's, on A Musical Thrill (2006)
- Royce Campbell, on Get Happy (2007)
- Joe Jackson, on his Ellington tribute album, The Duke (2012)
- Karen Souza, on Velvet Vault (2017)
- Seal, on Standards (2017)
- Sutton Foster, on her album Wish
- Chelsea Krombach, on her debut album Look for the Silver Lining
- The SuperJazz Big Band from Birmingham, Alabama, on UAB SuperJazz, Featuring Ellis Marsalis
- Michael Bublé
- Al Jarreau, on "Accentuate the Positive"
- Kelly Rowland
- Charlotte Perrelli (2023)
- [[Jim Altamore, from the album
“Swingin’ After Dark” 2024]]
References
edit- ^ "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ RCA Victor Records in the 20-1500 to 20-1999 series
- ^ "I'm Beginning to See the Light" at Jazz Standards.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 185.
- ^ Gilliland, John (1994). Pop Chronicles the 40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s (audiobook). ISBN 978-1-55935-147-8. OCLC 31611854. Tape 1, side B.
- ^ Smith, Kathleen E.R. (28 March 2003). God Bless America: Tin Pan Alley Goes to War. The University Press of Kentucky. p. 167. ISBN 0-8131-2256-2.