It Might as Well Be Spring

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This article is about the song by Rodgers & Hammerstein. For the albums, see It Might as Well Be Spring (Ike Quebec album) and It Might as Well Be Spring (Kenny Drew album).
"It Might as Well Be Spring"
Song

"It Might as Well Be Spring" is a song from the 1945 film, State Fair.[1] With music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song that year.[1] State Fair was the only original film score by Rodgers and Hammerstein. In the film the song was sung by Jeanne Crain,[1] who played Margy Frake, but was dubbed by Louanne Hogan. Dick Haymes, the original Wayne Frake, made the first hit recording of the song, followed by another hit recording by Frank Sinatra on his 1961 album Sinatra & Strings. The recording by Dick Haymes was released by Decca Records as catalog number 18706. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on November 8, 1945 and lasted 12 weeks on the chart, peaking at #5.[2] It was the flip side of "That's for Me," another top-10 best seller.

Other contemporary recordings were made by the Sammy Kaye orchestra and the Paul Weston orchestra (with vocals by Margaret Whiting) and Shirley Bassey in 1962. Ella Fitzgerald recorded this on her live 1961 Verve release Ella in Hollywood.

The recording by Sammy Kaye was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-1738. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on December 20, 1945 and lasted 4 weeks on the chart, peaking at #8.[2]

The recording by Paul Weston/Margaret Whiting was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 214. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on November 22, 1945 and lasted 6 weeks on the chart, peaking at #6.[2]

The recording by Paul Fenoulhet with The Skyrockets Dance Orchestra with refrain song was made in London on February 2, 1946. It was released by EMI on the HMV Records label as catalogue number BD 5928.

In 1952 Harry James released a recording on the album Hollywood's Best (Columbia B-319 and CL-6224) with Rosemary Clooney on vocals.

A version sung by Sarah Vaughan appears on her Columbia compilation album Sarah Vaughan in Hi-Fi.

Johnny Mathis recorded the song for his 1956 debut album.

Singer and pianist Nina Simone sang "It Might As Well Be Spring" on her first album for Colpix Records, titled The Amazing Nina Simone (1959). It was featured by Blossom Dearie (in French) on her Blossom Dearie album.

The version by Ray Conniff and his Orchestra & Chorus can be found on his album, Hollywood In Rhythm (1958).

Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy recorded a version that was released on their album "With Love From Hollywood" (1959)

Andy Williams released a version on his 1962 album, Moon River and Other Great Movie Themes.

Frank Sinatra recorded it for his 1962 Reprise album, Sinatra and Strings.

John Pizzarelli with his trio and guest Harry Allen on tenor sax delights us with a very mellow version on "After Hours" (1995)

Contemporary jazz singer Jane Monheit performs the song as an up-tempo swing waltz on Live at the Rainbow Room (2003).

Jazz pianist Brad Mehldau plays this with his trio in his 1995 studio album Introducing Brad Mehldau. His version runs at about 280 beats per minute in a 7-in-a-bar meter. On the 2000 live double CD Progression, The Art of the Trio Volume 5, Mehldau performs a shorter version it the same tempo and meter, without improvised solos but with an extended improvised coda on the turnaround.

Jazz vocalist Stevie Holland performs a swinging rendition the album Restless Willow (2004).

References

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