Today in Music (1942): Jimmy Dorsey’s “Tangerine” hit #1

Tangerine Jimmy Dorsey’s Orchestra with vocals from Bob Eberly & Helen O’Connell

Writer(s): Victor Schertzinger (music), Johnny Mercer (lyrics) (see lyrics here) Recorded: December 10, 1941 First Charted: March 28, 1942 Peak: 16 PM, 16 BS, 3 GA, 16 SM, 2 HP (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1.40 video, 4.23 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Jimmy Dorsey was born February 29, 1904 in Shenandoah, Pennyslvania. He became a celebrated alto saxophonist and clarinetist with a variety of bands before starting his own band in 1935. He would go on to chart 100 times, including a dozen chart toppers. “Tangerine” was his second-to-last time to reach the pinnacle. The song featured “a slow romantic vocal by Bob Eberly,” as had previous #1’s “Green Eyes” and “Amapola.” The “Latin American flavoured” SM “Tangerine” “was not of Latin origin, even though it is about a girl from Argentina.” TY2 The lyrics describe a girl named Tangerine who is “extremely beautiful, but her heart belongs only to herself.” TY2 The song was featured in the film The Fleet’s In starring William Holden and Dorothy Lamour. It also marked the film debut of Betty Hutton and prominently featured Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra. They performed “Tangerine” in the film with Eberly and Helen O’Connell. Victor Shertzinger, the movie’s director, wrote the melody for the song. He died before the movie was released. Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics. He was a well-known songwriter even before “Tangerine,” but went on to pen even more classics such as “That Old Black Magic” and “Moon River.” He was one of the founders of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Dorsey took “Tangerine” to #1. That same year Vaughn Monroe had a #11 hit with it. In 1976, an instrumental disco version of the song by the Salsoul Orchestra reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has become a jazz standard, being covered by over one hundred acts including Herb Alpert, Chet Baker, Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck, Harry Connick Jr., Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, and Oscar Peterson. WK Resources: SM Sharon Mawer Charts (1900-1968) TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Pages 264-5. PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Pages 130-33 and 589. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 4/21/2025.