100 years ago: Marion Harris hit #1 with “After You’ve Gone”

After You’ve Gone Marion Harris

Writer(s): Turner Layton, Harry Creamer (see lyrics here) First Charted: January 18, 1919 Peak: 13 US, 7 GA (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 0.18 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: John Turner Layton, born in Washington, D.C. in 1894, was a rarity in his time – a black composer. He teamed with lyricist Harry Creamer as a vaudeville act PS and they contributed to many Broadway shows. The pair had hits with “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans” (1922) and “Dear Old Southland” (1921), PS but their greatest success came from “After You’ve Gone.” This “sultry ballad” PS has been called “one of the first meaningful torch songs.” MM It featured darker lyrics than the usual Tin Pan Alley fare of the day MM and its timeless melodic style and lyrical construct make it feel like a song which could have been written yesterday. PS From 1918 to 1937, ten different versions of this song hit the top 20. The first, a 1918 rendition by Henry Burr and Albert Campbell, peaked at #2. Billy Murray, Bessie Smith, Sophie Tucker, Paul Whiteman, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and Lionel Hampton were among the others to chart with the song. PM Because it can easily be improvised over, it has become a favorite of even modern-day jazz-oriented artists, WK being covered by Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., and Jamie Cullum. However, the most successful version was Marion Harris’ 1919 take which went to #1. She became widely known as the first white singer to tackle jazz and blues. From 1916 to 1930, she charted 43 songs, hitting #1 with “St. Louis Blues” (1920), “Look for the Silver Lining” (1921), and “Tea for Two” (1925). PM The song also appeared in film, including For Me and My Gal (1942), Make Mine Music (1946), Jolson Sings Again (1949), The Five Pennies (1959), the Oscar-winning film, All That Jazz (1979), PS and The Aviator (2004). Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Marion Harris MM Max Morath (2002). The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Popular Standards. New York, NY; Penguin Putnam Inc. Page 148. PS ParlorSongs.com Lessons in America’s Popular Music History PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Pages 196, 467. First posted 2/1/2013; last updated 3/16/2023.

50 years ago: Judy Garland recorded live at Carnegie Hall

First posted 3/18/2008; updated 10/2/2020.

Judy at Carnegie Hall Judy Garland

Recorded: April 23, 1961 Released: July 10, 1961 Charted: July 31, 1961 Peak: 113 US, 13 UK, -- CN, -- AU Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, 0.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: vocal jazz/traditional pop

Tracks, Disc 1: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks). Chart information is for the original studio recordings. Click for codes to singles charts. Overture: a) The Trolley Song b) Over the Rainbow c) The Man That Got Away [5:48] When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You) (Mark Fisher, Joe Goodwin, Larry Shay) [3:29] Medley: [6:27] Almost Like Being in Love/ (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe) This Can’t Be Love (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) Do It Again (George Gershwin, Buddy DeSylva) [6:16] You Go to My Head (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) [2:43] Alone Together (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz) [5:38] Who Cares As Long As You Care for Me (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) [1:46] Puttin’ on the Ritz (Irving Berlin) [2:45] How Long Has This Been Going On? (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) [4:12] Just You, Just Me (Jesse Greer, Raymond Klages) [2:16] The Man That Got Away (Harold Arlen, Ira Gershwin) [5:03] (8/21/54, 22 US, 18 UK) San Francisco (Walter Jurmann, Gus Kahn, Bronislaw Kaper) [4:45] I Can’t Give You Anything But Love (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh) [6:46] That’s Entertainment (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz) [6:38] Tracks, Disc 2: Come Rain or Come Shine (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) [7:23] You’re Nearer (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) [2:33] A Foggy Day (George Gerswhin, Ira Gershwin) [3:04] If Love Were All (Noel COward) [2:53] Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart (James F. Hanley) [4:04] (7/17/43, 22 US) Stormy Weather (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) [6:11] Medley: [3:56] You Made Me Love You (Joseph McCarthy, James V. Monaco, Roger Edens)/ For Me and My Gal (George W. Meyers, Edgard Leslie, E. Ray Goetz) (1/24/42, 3 US)/ The Trolley Song (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane) (11/18/44, 4 US) Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody (Sam M. Lewis, Jean Schwartz, Joe Young) [5:22] Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg) [5:47] (9/9/39, 5 US) Swanee (Irving Caesar, George Gershwin) [7:31] After You’ve Gone (Henry Creamer, Turner Layton) [4:20] Chicago (Fred Fisher) [5:15] Total Running Time: 122:51

Rating: 4.554 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings) Quotable: “One of pop music’s greatest live recordings” – Jason Verlinde, Amazon.com Awards:

About the Album: “The late ‘50s were tough on Judy Garland, but this live recording…would (rightfully) bring the legendary icon back into the spotlight.” AZ “With relentless verve, Garland takes on her entire musical catalogue with astonishing aplomb. There is little sign of the decades of self-abuse which had left her frail by the early ‘60s.” AMG The album won five Grammys, including Album of the Year, and was Garland’s bestselling record. The album confirmed “that, yes, on certain levels, she still had it. Her vocals are as strong as ever on these tunes, and Garland has fun with an audience obviously enraptured by her charms. She’s self-deprecating where necessary – on You Go to My Head she forgets the lyrics but keeps improvising. But mostly she just shines, especially on tunes she made famous, such as…Over the Rainbow. This is easily one of pop music’s greatest live recordings and a fine testament to Garland’s recorded legacy.” AZ Other than her own songs, she tackles a number of standards. In fact, eight songs from this album are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era, 1890-1953. In addition to “Over the Rainbow” and For Me and My Gal, which she took to #3 in 1942, she covers three songs which Al Jolson took to #1 – You Made Me Love You (1913), Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody (1918), and Swanee (1920). She also covers songs which Marion Harris (After You’ve Gone, 1919), Cliff Edwards (I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, 1928), and Ethel Waters (Stormy Weather, 1933) took to #1. Notes: The “40th anniversary edition…is a completely fresh experience even for those intimately familiar with previous versions. By accessing tapes which have not been used on any other release…many sonic foibles which plagued the original have now been repaired. The overwhelming success of this album…makes it a prime candidate for a sonic overhaul. By reclaiming tapes that were once considered MIA, the sound is now notably more balanced. In addition, much of the fake applause has been thoughtfully removed, unveiling previously masked dramatic pacing and audience interplay between songs.” AMG “But the highlight of the entire package is the return of Alone Together from the actual Carnegie Hall performance. The song had been replaced by a studio version on the 1989 CD reissue due to missing master tapes. Since then, those tapes have been put back into commission and provide the jaw-dropping sound on this delightful set.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: Judy Garland’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry AMG All Music Guide review by Lindsay Planer AZ Amazon.com review by Jason Verlinde