Lullaby of the Leaves
Song / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Lullaby of the Leaves" is a musical composition by composer Bernice Petkere and lyricist Joe Young. A Tin Pan Alley song first performed in 1932, the jazz standard is considered the biggest critical and commercial success of Petkere's composing career.[1][2]
"Lullaby of the Leaves" | |
---|---|
Song | |
Genre | Jazz |
Songwriter(s) | Bernice Petkere, Joe Young |
The song was a hit for George Olsen and his Music in 1932.[3] By January 1933, more than 500,000 copies had been sold in the U.S.—ten times more than the usual hit song of the era.[4]
It has since been recorded numerous times in its lyrical version and as an instrumental, including hot jazz sextet version by Benny Goodman in 1951,[5] a haunting bop-accented rendition by Anita O'Day in 1952, a cool jazz version by Cal Tjader on vibraphone in 1952,[6] a rousing surf rock version by the Ventures in 1961, a lively piano version by Mary Lou Williams in the 1950s, and a widely heard version by Ella Fitzgerald on her 1964 album Hello, Dolly!.[7][8] Since 2002, jazz pianist Tamir Hendelman has been performing his unique arrangement of the song, especially as part of the Jeff Hamilton Trio.[9] [10]
From 2019 to 2020, Italian ice dancers Jasmine Tessari and Francesco Fioretti skated to Beth Hart's rendition of the song in competitions.[11][12]