I'm Beginning to See the Light

This article is about the song. For the album by David Grisman and Martin Taylor, see I'm Beginning to See the Light (David Grisman and Martin Taylor album). For the album by Buck Hill, see I'm Beginning to See the Light (Buck Hill album). For the song by the Velvet Underground with a similar title, see The Velvet Underground (album).

"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

• 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

• 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 on Swingin’ After Dark (2024)