When I Grow Too Old to Dream

"When I Grow Too Old to Dream" is a popular song with music by Sigmund Romberg and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, published in 1934.

"When I Grow Too Old to Dream"
Single by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, vocal Kenny Sargent[1]
B-side	The Night is Young[2]
Published	November 24, 1934 (1934-11-24) by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer corp., New York[3]
Released	February 1935 (1935-02)
Recorded	January 9, 1935 (1935-01-09)[2]
Studio	Decca Recording Studio, 799 Seventh Avenue, top floor, New York[2]
Genre	Pop standard, Popular Music
Length	3:15
Label	Decca 349[2]
Composer(s)	Sigmund Romberg[3]
Lyricist(s)	Oscar Hammerstein II[3]

The song was introduced by Evelyn Laye and Ramon Novarro in the film The Night Is Young (1935).^[4] It has since become a pop standard, recorded by many artists, notably Nat King Cole, The Everly Brothers Gracie Fields, and John Pizzarelli

Other versions

• In 1949, Rose Murphy went to number 10 on the Most-Played Juke Box Race Records chart with her version.^[5]
• A 1951 recording by Gordon Jenkins was released as the flip side of his hit, "Charmaine" (Decca Records^[6]).
• Joni James on her 1957 Among My Souvenirs.^[7]
• Ed Townsend released a version of the song as a single in 1958 that reached number 59 on the Billboard pop chart.^[8]
• Bing Crosby included the song in a medley on his album Join Bing and Sing Along (1959)^[9]
• Jazz organist Jimmy Smith released a version of the song on his 1963 album Back at the Chicken Shack^[10]
• Julie London recorded the song on her album Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast released in 1967.^[11]
• Stéphane Grappelli and The Diz Dizley Trio recorded this on their 1975 album Violinspiration
• Linda Ronstadt recorded the song on her 1978 album Living in the USA,^[12] and performed the song on an episode of The Muppet Show.
• Slim Dusty recorded the song on his 1997 album A Time To Remember.^[13]
• John McDermott included the song in his concert special A Time To Remember, staging it as a father-daughter duet.
• A segment of "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" is used in the chorus of the song "Too Old To Dream" on O'Hooley & Tidow's album Silent June (2010).

In popular culture

• The song was featured in a 1935 MGM musical film called The Night Is Young starring Ramon Novarro and Evelyn Laye. The song is referred to in the film I Never Sang for My Father as the song the father had always asked his son to sing.
• In the Australian soap opera A Place to Call Home, Elizabeth Bligh (Noni Hazlehurst) sings the song at Douglas' refuge in the episode called "Too Old to Dream".
• In the second season of the US television series Northern Exposure, the song is prominently featured in the second episode titled The Big Kiss.